Augustine maintains that since God is completely good, everything He creates must be good; therefore man was created good but his will was twisted to do evil. Augustine argues against all those who would say that God did not create man completely good by pointing out that God Himself “looked at everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Gen.1:31) In explaining how man is no longer perfect, as he was created, Augustine says that “the flaw of wickedness is not nature, but contrary to nature, and has its origin, not in the Creator, but in the will.” (XI.17) He says that man’s nature was originally good—that nature in itself is good, therefore it is not man’s nature but vice which does evil and opposes God. It is vice that twisted man’s pure will to do evil. At first, Adam and Eve existed in a perfect state of fellowship with God, and that is how God created man to be. Vice is the serpent that flattered and tempted Adam into sinning and twisted his will to do evil. Therefore, Augustine tells us, “Even the vice which by force of habit and long continuance has become second nature, had its origin in the will.” (XII.3) So Augustine asserts that our perfect God created a perfect man whose will was then corrupted by vice.

Augustine replies to those who would ask what use or purpose an all-knowing, all-powerful God has in allowing sin to remain and harm His people, by speaking of the concept of antithesis. For “God would never have created any… unless He had equally known to what… good He could turn him, thus embellishing the course of ages, as it were an exquisite poem set off with antithesis.” (XI.18) Webster, in his 1828 Dictionary of the English Language, defines antithesis as “opposition of opinions; controversy. In rhetoric, an opposition of words or sentiments; contrast.” In literature an antithesis would be something or someone who provides a contrast by which you see the qualities—usually good—of another. Artists such as Rembrandt and Thomas Kincaid use shadows as an antithesis to better bring out the light and the colors in their paintings. Augustine shows antithesis as God using evil to bring out the goodness of the good. This is why James tells believers to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” (Ja.1:2-3) There are many other examples that prove this theory of antithesis reasonable.

One example of antithesis, or “God using evil to bring out the goodness of the good,” is persecution of the church. It would seem that the church actually grows larger and stronger under persecution. An example of this would be the early church in Ancient Rome, where Christianity was considered a radical and dangerous sect that should be wiped out. Many were arrested, crucified, fed to the lions, etc, and yet “the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts6:7) Peter and John were called before the Sanhedrin and told to stop preaching the gospel or be punished, and as opposed to praying for safety, the believers prayed that God would “enable [His] servants to preach [His] word with great boldness.” (Acts4:29) Another example is the modern church in China, which is underground due to widespread persecution of Christianity in that country. An underground church leader stated that Christians in other countries should “stop praying for persecution in China to end,” adding that “it is through persecution that the church has grown.” (World Magazine, Praying for Persecution, by Gene Edward Veith) The Chinese church leader also stated that Chinese Christians are praying that the churches of other countries “might taste the same persecution so revival would come to [them] like we have seen in China.” So, in fact, it is during times that are hardest for the church and the believer individually that the Christian grows stronger and surer in their faith. This is one example of antithesis at work.

Another example of antithesis, which Augustine covers, is the fact that controversy over doctrine and the interpretation of Scripture, while it does stir up strife and divide believers, causes Christians to study and meditate on God’s Word, to discover for themselves its meaning. Augustine says that “this obscurity is beneficial, whether the sense of the author is at last reached after the discussion of many other interpretations, or whether, though that sense remain concealed, other truths are brought out by the discussion of the obscurity.” (XI.19) So, although it took argument to cause the study, every time a person reads the Bible they can learn something new, whether it’s relevant only to themselves, or to all. So through antithesis believers can come to a new and more extensive understanding of the Scriptures.

Augustine also states that not only is that which is not good used to give glory to God by showing the goodness of that which is good, but it itself gives Him glory. All things in creation, even that which is not perfect, give Him glory. Augustine speaks of “all natures… [which] have a rank and species of their own, and a kind of internal harmony… places assigned to them by the order of their nature…” (XII.5) The simple fact that all created things have a place and a purpose in the order of nature glorifies God. Every plant, every animal, every person has a reason and a calling to exist, through which they give glory to their Creator, whether they are aware of it or not. Augustine stresses th
at despite the fact that man’s perfection has been marred by sin, still God has a purpose for him and still He uses man for His glory. Augustine says that the sinful will, “though it violated the order of its own nature, did not on that account escape the laws of God, who justly orders all things for good. For as the beauty of a picture is increased by well-managed shadows, so, to the eye that has skill to discern it, the universe is beautified even by sinners.” (XI.23) In Romans, the apostle Paul says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:23) As Augustine points out, despite the fact that God’s creation is peopled with sinners, still it points to and gives glory to the One who created it.

