Beware Of Philosophy: A Warning To Biblical Scholars -- By: Norman L. Geisler

Journal: Christian Apologetics Journal
Volume: CAJ 02:1 (Spring 1999)
Article: Beware Of Philosophy: A Warning To Biblical Scholars
Author: Norman L. Geisler


Beware Of Philosophy:
A Warning To Biblical Scholars

Norman L. Geisler, Ph.D.

Presidential Address to
The Evangelical Theological Society
November 19, 1998
Copyright © 1998 by Norman L. Geisler
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Introduction

The exhortation of the apostle Paul to “beware of philosophy” (Col. 2:8) is as urgent today as it was in the first century, if not more so. And this is not only true for Christians who call themselves philosophers but for those who do not, especially for biblical exegetes.

Why We Must Beware Of Philosophy

Although the context of Col. 2:8 probably has reference to a proto-gnostic type philosophy at Colosse that had a disastrous mix of legalism, asceticism, and mysticism with Christianity,1 the implications of Paul’s exhortation to “beware of philosophy” are appropriately applied to other alien systems of thought that have invaded Christianity down through the centuries since then.

Current Philosophies

There are many current philosophies of which we should beware. But first I will touch on some of the more damaging ideologies in the past few centuries. Among them few have been more destructive than naturalism, both of the metaphysical and methodological varieties.

Beware Of Naturalism

Naturalism is the philosophy that denies there are supernatural interventions in the world. It is at the root of modern negative biblical criticism which began in earnest with the publication of Benedict Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus in 1670.

Benedict Spinoza

Spinoza argued that “nothing then, comes to pass in nature in contravention to her universal laws, nay, everything agrees with them and follows from them, for. .. she keeps a fixed and immutable order.” In fact “a miracle, whether in contravention to, or beyond, nature, is a mere absurdity.” The noted Dutch-Jewish Pantheist was nothing short of dogmatic about the impossibility of miracles. He emphatically proclaimed, “We may, then, be absolutely certain that every event which is truly described in Scripture necessarily happened, like everything else, according to natural laws.”2 His naturalistic rationalism led him to conclude that since “there are many passages in the Pentateuch which Moses could not have written, it follows that the belief that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch is ungrounded and even irrational.”You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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