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2009/12/04Posted in: in the world
Christianity is a knowledge tradition and all who follow Christ are responsible for its accuracy and continued growth. There are two law we must obey as we guard and expand knowledge: the laws of love and reason. To disobey either is to make oneself a fool.
What are you teaching/learning?
About Laura
My name is Laura and I am on a journey, pondering the implications of God's glorious design of humanity and integrating four aspects of this design—spiritual, intellectual, affective, and physical health—into a description of whole life health.
Christianity is a personal revelation of the person of Jesus and the reality of relationship with Him.
Who are you in relationship with?
Just testing!
How can you legislate love?
[Reply]
True, but the knowledge is a required element in revelation, is it not? If there is no knowledge content to a relationship, it’s not much of a relationship.
What I’m countering here is the notion that Christianity is a matter of opinion or cultural perspective. This is not the case. Christianity is a factual faith, based on historical events, and involving knowledge (justified true belief), not merely opinion.
I’ll do a short blast on the necessary relational aspect later.
As to the question: “How can you legislate love?”
God already did: Lev 19:18 and Matt 22:39
[Reply]
Yes, agree on countering the opinion and cultural perspective. Yes, agree on the factual, historical basis of faith.
But I was seeking to balance your proposition on the knowledge tradition and the learning/teaching question, because it gives the impression that the more knowledge we gain the closer we can come to God. And with all due respect to your academic profession, I have the feeling(!) that there needs to be something more than just an amassing and ordering of facts. Relationship, love, has to do with enjoying some one’s company, spending time together just for the sake of it, hanging out, sharing jokes, eating together. Some knowledge acquisition about the other may happen, but it is just a by product and not the core process.
On the radio news today I heard about some journalists who have been allowed a quick visit to the “secret” private archives of the Vatican. There are 10 kilometres of documents there. So if knowledge is the only thing that counts, those guys with all that must be closest to God after all.
And that I do not believe!
[Reply]
I direct your attention to the post on training in ordinary life, where I talked a bit about the very regular hang out time with the believers with whom I gather.
While I do not flesh this out in the fifty words I’ve posted here, I do not assume that knowledge is merely “an amassing and ordering of facts.” A quote from my review of Moreland’s Kingdom Triangle will explain:
“Knowledge by acquaintance is direct, sensory or experiential knowledge. Propositional knowledge is properly justified true belief. Know-how is the ability to do something well.”
Acquaintance knowledge, a type too often discounted in Christian academia, is ONLY gained by direct experience in activities like the ones you list: “enjoying some one’s company, spending time together just for the sake of it, hanging out, sharing jokes, eating together.” Acquaintance knowledge of Christ is crucial for salvation.
Even so, we dare not neglect propositional knowledge (which I mainly refer to in this post) or know-how. All three types are important for our practice.
[Reply]