Augustine’s coverage of the topics of the will, of antithesis, and of God’s glory is impressive. However, through it all there is one question that begins on the subject of the will, and so affects the rest, and does not seem to be clearly addressed. On the subject of the will, Augustine says that “vice… had its origin in the will,” (XII.3) yet he also says that man’s nature is good, because he was created by a God that cannot create anything that is not good. Surely the will is a part of the created man. If this is so, a question arises of how a perfect will can make a decision for evil. If every man were born with a perfect will, he would naturally make decisions for good; or so it would seem. Yet humans begin to make wrong, sinful decisions from the moment they are born. There must be an explanation for this if man is created good, just as God uses even evil for good, even though it seems questionable that an evil will could do good. However, Augustine does not seem able to supply this explanation. He attempts to, yet the question is not satisfied. When Augustine points out that even a sinner brings glory to God, he says that that sinful will “violated the order of its own nature.” (XI.23) This statement seems to address the issue of how a completely good will could make a decision that was not good, yet the question still remains: how can a man’s will violate its own nature? To this question Augustine offers no answer.

It would seem that Saint Augustine experienced firsthand the antithesis of the obscurity of God’s Word. Aside from the question that presents itself and seems impossible to answer, it is obvious that through constant, detailed study of the Scriptures, Augustine has come to satisfactory conclusions. He explains in detail his conclusions about the corruption of the will, how God uses evil, and how the corrupted will can bring glory to God, and these are only three of the many investigations into the Word of God that Augustine speaks of in his City of God. Augustine concludes that God created man good, as is confirmed in Genesis where it says “behold, it was very good,” (Gen.1:31) then man allowed his will to become polluted by vice. God uses evil to provide a contrast by which the good can be seen to be very good, and He uses everything in His creation, now marred by sin, to point to and to bring glory to Him as creator.

Athanasius was born around AD 300 in the city of Alexandria, Egypt. Little is known about his youth, except that he was raised in a Christian home. He was not taught in a Christian school, but it is said that when Athanasius was a boy, the bishop Alexander once noticed him and his friends playing a game of church outside. As the bishop watched them perform pretend ceremonies, he noticed Athanasius attempt to baptize one of his friends. When Alexander asked the boy what he had said, it turned out that he performed a true baptism. Realizing his potential, Alexander took Athanasius as his secretary and gave him an excellent bible education. It’s said that he actually studied the whole bible better than anyone had ever studied even one book. Athanasius was sure to do great things.

During this time, Diocletian was persecuting Christians more than ever before, but by AD 324 Constantine became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire and began to unify the empire around Christianity. Now that Christians were no longer being attacked for their faith, “everyone from the emperor to the common man was debating Christian doctrine”. This might have been better than being burned at the stake or torn apart in the coliseum for believing in Christ, but it still presented some problems. With Christian doctrine being such a popular topic it began to develop some inconsistencies. A leading preacher of Alexandria by the name of Arius started a following with the idea that Jesus was not the same as God. That Jesus was created and was the highest of God’s creation which made him “the instrument of all the rest of creation”. This idea bothered Alexander who really liked Arius, but knew that this view was not correct. Alexander, along with Athanasius, held to the truth of the unity of Father and Son. When both sides began to gain support it threatened the unity of the empire around Christianity, so Constantine summoned together all the bishops of the empire so that each side could come to an agreement.

This council, which became known as the Council of Nicaea, had over two hundred bishops in attendance. Most of these bishops disagreed with the views of Arius, but could still not agree completely on what they did believe. By the end of the council, Arius had been excommunicated by Alexander and the bishops adopted the word homoousios, meaning “of the same substance”, into the Creed of Nicaea. It was agreed, the Son was the same as the Father. Three years after the Council of Nicaea, Alexander died and at almost thirty years old, Athanasius was declared the new Bishop of Alexandria. Even though the council had come to an agreement, the debate was far from over. While exiled, Arius gained more followers and eventually Constantine began to lean toward Arianism, ordering Athanasius to readmit Arius. Athanasius refused. He did not believe that Arius really accept the council’s agreement of homoousios. So when Constantine called together another council, Athanasius was now on the losing side. Yet he would not budge. He stood firm against these beliefs and defended the unity of Father and Son. For this he was sent into exile five times over the span of sixteen years.

