{"id":6616,"date":"2010-07-30T05:25:35","date_gmt":"2010-07-30T05:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2010\/07\/the-wesleyan-quadrilateral-ste-2.html"},"modified":"2010-07-30T05:25:35","modified_gmt":"2010-07-30T05:25:35","slug":"the-wesleyan-quadrilateral-ste-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2010\/07\/the-wesleyan-quadrilateral-ste-2.html","title":{"rendered":"The Wesleyan Quadrilateral Step by Step (by T) 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WesQuad.jpg\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

We’re discussing how we build our knowledge of God, our theology, and using Wesley’s Quadrilateral (Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience) as an outline for our discussion.  <\/span>Last time we looked at Tradition with some wonderful discussion; today’s topic is the role of Reason in how we build our theology.  <\/span>Each of these topics overwhelms me in their significance and breadth; I look forward to the perspectives of others as we approach each of these rather large topics.  <\/span>As we look today at the role of Reason in our faith, think about these questions, again, both descriptively and prescriptively:<\/span><\/p>\n

On Reason’s strengths:  <\/span>How have you most memorably and helpfully employed reason as you sought to understand or explain our Triune God and his work, or even his particular stance or hopes toward you or a loved one?  <\/span>How has reason most helped you relationally with God?  <\/span>With others?  <\/span>How has Reason worked to integrate<\/i> your Experience with the Scriptures and Tradition for you?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

On Reason’s limits: Of what practical importance are the parts of our knowledge of\/relationship with God which go beyond language, let alone our capacity to reason?  <\/span>How do you nurture these aspects of your theology where reason is at best second or third fiddle without being dismissive of Reason?  <\/span>The biblical concept of “knowledge” is akin to the holistic “knowledge” of one spouse in relation to another.  <\/span>Has your “knowledge” of God been too intellectual or not intellectual enough?  <\/span>Does your camp under or over-value reason?  <\/span>How so?  <\/span>Has too great an emphasis on Reason ever hurt your faith?  <\/span>How so?  <\/span>Do you draw more strength or frustration from apocalyptic or poetic imagery?  <\/span>Or from Jesus’ parables and more cryptic sayings?  <\/span>Or from trans-rational practices such as praying in tongues? In what ways, if any, have you seen your own reason mislead you?<\/b> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This intro from United Methodist
\nChurch<\/a> deserves slow, careful attention: <\/span><\/p>\n

“[O]ur<\/span> own careful use of reason,
\nthough not exactly a direct source of Christian belief, is a necessary tool. .
\n. . Although we recognize that God’s revelation and our experiences of God’s
\ngrace continually surpass the scope of human language and reason, we also
\nbelieve that any disciplined theological work calls for the careful use of
\nreason. By reason we read and interpret Scripture. By reason we determine
\nwhether our Christian witness is clear. By reason we ask questions of faith and
\nseek to understand God’s action and will. By reason we organize the understandings
\nthat compose our witness and render them internally coherent. By reason we test
\nthe congruence of our witness to the biblical testimony and to the traditions
\nthat mediate that testimony to us. By reason we relate our witness to the full
\nrange of human knowledge, experience, and service. <\/p>\n

“Since
\nall truth is from God, efforts to discern the connections between revelation
\nand reason, faith and science, grace and nature, are useful endeavors in
\ndeveloping credible and communicable doctrine. We seek nothing less than a
\ntotal view of reality that is decisively informed by the promises and
\nimperatives of the Christian gospel, though we know well that such an attempt
\nwill always be marred by the limits and distortions characteristic of human
\nknowledge.” <\/p>\n

