Foolishness to the gentiles....

I was looking inside my Omnibus III book, as I know all of you do, and I came across a discussion question that was asked:

"Since the rise of Christianity, one of the great tensions in Western culture has been framed as 'faith v. reason.' How do faith and reason fit together?"

Especially after I was exposed to the philosophers when I started high school, that dilemma has been on my mind pretty often. There's a lot in the Bible that makes sense to anyone who thinks about it long enough, but when you get to doctrines like Christ's Incarnation or Resurrection, the only way we can possibly accept it is through faith.

When reading church history, one thing I've noticed is how often people try to resolve the dilemma. The church fathers spent much of their time reconciling Platonism with New Testament doctrines. Later on in Medieval Europe, Scholasticism, with its most famous adherent, Thomas Aquinas, picked up where our Ancient forefathers left off, producing several different hermeneutical techniques (whether they were good or not, well, that's another post ;-) which clearly show the influence of philosophy. When the Reformation came around, Protestant scholars like Luther or Calvin often used the sophisticated rules of logic to aid their Biblical studies. And likely the most recognizable to us today, the liberals of the 19th and 20th centuries often compromised such doctrines as 6-Day Creation and the Virgin Birth in order to make the Bible fit neatly into their scientific theories.

With all that in mind, I think of one of my favorite parts of the Bible, Acts 17. Here, Faith (Paul) and Reason (the Greeks) meet. I find Paul's approach to witnessing to the very-philosophical Gentiles interesting. Instead of completely dismissing reason and philosophy, he uses both to argue his case. That isn't to say that he embraced their philosophies himself, but it does show that we can arrive at truths taught in the Bible simply by thinking rationally about things around us, i.e. the depravity of man, the basic moral law, etc.

But where reason falls short is when you try to explain why man is fallen or prove that Christ is God. If we were able to explain away every difficulty in the Bible, there would be no place for faith. "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

In the end, it appears that reason is best used when it is the servant of faith. Nothing should dissuade us of what we believe is taught in the Bible. But when witnessing, teaching, or studying, reason helps  us arrive at conclusions or forcefully present an argument. In church history, when orthodox Christianity is embraced, intellectual pursuits don't diminish, but flourish. Take a look at all the books written in the Reformation, Puritan era, Great Awakening, etc. On the other hand, when a culture abandons Christ, things go downhill. Ever heard of Postmodernism, anyone?

Randomness

My delphinium earlier this summer. I love that plant.

1. So today I was going on my merry way down the freeway, when all the sudden, this person forgot that when you merge, you don't have the right of way. After forcing me out of my lane and nearly creating the worst car accident in world history, the aforesaid driver proceeded to swear/display ungenteel hand signals/etc at yours truly. Now you're probably thinking I'd better get a life/toughen up for making such a big deal about the fiasco, well maybe you're right, but the story gets rather funny. Before I got off the freeway, we saw up ahead that the driver took the same exit as we normally do. As it turns out, they ended up driving down the very street we live on.
   I've never stalked somebody before (really, I haven't), but we had a pretty good time guessing what that driver was thinking as they probably thought that's what I was doing. As they turned down a side street near my house, I was quite tempted to go drive through my neighborhood looking for any black SUV's parked in driveways, but I decided against it. It'd be slightly awkward if they recognized me. :-)
2. I remember mentioning that I planned to post more on here as I could count it as writing assignments for school. Well, the topics I came up with are incredibly boring, even for this blog. How exactly do you make an explanation for why the Renaissance started in Italy engaging? Anyways, speaking of posting on here, Maddie & I were collaborating about possible Junto books, and I think a decision will be anounced soon. (Because I know all 4 of my readers are dying to know)
3. Right now my family is watching some movie where a doll comes to life and goes around killing people. Did the writers REALLY think we'd find it believable that this little toy could inflict that much damage? Besides, aren't there other movies with similar cheesy, rabid dolls? They always have stupid women, uncannily smart four year olds, and dolls that appear to die by burning in the end, but later return in sequals. (Ok, now this movie is reminding me of Terminator) LAME. Why is my family still watching this?
4. Lately the weather has become very fall-ish. The days are clear and windy, the temperatures are cooler, and the leaves are changing. September is one of the best months in Wisconsin, if you ask me. I think it's high time for a corn maze and bonfire. I remember one corn maze we went to that was shaped like the logo of the Green Bay Packers. I know, I know.........
5. Food for thought, a la Jonathan Edwards (I love this theologian): "Religion, in its purity, is not so much a pursuit as a temper; or rather it is a temper, leading to the pursuit of all that is high and holy. Its foundation is faith; its action, works; its temper, holiness; its aim, obedience to God in improvement of self, and benevolence to men."