Since the inception of the Christian church, there have been false teachers seeking to assault and undermine the fundamental beliefs of the faith.  It seems that once one heresy was swatted down, another false teaching rose up to greater prominence.  The early heresies in the first centuries of the church undoubtedly have implications in our modern churches.  Let us examine some of the earliest heresies and their modern implications on Christianity today.  For the sake of space, we will take a look at just three of these false teachings: the Judaizers, Gnosticism, and Arianism.

            False teaching began to creep into the church as early as the ministry times of the Apostle Paul.  The Judaizers were contemporaries of the apostle to came into the Galatia churches stirring up fear and confusion.  They brought in forms of Judaism, claiming that one must be circumcised for salvation.  This obviously infuriated Paul and he countered by condemning them to anathema. Paul said, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8).  This classic heresy was one of teaching that works was necessary for the earning of salvation.  It has been transferred in different varieties in many different false teachings since that time, but it all contains one poisonous element: an undermining of the exclusively salvific gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And isn’t this the major heresy that seems to have infiltrated American Christendom more than any other?  It has been said that there are only two types of religions in this world: those whose salvation plan is works-based and those whose salvation plan is grace-based.  All (ALL!) other major world religions, save for Christianity, are based on works to achieve eternal life, nirvana, euphoria, or whatever else is seen as the supreme good.  As I witness to others, nearly every person I encounter thinks that “being a good person” will achieve eternal life and a spot in heaven.  Even as I talk to churchgoers, they hold to a works-based salvation teaching.  This terrible heresy has even penetrated the doors of many evangelical churches today.  Even if a particular church does not officially hold to this view, we can nearly be sure that there are attendees (sometimes even regular attendees) who adhere to it.  A significant part of this problem lies in the proclamation coming forth from the pastor’s pulpit.  A faithful and regular presentation of the true and glorious gospel of Christ in our evangelical churches will awaken many to the flaws inherent in this false teaching.

            Arianism is another heresy that sprang up from the teachings of Arius, a priest from Alexandria, in the 4^th century.  This powerful heresy become very prominent and was arguably the greatest heresy of the early church.  Arianism taught that Jesus was a lesser, created being and thereby undermined the deity of our Lord.  It taught that Christ was the first and greatest creation of the Father and was thus not eternal.  The deity of Christ is strongly supported in the New Testament and the Old.  Moreover, this heresy was rejected and the deity of Jesus was upheld at the Council of Nicaea with the making of the Nicene Creed.  The Watchtower is a modern day cult that subscribes to this deadly heresy.  Jehovah’s Witnesses not only reject the deity of Chris but they also reject belief in the Trinity.  It is interesting to note that this is not a new teaching, but it has been around for more than 1500 years. 

            It has been said that the heresy in Galatians was a form of inci
pient (embryonic) Gnosticism.  Gnosticism taught that there was a secret knowledge to be learnt for salvation.  There were many different groups of Gnostics but many held to this teaching. In a way, this is what the Judaizers in Galatians had been teaching. They were saying, “Yes, that is what Paul taught you, but here is the whole teaching on salvation!”  The secret knowledge was that one must be circumcised also for salvation.  Though this may not be quite an apparent implication, but Gnosticism has also been a catalyst for the innumerable cults and sects that have been formed since the first century until these times.  Usually a cult leader will arise with a unique teaching or a certain twist on what has historically been called orthodox.  This leader is eloquent, charismatic, and seemingly more enlightened than everyone else.  He has a “secret knowledge” that must be attained and followed so he gathers a cult following.  We have all witnessed the danger and tragedies that come out of various cults and sects.  From David Koresh to Jim Jones to more popular to less recognized cults, these groups have all inflicted damage to many lives over the decades.

            Today, now more than ever, there comes a need to stand for the essential fundamentals of the Christian faith.  The authority of Scripture is being assaulted externally by the outside world and internally by false prophets in our churches.  Pastors must preach the word of God and not hesitate to convince, rebuke, exhort, and instruct.  The fear of man leads to bending and compromising the truth of the gospel.  Our pulpits and our people need to proclaim His truth.  Yet all this must be done with a brokenhearted boldness, unashamedly casting down every high and lofty argument that exalts itself against the knowledge of God while displaying an undeniable love and compassion for those caught up in such heresies.

