Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 131:524 (Oct 1974)
Article: Faith and Reason
Author: Clark H. Pinnock

BSac 131:524 (Oct 74) p. 303

Faith and Reason

Clark H. Pinnock

[Clark H. Pinnock, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia.]

The Historical Context

The relationship between faith and reason has been a hot subject for discussion throughout the Christian era. Opinions have ranged along a continuum from extreme fideism which affirms the exclusive sufficiency of faith all the way over to extreme rationalism which comes close to identifying religion and philosophy. Tertullian in the early church represents fideism in his denunciation of natural reason and his insistence on the divine foolishness of Christianity. “What has Jerusalem to do with Athens, the Church with the Academy?” He stated, “I believe because it is absurd; it is certain because it is impossible!”1 For Tertullian it was enough that God had spoken. Through revelation we have all that we need to know. Beyond that it is better to remain ignorant than risk being seduced by false philosophy. At the other extreme we find Clement of Alexandria, a contemporary of Tertullian, espousing a vigorous intellectualism which viewed pagan thinking as a positive benefit to Christian apologetics. According to Clement, Christ is the Logos, the instructor of all humanity. We should expect, therefore, that even pagans will have apprehended something of God’s truth. Clement believed that God bestowed philosophy on the Greeks much as he gave the Law to Israel, as a preparation for Christianity. It set the stage culturally for the coming of the gospel. Clement could see anticipations of Christian ideas throughout Greek literature. The great difference in approach to faith and reason between Tertullian and Clement has never been fully resolved even to this day.

BSac 131:524 (Oct 74) p. 304

In order to understand where we stand in this ongoing discussion it might be useful to characterize the basic mood in philosophy of religion circles today. Charlesworth has observed that there have been four basic approaches to the relationship between faith and reason in the history of western philosophy.2 For Plato philosophy is invested with religious significance whose end is metaphysical vision or contemplation. Philosophy is in a real sense continuous with religion. For Aquinas philosophy is the handmaiden of religion, leading the mind to a consideration of the strictly supernatural order of revelation. Reason gives a “preamble” to the exercise of faith. With Kant the metaphysical pretensions of reason are even more severely curbed so that philosophy has no justificatory role with regard to religion. At most it can make room for faith by showing its own limitations. Finally, in...