Consistency of character

Harvey Newcomb:

The beauty of the Christian character greatly depends on its symmetrical proportions. A person may be very zealous in some things, and yet quite defective in his Christian character; and the probability is, that he has no more religion than shows itself in its consistent proportions. The new energy imparted by the regenerating grace of God may unite itself with the strong points of his character, and produce a very prominent development; while, in regard to those traits of character which are naturally weak, in his constitutional temperament, grace may be scarcely perceptible. For instance, a person who is naturally bold and resolute will be remarkable, when converted, for his moral courage; while, perhaps, he may be very deficient in meekness. And the one who is naturally weak and irresolute will, perhaps, be remarkable for the mild virtues, but very deficient in strength and energy of character. The error lies in cultivating, almost exclusively, those Christian graces which fall in with our prominent traits of character. We should rather bend our energies, by the grace of God, chiefly to the development of those points of character which are naturally weak, while we discipline, repress, and bring under control, those which are too prominent. This will prevent deformity, and promote a uniform consistency of character.

(The Young Lady's Guide, pp. 79-80)

First day of school

Even after I started homeschooling, the first day of school has always frighteningly exciting for me. Don't ask why...

This summer, we worked on fixing up this oddly-shaped room in our house, previously an office, and I'm using it this year as my "study" for schoolwork. My grandmother's old desk in our back porch and a bookcase from IKEA have been appropriated by yours truly for school purposes. ;-) That, with a window looking out to the front garden & street (you know, so that you can spy on neighbors unwind during 5 minute breaks) makes the room a very pleasant place in which to spend 8 hours of the day. In fact, I was so excited about it, I took a picture of it all nice and clean before I started school this morning:

I'm still incredibly embarassed about that list of 24 books I made out last year......this year's is 15. And since I know you're dying to see what's on it, here ya go -

• Erasmus, The Praise of Folly
• Machiavelli, The Prince
• Luther, The Bondage of the Will
• 2 Shakespeare plays (Hamlet & A Midsummer Night's Dream)
• More, Utopia
• Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation
• Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners
• Milton, Paradise Lost
• Swift, Gulliver's Travels
• Edwards, A Narrative of the Surprising Work of God
• Voltaire, Candide
• Paine, Common Sense
• Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France
• The Autobiography of Ben Franklin 

So right now I'm reading The Praise of Folly, Erasmus's satire on the foolishness of the ostentatious scholars/rulers/clergy of his day. Well, knowing that Erasmus wrote it, I was quite petrified to read it. You know, it's just going to be a bunch of illegible Renaissance Humanism. As it turns out, however,  it's actually very funny! There were several times today that I laughed out loud (I have a total weakness for dry, sarcastic humor). Need proof?

[Folly is speaking] "In general I think I show a good deal more discretion than the general run of gentry and scholars, whose distorted sense of modesty leads them to make a practice of bribing some sycophantic speaker or babbling poet hired for a fee so that they can listen to him praising their merits, purely fictitious though these are. The bashful listener spreads his tail-feathers like a peacock and carries his head high, while the brazen flatterer rates this worthless individual with the gods and sets him up as the perfect model of all the virtues - though the man himself knows he is nowhere near that; "infinity doubled" would not be too far away." (p. 11)

The "infinity doubled" phrase did me in. Please tell me you laughed too. :-)

All in all, I pronounce this to be a very good first day of school. Let's hope the rest of the year is half as enjoyable.

Travelling, ect.

Last week I was in Illinois with my mom for a conference and this week I'll be up north visiting relatives. Therefore the lack of posting around here. It'll be a nice way to relax before school starts again. (What happened to this summer?)

At the conference, we heard Susan Wise Bauer speak, and she mentioned that highschoolers ought to do 2 essay/papers/some-type-of-assignment-that-has-an-opinion a week, so maybe I'll make one a blog post. A desperate attempt to keep blogging, I know. There's weeks where you're on a roll, full of ideas to write about, and there's others where you feel totally uninspired. I guess the only way to remedy that is to keep practicing writing.

Speaking of school, this year I'm studying Renaissance-Enlightenment history/great books/etc. Totally excited. The Renaissance/Reformation era is one of my favorites. Yes, the former was full of humanism and earthly-mindedness, but without it, the latter couldn't have survived. One of the things I soon began to appreciate when we started homeschooling was how we studied secular and church history simultaneously. (i.e., the King Ahasuerus whom Esther married was quite possibly the Xerxes who was involved in the Greek-Persian Wars)

Anyways, I hope to get some nice pictures while I'm gone (I got a new camera!), so if any are good, maybe I'll post some when I get back.

