Logic in the Christian Life

[Historian]

You'd never know it, but logic used to be required in Christian founded and run schools. Isaac Watts (of hymn fame) wrote a logic textbook (called Logic, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard Against Error in the Affairs of Religion and Human Life, as well as in the Sciences. ) that was the standard at Oxford, Harvard, Yale and Cambridge; at Oxford for over 100 years.

In fact, it used to be that Christians thought part of our stewardship of God's world included a responsibility to learn whatever we can about as much as possible. That certainly didn't preclude Christians from having a specialty, but it was part of the reason for Christians getting behind the liberal arts education concept.

Mark Noll's book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind is an interesting read about how Christians gradually abandoned academic fields and academic excellence until today many foster an anti-intellectualism that is shameful.

[supernova8610]

This thread reminded me of a book I'm currently re-reading... "Love Your God With All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul" by JP Moreland. Amazing book!

[steviusthedevious]

i've been on a gk chesterton kick lately ... this sums up my thoughts on the matter pretty well:

Quote:The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite. Life is not an illogicality; yet it is a trap for logicians. It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than it is; its exactitude is obvious, but its inexactitude is hidden; its wildness lies in wait.

i don't think logic/reason is a good final measurement when it comes to spirituality and scripture. it works, but not completely.