I’m in my second week of school, taking Systematic Theology and Christian Philosophy.  The reading and lecture content is intellectually stimulating and, thankfully, edifying spiritually.  Bruce Ware has a passion about him that bleeds through his lectures and while watching him it would be impossible to argue that this man does not truly believe what he’s teaching.

Ted Cabal is the philosophy professor and I do believe this is the course I will likely enjoy the most.  While Systematic Theology is itself challenging and rewarding, there is much about the course, in terms of the categories and concepts discussed, that I already understand, have studied, or simply considered without putting into words.  (I don’t mean to say that this makes the course boring or that the course will be a breeze – far from it.)  There are nuances to the subject matter that I’ve never considered and this course will assist me in thinking about deep truths of the Christian faith that were developed in the history of the church but are often overlooked.  The philosophy course, on the other hand, is full of material I’ve only ever read about superficially.  The terminology is familiar but now I’m getting into the meat of the history of Christian philosophy and thinking that directly impacts in many ways how we live out our personal relationships with Jesus Christ.

One of my assignments for this course in Christian philosophy is to read and critique various philosophical essays, some Christian, some atheistic, and others that equivocally acknowledge deity but do so in postmodern terms.  I may post small portions of my responses to these essays, or perhaps present the arguments laid out in them and see what you think about them.  What’s important to me is not that anyone responding to them would provide a “right” answer, but that Christians might develop more critical thinking skills and recognize that Christians need not fear using the mind to analyze philosophical and theological arguments – of course, doing so prayerfully.  We stand on the bedrock of truths that correspond with reality – God exists – and no argument, however cleverly crafted, will negate their veracity.

Of course, the danger in studying Christian philosophy, which is oftentimes incorrectly re-termed simply as “apologetics”, is to think that to know answers to tough arguments against the Christian faith is a sure fire method of winning converts to Christ.  Don’t fall into that trap.  The regeneration of souls is solely the work of God.  If he so chooses to use such a means of bringing someone to Christ as your conversation, praise him for giving you that privilege, yet do not think for one moment that it was simply your astute refutation that brought about such a result.  It is no guarantee.  We are commanded to be faithful and be ready.

…but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

This scene does this for me.  Abraham, servant of God, bearer of the weight of a call as yet unrealized, travels with his only son Isaac to Mount Moriah to accomplish a most heart-wrenching task.  Up the hill they climb, father and son, lambless and yet called to make a sacrifice on the mountain – the son inquires regarding a lamb.  Of course, faithful Abraham assures his son that God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.  I cannot imagine the pain with which he uttered these words, aware of the act he was about to commit, perhaps playing it out in his mind with the agony already deep-set in his soul, uncertain of what the next few minutes would reveal.

Father and son reach the mountain’s peak.  Abraham intently searches the landscape for God’s provision of a lamb.  The quiet of the hilltop is disturbing, forcing Abraham to realize what must be done.  They proceed to build the altar; a few shots of Isaac’s puzzled face reveal the confusion he must have felt.  They add the kindling to the top of the altar and the moment for which they are unprepared has reached them.  There is no lamb.  Abraham looks both reassuringly at his son and yet with a hint of fearful determination.  He binds Isaac’s hands, then his feet, and finally places him on the altar.  A look of resignation washes over Isaac’s face but his eyes plea for an explanation.  From his bound feet to his bound hands his eyes travel finally to his father’s face, a million questions in his mind, and yet only one seems like it will provide an answer.

“Father, is there nothing he cannot ask of you?”

Raising the knife high into the air, Abraham peers straight into his son’s eyes, praying he understands the significance of this act of faith.

“Nothing.”

Nothing…  I said above that one cannot merely embrace this as a matter of intellectual assent.  How many of us really agree, embrace, believe that “Nothing” is the answer?  How does one experience the reality of such an answer?  Personally, I believe that answer.  I have reasons to lovingly embrace that answer in a way that gives a remarkable amount of comfort.  But, how is this more than a subjective experience to which you or others might object?  It is more than that, and I hope you see it.