When you place your kids on a school bus, you take for granted that the bus driver is trustworthy and will get your children to school. When you eat at a restaurant, you assume that the cook is not out to poison you. When you are experiencing a blind spot and another driver assists you across a busy intersection, you presume without proof that he or she is well-meaning. Though there times when your expectations may be inaccurate, generally speaking you accept them. You operate, in other words, in accordance with certain assumptions or presuppositions. It happens all of the time, probably more often than you realize. Not only is this the way we do many things, but it is unavoidable and normally helpful. Until a presupposition is invalidated, we accept it as true. Through experience, our best assumptions are confirmed and our worst ones discarded.In order to appreciate any approach, it is important to understand some of the ideas, the presuppositions, that guide such efforts. Though I hope that my assumptions are substantiated through what I say, do, and write, others must decide whether this is in fact the case, that is, whether my presuppositions are indeed reasonable and worthy of additional exploration. Among other factors, these are some of the ideas that help pave the way.
• When it comes to knowledge claims, it is important to acknowledge the tension between knowing and not knowing.
The human condition is marked by knowledge and ignorance. Some things defy us, and other things are fairly clear. What’s more, this knowing and not knowing penetrate one another. Thus, while we know many things, we know nothing with flawless precision. Likewise, we are often ignorant, but often our ignorance is not absolute, and even when we acknowledge it, we still recognize that we know at least one thing, namely, that we are ignorant. Knowledge and ignorance work in tandem, each playing a role in our quest to make sense of life, the world, and faith. To approach faith with only one of these features leads to imbalance. On the one hand, if we assume, as many do, that we can have arrive at something approaching perfect knowledge, we close ourselves off from future discovery and yield to arrogance. On the other hand, if we assume, as many do, that we cannot know anything of substance, we likewise succumb to a pompous attitude and block the path to new insights. Of course the exact proportion of what we can and cannot know will vary, and it is difficult to decipher where the quest for knowledge reaches an impasse and mystery begins. But our lack of precision does not eliminate the reality and importance of these components. Whatever else is true, the quest to grasp truth must be viewed through this prism, and we should expect to understand certain things about ourselves and the world, while remaining humble and open to change.
• As human beings, we are built for faith.
What I mean by this is that we must, of necessity, act in a manner that requires that we trust. Our trust may be in other people, things that we’ve received from others, previous experience, or a host of other things. But, in any case, we are forced to believe, to assume, to take for granted, the trustworthiness of many things. As mentioned above, when we place our children on a bus, eat food at a restaurant, trust a stranger to direct us through a dangerous intersection, or many other things, we are in effect placing our trust in another. This does not mean that all of our faith commitments are valid, for often they are not. Nor does it entail a naive acceptance of whatever it is that tickles one’s fancy. Indeed, there are many occasions in which additional information, research, and experience cause us to change our views. The point we mustn’t miss, though, is that we accept many things by faith. This is an inevitable part of the way we are built as human beings. While many factors influence our faith decisions, the decisions themselves are neither inappropriate nor anti-intellectual. We are all believers; the key issues are what we believe and whether or not our beliefs are reasonable, realistic, and sensible.
• Since everything is ultimately filtered through the human interpreter, it is important to recognize what is wrong and right with us.
As human experience tells us, humanity can be described in favorable and unfavorable terms. In fact it is not simply that we can locate examples of good bad around us but that all of us are inherently inclined to both positive and negative elements of character. Thus, our thoughts, beliefs, and actions are a combination of excellence and that which is deplorable. To describe human beings in totally negative terms is to ignore or minimize those traits that demonstrate nobility. To emphasize merely the better features is to neglect the reality that our motives and actions are often questionable or even despicable. Both grandeur and depravity characterize all men and women, being part and parcel of what it means to be human in our world. This tells us that our ability to interpret, to understand, to locate truth, is both possible but hampered. We are intellectually, morally, and spiritually handicapped by our foolish disposition. Likewise, we are emboldened and hopeful due to our honorable tendencies. If we are going to account for these very human traits, we must proceed with a combination of confidence and humility. What’s more, we might also seek the assistance of others, knowing that they, too, are a strange combination of the same attributes. Perhaps, as well, we will look to the ultimate “Other” as we seek answers, direction, and wisdom.
• It is essential to pursue not only truth but also goodness and wisdom.
One of the inherent dangers when discussing spiritual things is neglecting to see that life is more than a debate to determine whose theory is right. While we cannot escape the issue of truth, truth’s goal, if you will, includes the pursuit of goodness and wisdom. Of course the best proponents of any view realize that the accurate assessment of truth ought to produce concomitant changes in thinking and behavior. Unfortunately, however–and due, in great part to the previously discussed “dark features” of humanity–we all too often miss the point and neglect to display the wisdom we espouse. A better approach, I think, is to recognize the need not only for correct ideas and properly demonstrated claims, essential as these are, but also for living with discernment, integrity, inspiration, and authenticity. Indeed, ultimately, these cannot be separated, for just as life is an embodiment of our cherished beliefs, so our viewpoints undergird and promote right living. The thing to understand here is that all worthy pursuits are inextricably linked to the worthy expression of their highest ideals. Truth leads to goodness and wisdom, even as goodness and wisdom prompt the search for truth and provide the lense through which truth is more readily received.
• The pursuit of ultimate reality or truth is a personal venture.
By this I mean that it involves people, namely human beings and, if you accept the possibility of a greater reality, a divine person. Without elaborating on such issues as an the orthodox commitment to a plural Godhead (i.e., the trinity or triunity of God), it is enough to say that a Christian conception of truth involves the person(s) of God. And, in Christian parlance, this points us in the direction of the person Jesus. If the narratives about Jesus are even remotely accurate and if his claims are examined carefully, it’s hard to avoid the implications. The way he handled himself, the manner in which he responded to unfair attacks, the words he spoke, the deeds he performed, the encouragement and forgiveness he offered, and the claim that he conquered our worst foe–all of these indicate that there is something special about Jesus. To put it plainly, there is something unique about this carpenter's son. If nothing else made sense about a Christian worldview, Jesus alone would compel us to consider him. And he, of course, is a person, a person whom we can investigate and, if he is the one he claimed to be, a person we can seek. If I might paraphrase, he put it this way: “Seek Me, and you will find me.” The point here is not to compare and contrast Jesus with other religious figures, though that is certainly a worthy endeavor. And I recognize, of course, that not all will accept my suppositions. But that’s not the point. Though I commend him to you, my primary intent is to show that there just might be a personal side to this apologetic agenda. Truth is an idea, a concept, a viewpoint, but it is also a person. It might be a good idea, in other words, when looking for truth, to be open to the possibility that there is another (divine) person in the room with us, a person we might seek.
Conclusion
These are among the thoughts that influence my thinking and guide much of what I say, do, and write. These ideas–and others could be added–help form the basis for much of what flows forth from me. I believe they are consistent with a Christian worldview and allow for a perspective that broadly matches the world in which we live. That is, they reflect the notion that we are divine image makers, marred by rebellion, searching for both what is right and what works, yearning for the transcendent, for One in whom we can place our trust and for whom we can live our lives. While admitting my own shortcomings and blind spots, these ideas are one person's effort to facilitate this pursuit and satisfy this yearning.
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