Descriptively, it is easy enough to admit,
\nwith the summary above, that Reason is a necessary tool for building our
\ntheology.  <\/span>It’s the prescriptive
\nrole that is far more difficult to nail down. As we consider its prescriptive
\nrole, we must acknowledge that we live squarely in an Age of Reason (often
\nemployed or heralded over and against faith or revelation).  <\/span>It is more than mother’s milk for us
\nwesterners, it’s more like oxygen. We all enjoy Reason’s many blessings and
\ncurses.  <\/span>Even if the gospel of Reason
\nhas begun to lose a bit of its shine for a few, it’s still making thousands of
\nconverts every day around the world, with every medical advance, every new
\nweapon we invent, and even every new gadget from Apple.  <\/span>Modernism might have a couple of grey
\nhairs, that so called post-moderns have pointed out, but it’s far from dead or
\neven weak.  <\/span>Western rationalism
\n(which turns Reason from a<\/i> tool into
\nthe only<\/i> tool for knowledge), along
\nwith naturalism and its many siblings that often walk close behind, continues
\nto push for greater paradigmatic supremacy around the world in all facets of
\nthought and evaluation, whether governmental, philosophical, ethical, and even religious.  <\/span>In terms of philosophies of thought, it
\nis the juggernaut of our time.  
\n<\/span>And as for me personally, I am a lawyer by training and practice.  <\/span>Reasoning is the core activity of my
\nprofession, and arguably my chief hobby as well.  <\/span>But I frequently tell folks, intelligence is far from the
\ngreatest gift or virtue in God’s kingdom.  <\/span> <\/span>Like many Christians
\ntoday and in generations past (even writers of scripture), I have mixed
\nfeelings about Reason’s proper role in my faith, as wonderful and necessary as
\nit is.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And the scriptures, too, invite us to think
\ncritically in the one hand, but also tell us to limit our confidence in our
\nreasoning.  <\/span>Like Tradition\/community,
\nit is impossible and unwise to leave Reason out of our theological task.  <\/span>We are thinking creatures by God’s
\ngrace and intent.  <\/span>Even the
\nScriptures do us no good apart from our ability to think and understand.  <\/span>But consider some of these scriptures,
\nsome of which have been more embedded in my mind than others:<\/span><\/p>\n

Proverbs, a
\nbook arguably more dedicated to reason than any in the Scriptures, tells us to
\n“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
\nunderstanding.”  <\/span>Paul,
\nconsidered by even modern atheists to be an obviously brilliant man says to the
\nCorinthians, “My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words
\nof wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power, so that your faith
\nmight not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.”  <\/span>How many of our preachers or
\nmissionaries would ever say such a thing today?  <\/span>And even Jesus has this surprising bit of thanks: “I
\npraise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these
\nthings from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father,
\nbecause this was Your good pleasure.”  <\/span>Why was this chosen and enjoyed by the same God who gave
\nintelligence?  <\/span>And even Tradition
\ngives mixed reviews of Reason. Luther, who once called Reason “the devil’s
\nwhore,” modeled brilliance of reasoning.  <\/span>Where would the reformation be without Reason?  <\/span>And at the same time, from the Fall to
\nSatan’s temptations of Christ, to the present day, clearly the Holy Spirit is
\nnot the only spirit who appeals to our reason as a way to tempt us.  <\/span>How
\ndo we faithfully integrate these scriptures, examples and warnings and many
\nothers like them into our use and evaluation of our own reason, yet sill love
\nGod with all of our mind in a truly holistic way?<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’re discussing how we build our knowledge of God, our theology, and using Wesley’s Quadrilateral (Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience) as an outline for our discussion.  Last time we looked at Tradition with some wonderful discussion; today’s topic is the role of Reason in how we build our theology.  Each of these topics overwhelms me in their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gospel"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Wesleyan Quadrilateral Step by Step (by T) 3 - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2010\/07\/the-wesleyan-quadrilateral-ste-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Wesleyan Quadrilateral Step by Step (by T) 3 - Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We’re discussing how we build our knowledge of God, our theology, and using Wesley’s Quadrilateral (Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience) as an outline for our discussion.  Last time we looked at Tradition with some wonderful discussion; today’s topic is the role of Reason in how we build our theology.  Each of these topics overwhelms me in their…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2010\/07\/the-wesleyan-quadrilateral-ste-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-07-30T05:25:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/files\/import\/assets_c\/2010\/06\/WesQuad-thumb-333x324-15599.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Wesleyan Quadrilateral Step by Step (by T) 3 - 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