The Task of Theology
The task of theology is to acquire not observational knowledge about God (as in naturalistic empiricism) or conceptual mastery of him (as in idealistic rationalism) but an understanding of his will and purpose disclosed in Jesus Christ, an understanding that eventuates in obedience. What characterizes theology is not the comprehension of divine mysteries nor the apprehension of human possibilities but fidelity to the Word of God, which involves acknowledging human limitations but also confessing the gift of divine illumination in the midst of these limitations.
Theology can never be definitive, for it is always a contemporary exposition of the definitive biblical word. It does not precede proclamation in the form of prediscussion but follows it in the form of reflection (Thielicke).
From the evangelical perspective, our knowledge of God is neither synthetic nor analytic in the purely philosophical sense. We do not take the way of idealism, seeking to analyze the individual parts of a comprehensive unified picture of reality. Nor do we take the way of empirical rationalism, striving for a unified vision of the various facets of experience. Instead, our task is simply to reiterate or reaffirm what is given in revelation, humbly listening to God’s Word and then endeavoring to translate this Word into human thoughts, words and actions. At the same time, we try as best we can to arrive at a coherent or comprehensive picture of reality by interpreting the whole of experience in the light of God’s Word. This picture will always be incomplete and open–ended, however, since the total vision of reality lies beyond the compass of human reason, even one informed by faith.
A Case for Theonomy
Theology’s criterion is the will and purpose of God as demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, attested in Holy Scripture. The focus of theology is neither on divine essence nor on human existence but on divine existence in humanity as we see this in Jesus Christ. Philosophy is inclined to champion autonomy, trusting in the self for direction and certainty, as opposed to heteronomy, submission to an external standard or power alien to the self (Kant). Theology presents a case for theonomy, in which the self submits to an authority beyond the self that is at the same time its ground and goal.
In philosophy reality signifies either mind or matter, or an underlying unity between them, such as force or energy. In theology the prime reality is the living God, who brings the world of temporality and materiality into being and creates the energy that vitalizes this world. Moreover, this living God is not reducible to mind or thought but instead constitutes a dynamic unity of will and intelligence, of being and action. He is the self–existing and self–sustaining One (Causa sui) whose knowledge encompasses all human perceptions and conceptions but at the same time infinitely transcends them.
Idol by Imagination v.s. True God
I agree with Pascal that the God of the philosophers is something other than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is the difference between an idol created by the imagination and the experience of the true God. The relation between theology and philosophy is not one of synthesis or correlation but one of conflict and contradiction.
The passionate concern of theology is “God’s search for man,” not “man’s quest for God” (Barth). Our knowledge of God is based on God’s gracious initiative toward us, not on our perceptivity or striving. For Plato we reach the ultimate principle of unity by “pure intelligence.” For Plotinus we reach this principle by inward purification and ecstatic self–transcendence. For Kant we reach it by practical reason or moral will. For the theologian we receive it when we are confronted by the living Christ in the awakening to faith.
Theology can never be definitive, for it is always a contemporary exposition of the definitive biblical word. It does not precede proclamation in the form of prediscussion but follows it in the form of reflection (Thielicke).
From the evangelical perspective, our knowledge of God is neither synthetic nor analytic in the purely philosophical sense. We do not take the way of idealism, seeking to analyze the individual parts of a comprehensive unified picture of reality. Nor do we take the way of empirical rationalism, striving for a unified vision of the various facets of experience. Instead, our task is simply to reiterate or reaffirm what is given in revelation, humbly listening to God’s Word and then endeavoring to translate this Word into human thoughts, words and actions. At the same time, we try as best we can to arrive at a coherent or comprehensive picture of reality by interpreting the whole of experience in the light of God’s Word. This picture will always be incomplete and open–ended, however, since the total vision of reality lies beyond the compass of human reason, even one informed by faith.
A Case for Theonomy
Theology’s criterion is the will and purpose of God as demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, attested in Holy Scripture. The focus of theology is neither on divine essence nor on human existence but on divine existence in humanity as we see this in Jesus Christ. Philosophy is inclined to champion autonomy, trusting in the self for direction and certainty, as opposed to heteronomy, submission to an external standard or power alien to the self (Kant). Theology presents a case for theonomy, in which the self submits to an authority beyond the self that is at the same time its ground and goal.
In philosophy reality signifies either mind or matter, or an underlying unity between them, such as force or energy. In theology the prime reality is the living God, who brings the world of temporality and materiality into being and creates the energy that vitalizes this world. Moreover, this living God is not reducible to mind or thought but instead constitutes a dynamic unity of will and intelligence, of being and action. He is the self–existing and self–sustaining One (Causa sui) whose knowledge encompasses all human perceptions and conceptions but at the same time infinitely transcends them.
Idol by Imagination v.s. True God
I agree with Pascal that the God of the philosophers is something other than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is the difference between an idol created by the imagination and the experience of the true God. The relation between theology and philosophy is not one of synthesis or correlation but one of conflict and contradiction.
The passionate concern of theology is “God’s search for man,” not “man’s quest for God” (Barth). Our knowledge of God is based on God’s gracious initiative toward us, not on our perceptivity or striving. For Plato we reach the ultimate principle of unity by “pure intelligence.” For Plotinus we reach this principle by inward purification and ecstatic self–transcendence. For Kant we reach it by practical reason or moral will. For the theologian we receive it when we are confronted by the living Christ in the awakening to faith.
- Donald G. Bloesch, A Theology of Word and Spirit:
Authority & Method in Theology, pp39-44.
No comments:
Post a Comment