To close, wisdom from my favorite author:

Accustom yourselves to holy thoughts. Serious meditation represents everything in its true color. It shows the evil of sin, and the luster of grace. By holy thoughts, the head grows clearer and the heart better: "I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto your testimonies" (Psalm 119:59). If men would step aside a little out of the noise and hurry of business, and spend only half-an-hour every day thinking about their souls and eternity, it would produce a wonderful alteration in them! (Thomas Watson)

Isaiah 52:7-10

How lovely on the mountains
         Are the feet of him who brings good news,
         Who announces peace
         And brings good news of happiness,
         Who announces salvation,
         And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

    Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices,
         They shout joyfully together;
         For they will see with their own eyes
         When the LORD restores Zion.

    Break forth, shout joyfully together,
         You waste places of Jerusalem;
         For the LORD has comforted His people,
         He has redeemed Jerusalem.

    The LORD has bared His holy arm
         In the sight of all the nations,
         That all the ends of the earth may see
         The salvation of our God. 

What must it have been like to be an Old Testament member of God's church? These verses make me wonder how it must have been to be waiting in anticipation for the coming Messiah. We today seem to take the Incarnation for granted. It'd be interesting to have been there when Christ's disciples finally figured out that not only had the Messiah come, but He was God. It's downright stunning that God would become one of us and take the punishment we deserved for offending Him.

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God....."

1 John 3:1

Convicting.

We have not known thee as we ought,
Nor learned thy wisdom, grace and pow'r;
The things of earth have filled our thought,
And trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us light thy truth to see,
And make us wise in knowing thee.

We have not feared thee as we ought,
Nor bowed beneath thine awful eye,
Nor guarded deed, and word, and thought,
Remembering that God was nigh.
Lord, give us faith to know thee near,
And grant the grace of holy fear.

We have not loved thee as we ought,
Nor cared that we are loved by thee;
Thy presence we have coldly sought,
And feebly longed thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart
To feel and own the love thou art.

We have not served thee as we ought;
Alas! the duties left undone,
The work with little fervor wrought,
The battles lost, or scarcely won!
Lord, give the zeal, and give the might,
For thee to toil, for thee to fight.

When shall we know thee as we ought,
And fear, and love, and serve aright!
When shall we, out of trial brought,
Be perfect in the land of light!
Lord, may we day by day prepare
To see thy face, and serve thee there.

(Thomas Pollock)

On Antinomianism

The Missal by John Waterhouse

Katherine Parr:

Only speaking of the Gospel makes not men good Christians, but good talkers, except [when] their facts and works agree with the same: so then their speech is good because their hearts are good. And even as much talk of the word of God, without practicing the same in our living, is evil and detestible in the sight of God, so it is a lamentable thing to hear how there are many in the world that do not well digest the reading of scripture, and do commend and praise ignorance, and say that much knowledge of God's word is the original of all dissension, schisms, and contention, and makes men haughty, proud, and presumptuous by reading of the same.

This manner of saying is no less than a plain blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. For the Spirit of God is the author of his word, and so the Holy Ghost is made the author of evil, which is a most great blasphemy and (as the scripture saith) "a sin that shall not be forgiven in this world, neither in the other to come" [Matt. 12:32]. It were all our parts and duties to procure and seek all the ways and means possible, to have more knowledge of God's word set forth abroad in the world, and not allow ignorance, and discommend knowledge of God's word, stopping the mouths of the unlearned with subtle and crafty persuasions of philosophy and sophistry, whereof comes no fruit, but a great perturbation of mind to the simple and ignorant, not knowing which way to turn them. For how is it not extreme wickedness to charge the holy, sanctified word of God with the offenses of man? To allege the scriptures to be perilous learning, because certain readers thereof fall into heresies?

(The Lamentation of a Sinner, chapter 10)

No doubt Katherine Parr had the Catholics of her day in mind as she wrote the above words, but they still stand relevant today. Sins have a nasty habit of recurring through the years: In the Middle Ages, the Roman church discouraged laymen from reading the Bible, asserting that only the allegedly well-trained clergy was capable of reading it correctly; today, Evangelicalism is infiltrated with the belief that "doctrine divides."

