A Few Nuggets On Christianity and Philosophy

Just finishing Colin Brown‘s excellent work Philosophy and the Christian Faith (yes, good things can come from Fuller…or at least, came from Fuller) when I came across a few great quotes:

Every philosophy requires modification in the light of experience, not least in the Word of God. Those philosophies are most sterile which approach experience with a rigid system and try to force everything into a pattern shaped by their preconceived ideas…The Christian must remember Paul’s warning: “See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.” In the very nature of the case, when it comes to the question of knowledge of God, we must begin with the primary datum of the Christian faith – God’s revelation of himself in his Word. It is in the light of the Word of God that we must judge our preconceived ideas, and not vice versa. (260)

The Christian gospel must henceforth stand or fall – from the philosophical point of view – by itself. Christianity must be capable of vindicating itself by itself. Our proof of the existence of God must derive from our experience of God through the whole gospel and not be made dependent upon hypothetical abstract arguments borrowed from outside…The modern secular philosopher refuses to be taken in by the lame arguments of natural theology. In future, Christian philosophers must be prepared to vindicate Christianity by a more thorough investigation of the Christian revelation, or quit the field altogether. (276)