Church and State

Church and State, what a lovely concept of having a nation so deeply rooted in faith that it is directly tied together with the government. Imagine the possibilities of such a union. Full support from the government for missions and evangelism; prayer and scripture involved in every facet of government; what could be better? There was a shout of joy at the conversion of Constantine; a rejoice as Christianity was made the religion of the nation. Finally after years of persecution the government has seen the light! Finally the sufferings endured by centuries of brothers and sisters paid off. If ever there was a perfect time for spreading the good news, it is now. The weight of the pagan gods has been thrown off and the truth has been brought to the head of the government. Imagine the days to come. As the gospel spreads across the country like wild fire surely now the gospel will be taken to the uttermost ends of the earth. As every nation, tribe and tongue is reached we will surely see the coming of Christ and the glories of Heaven unfold. Oh what a glorious day indeed! Or so it may have seemed.

It could not have helped but seem an answer to prayer and a God ordained union to some. I cannot answer for sure how I would have felt about the subject had I lived in that time; in reality I wanted this to work. I was happy as I played out the image in my mind of having my faith so closely tied in with state. The thought of having an integrated faith and government should not be considered foreign or all wrong to us. In the perfection of Heaven we will see this take place as we see every knee bow down to our God and Father of our faith. But as is was for me it surely must have been for others. I failed to bring into account the one element that keeps us contained in this world, sin. If man before the fall could not keep complete check on himself in the Garden of Eden then he was surely destine to fail to keep check over the faith of others in his fallen state. While this may be an achievable goal, it will not be accomplished by man.

As the years unfolded on the pages of history the progressing nightmare was told. How did the Church go from Justin Martyr to the Dominican Order? From a people that endured torture for the name of Christ to a people that inflicted torture in the name of Christ, the Church was radically changed. I seem to have the feelings of a father trying to comprehend the addiction found in his daughter. How could this have happened? She was so innocent, such a beautiful light to others. What made her make these choices? Why couldn’t she see what was happening to her and how she was hurting herself and others?

So what is the answer? Do we abandon completely the idea of faith playing a role in government? Should the Church be completely divorced from the state? Should Christians isolate themselves from government and state offices? One possible answer: The presence of the Church should only be felt in government through the beliefs and moral convictions of those believers holding office in government and in no way should the leaders of the Church be directly tied to the state outside of being the spiritual leaders of the congregations in which the government officials reside. As in any situation and in a government chosen by the people the Church’s focus should be on the Great Commission. The change brought about by a relationship with Christ brings about a moral and spiritual cleansing. Through ongoing discipleship in the individual believer and an intentional approach to evangelism all with the guidance of the Holy Spirit the Church will grow. This change brought about on the population will in effect change the culture we live in. This change will be felt in all aspects including government. You cannot change the government to change people, you must change people to change the government. Are the problems we have today anything to do with a lack of the Church being involved in the state, or is it more likely a problem with the faith in the Church?

Christian Jihad

Christian Jihad is a very eye opening book. Having little study into the Crusades my perception of them was greatly weighed on by Hollywood. Take for example Robin Hood. As the story goes the Honorable King Richard was absent fulfilling his duty to England and God. In Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade the knight portrayed is one of most heroic and outstanding character having not abandoned his post for hundreds of years. To see what the view of the early Church was and then to see how warped the Church became in later years is really frightening. The view given of the Donatists and the Anabaptists and how they were treated by the organized Church is scary to say the least. How could a people who actually read the Bible be so far off as to think that torture and murder were bringing people to God? Where did Christ nail the Pharisees to a cross? What example or teaching was used?
Another part of the book I deeply enjoyed was learning the depth of the Just War criteria. While Augustine is not able to come to a fully complete acceptance of war I feel a sense of relation in that I am not always able to completely put all my eggs in one basket. Overall I feel confident that Christian Jihad will serve as an excellent challenge to traditional and cultural thinking and serve to open up the mind to a clearer view of our world and history.

Quote

I am not sure where I heard this but I believe it speaks volumes on the importance of the decisions we make.

“You make your choices and then your choices make you.”

Resource

As a resource I am recommending that if you don’t already have one that you get a Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Since we are attempting to look at the world from a Biblical view our first point of reference should be the Bible and having a Thompson Chain Reference has been very helpful to me.