Summer Miscellanies

1. A few days ago, I discovered the new stats tab on my blogger dashboard. Whoa, is it fun. In the past month, my brilliant blog had somewhere around 40 page views. And half were me. I know, TRAFFIC OVERLOAD.....
   There's 2 nice things about having an unread blog: a. You don't have to worry about what everyone thinks of what you say, and b. having a popularity complex is a problem you won't be dealing with for a while.....
2. It's very difficult to get algae out of swimming pools.
3. Maddie was over at my house on Saturday, and being the nerdy duo that we are, we went to Half Price Books. There, I spotted a couple of sets of books put out by one of the coolest publishers in the whole entire world. Every single book of theirs is a work of art. So are their prices. Ah well.
4. The best summer project, a la Jonathan Edwards: "Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before."
5. Ok, only nerds like me will appreciate this one. The other day I came across an article about a painting I've often seen of Ophelia from Hamlet. Apparently, a lady found the exact location of the setting the artist painted. Wow.

Dante's Inferno

Through me the way to the infernal city,

Through me the way to eternal sadness,

Through me the way to the lost people.

Justice moved my supreme maker,

I was shaped by divine power,

By highest wisdom, and by primal love.

Before me, nothing was created

That is not eternal, and eternally I endure.

Abandon all hope, you that enter here.

(Canto 3, lines 1-9)

Imagine yourself wandering, lost, in a creepy forest and suddenly you happen upon Virgil, who takes you to a gateway that has these words hanging over it. Sound like a fun tourist trap? Ehhhh.....

Botticelli's chart of Hell

Despite it's ominous first section, The Inferno quickly engaged my interest. I mean, who isn't fascinated by delightful things like demons pecking victims immersed in pitch or heretics entombed in blazing sarcophagi? Yeah, no one, I know. All joking profundity aside, I've often noticed that we humans have an interest in morbidity. Just like the Romans who flooded the Colosseum for the gladiator games and the medieval peasants enthralled by burning heretics, we modern, post-enlightenment, liberated-from-superstition people are still drawn to it. Ever noticed how popular horror flicks or ghost stories are?

The layout of Dante's hell makes the book a masterpiece in and of itself. The entire time I was reading The Inferno, I kept asking myself, "How did this guy come up with this stuff?!" According to the book, Hell is divided into two main sections and three types of sins - Upper Hell  (the sins of incontinence or lack of self control) and Nether Hell (the sins of violence and fraud).

In Upper Hell are found those characterized by lust, gluttony, stinginess & extravagance, and wrath. In case you were wondering, no, the punishments here aren't that creative. However, it does contain my favorite: the misers and the spendthrifts, who have been strategically placed in the same circle, are their  own punishment. All day long they bicker about the spending of eachother's money (or lack thereof) and throw stones at one another. Brilliant, Dante, brilliant.

The sins of violence come right after the aforesaid circle of the heretics and the people found there aren't quite what you would think of as particularly violent. There's the obvious murderers and suicides, but then there's those who are destructive towards God and the order He designed for His creation - profligates, usurers, blasphemers, etc. By far, however, the largest section of Hell is the sins of fraud. Dante includes a wide range of sins here, including flatterers, hypocrites, sorcerers, thieves, liars, and counselors of fraud.

When I got to the end of the story, I got a major case of heebie jeebies. In the last layer stands a gigantic Satan, whose three heads continually tear up the three most heinous traitors to their lords: Brutus, Cassius, and (dum dum dum!) Judas. Virgil and Dante end up having to climb down Satan's hairy body to get out of Hell. YEESH.

As Dante was a medieval Catholic, most people, as did myself, assume that his book is full of Catholicism. While it definitely is present, the more prominent force is Greek philosophy. For example, Dante got his inspiration for the organization of Hell from Aristotle, whose book on ethics laid out which sins were more destructive than others. Also, it's important to understand that the book is an allegory, like Pilgrim's Progress, and the punishments therin are images of how pernicious sin is in our lives. (Dante wasn't so concieted as to believe that he knew how the otherworld is set up :-) The biggest problem I had with Dante's assessment of which sin is worse than the other is in the beginning. In the first (and least serious) layer he places The Futile - those who knew about Christ but never did anything about it. The Bible clearly states that the sin of unbelief is one of the worst you can commit.

Overall, though, this book is definitely one of my favorites. It made me think. Although I'm unquestionably not a poetic type of person, I have a weekness for epics, and this is hands down one of the best. But I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much if I didn't read the edition I did - Dorothy Sayers' translation was fun to read (it rhymed!) and her notes brought to my attention many things I never would have noticed. I highly reccomend it!