Throughout the course of history varying opinions of the compatibility of faith and reason have been formed. In recent years, the relationship between faith and reason has lacked the attention which was given throughout most of Christian history. Much of that is due to the emphasis on (mystical) experience in the present Christian culture; this seems to be partially a result of the influence of the subjectivism and relativism latent in the postmodern worldview. Philosophical and reasoned theological discourse appear to be marginalized to the academic realm and thus popular Christian culture suffers from intellectual anemia and an anti-intellectual mentality. Thus, faith and reason are often set at odds within the current Christian climate and the wider contemporary culture has a low intellectual view of faith – particularly the Christian faith.

Most would not regard faith synonymous with reason but consider matters that are accepted in faith (belief in the absence of or in opposition to evidence) antithetical to reason (following evidence). [1] While it is true that many matters accepted by faith are generally beyond the realm of human reason and natural phenomena (evidence), is it accurate to say that what is trusted in faith is unreasonable or irrational and does not correspond with reality? Additionally, faith is often considered to be merely a “blind leap” of speculative hope founded on questionable ideas, naïve sentimentalities, or spurious personalities. Admittedly, there are many kinds of faith exercised that are naïve, irrational, and purely speculative; and there are many who place faith in erroneous ideas and questionable personalities. However, there is a kind of faith presented in the Christian Scriptures – the Holy Bible – that is sound, reasonable, and certain.

The Incompatibility and Compatibility of Faith and Reason

Founded on supernatural revelation that goes beyond human reason – faith is grounded in historical realities and not only stands compatible with reason, but establishes the right use of it. Scripture teaches an incompatibilist and compatibilist model of understanding the relationship of faith and reason. In the incompatibilist model, human reason stands opposed to faith as it is founded on the presupposition of humanism (man is the center of all things) and naturalism (the world can only be understood by what is seen and interpreted by human reason alone) without regard to a presupposition of a supernatural metaphysic (that there is a God that has created and sustains all things) established and explained by revelation (God’s transcendent revealing of himself in real time and space history). In the compatibilist model, faith and reason are seen as faculties of the mind and are mutually exercised on the basis of revelation. The right use of reason is established by faith in the truth of what has been revealed. Reason apart from God’s revelation thus becomes defective irrational and unable to come to a knowledge of what is ultimately true. The kind of faith that establishes the right use of reason is distinct from other religions because it is founded upon the revelation of God elucidated in the Christian Scriptures with the apex of this revelation being in the person of Jesus Christ. This definition of faith found in the Christian Scriptures is best described in the New Testament letter to the Hebrews.

What is Faith? – A Definition from Hebrews 11

The Scriptures present faith as inseparable from reason; faith is a confidence and firm conviction based upon hearing the truth. Thus, the foundation of biblical faith is truth. It is never on the basis a hunch, a vague hope, or what is often called a “blind, leap of faith” (or necessarily without the preponderance of evidence or in opposition to). Furthermore, the Scriptures teach that faith produces understanding; faith is an exercise of the mind that results in a depth of knowledge and insight. Thus, reason and faith are not antithetical but interrelated and necessary for the basis of spiritual knowledge as well as all knowledge. This understanding of biblical faith is most clearly seen in the New Testament letter to the Hebrews, particularly in chapter 11.

The book of Hebrews is primarily an exhortation (13:22) to Jewish believers endure and “hold fast the confession” (3:1, 4:14, 10:23) of in faith in the true Messiah – Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal rest (4:1-11) and not fall away in light of ensuing persecution (10:32-35). In order to encourage faithful perseverance, throughout the letter, the author contrasts true faith with unbelief and then ultimately defines faith in chapter 11:1. The writer goes on to describe faith (a trust, confidence) as the “substance” (a firm/solid assurance) “of things hoped for” and “the evidence” (conviction, absolute certainty) “of things not seen.” From the immediate context, we can discern that the “things not seen” is the promise just stated in 10:36; this promise is the promise of Christ’s coming with His reward (cf. 10:36, 37, and 39). The firm assurance and absolute certainty of faith is in is the promise of the Word of God (“what is promised”). The truth of what is promised is the substance of faith. Not only is the truth the substance of faith – but faith (as an assurance and absolute certainty) is the evidence of the promise itself – i.e. – faith is a testimony to the truth. Faith recognizes the truth and acts as an eye witness to it.

It becomes apparent that biblical faith/belief is not a blind leap into something without evidence or is unreasonable, but it is a fixed conviction upon truth. In this way, it begins to be seen that faith is not incompatible with reason – but compatible. The compatibility of faith and reason continues to be seen in verse 3 when the writer says: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” The word “understand” here is noieo, lit., to exercise the mind (observe). It is to comprehend, to perceive, and think. It is distinguished from observing/perceiving through physical sight but through a perception of the mind; it is an exercise of the mind accepting what is true. This comprehension is that the world was made “by the word of God.” Marvin R. Vincent’s New Testament Word Study on Hebrews says: “Here is meant the inward perception and apprehension of the visible creation as the work of God, which follows the sight of the phenomena of nature.” Faith’s compatibility with reason is that faith comprehends (the evidence of) the visible world as being made by God. The truth of the evidence of creation “declares the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1) and faith “understands” this. As Clement of Alexandria exclaimed, “Credo ut intelligam” – i.e. – “I believe in order that I may know.”[2]

However, while a compatibility of faith and reason can be seen in this explanation of faith, an incompatibility can also be seen. In both verses one and three, the object of faith has been the revealed truth of the word of God; this revelation goes beyond the realm of human reason and empirical rationality. In verse one, the object of faith is the promises of God (particularly the promise of Christ’s eventual return) that is the assurance and conviction of faith. In verse three, the object of faith is the unknown (God) behind the known (creation) being understood through the known (creation); but, there is only one way the unknown can be known – if it is made known, and that is through the revealed truth of God. Consequently, while our minds exercise faith in the revealed truth, in actuality the faith that results in a knowledge of the truth – is itself a product of the Divine word and not of our own will power. In this sense faith is incompatible with human reason, but compatible with Divine reason that is brought forth in the human mind by the revealed Word of God (James 1:18). This accords with the words of Aquinas, “it was necessary f
or the salvation of man that certain truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by divine reason.”[3]

So, it is no wonder that some can look at nature and all its grandeur and not believe in the reality of a almighty Sovereign God – it is because they do not and cannot comprehend, i.e., they don’t have eyes of faith to bear witness to the truth! Thus, faith in and through the divine revelation is the epistemological necessity of truth. Meaning, that without faith we can never come to an accurate knowledge of the truth and a right understanding of reality; however, by faith Divine reason (the Word of God) is imparted to the human mind to be assured and convinced of the truth in order think properly about reality and act according to that Divine reason. Thus, faith and reason are not opposed to one another – but faith establishes the right and divinely intended us of reason and that is to “think God’s thoughts after Him.”[4]

Conclusion

Faith itself is the assurance and certainty – this picture presents faith as a faculty or even a foundation. It would be better understood as a faculty because it is by faith that the author of Hebrews describes the accomplishment of all the resulting actions of the “heroes of faith” in Hebrews 11. So, faith is seen as volitional. In faith as a faculty of the mind – it must be understood that it is not something that one has or doesn’t have per se – it is something someone is always exercising. Granted, it must be said here that there are varying kinds of faith. Additionally, what makes faith differing is because faith is often exercised toward a different object.

We were created to know God – to know Him rationally (right reasoning) and relationally. These aspects of relationship with God were both lost in man’s fall into sin. Biblical faith (as described in Hebrews) is merely the restoration of man’s ability to rationally know God and His truth. Through faith, Christian believers have a rational certainty of God that causes them now to think and live as man was intended. So, true biblical faith will result in actions that are consistent with God’s revelation of His ways and intentions for mankind. This is what it means that faith without works is dead – because faith produces the actions that God intended. Thus, faith and divine reason work in tandem to produce right reasoning resulting in the glory of God through the testimony of the eye witness of faith.

[1]Swindal, James. “Faith And Reason.” The Internet Encyclopedia Of Philosophy, 2006. http://www.iep.utm.edu/f/faith-re.htm. (accessed April 28, 2008).

[2]Holt, Tim. “Glossary: Faith And Reason.” Philosophy Of Religion.info, 2003-2006. http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/faithandreason.html. (accessed April 28, 2008).

[3]Aquinas, St. Thomas. A Shorter Summa. Edited by Peter Kreeft. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993.

[4]This is an often used idiom in Christian literature to speak of how the regenerate mind is to think, the source is unknown.

From the times of St. Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther, and even Jonathan Edwards, the topic of religion and science has always sparked an interest in both scientist and theologian’s minds. The terms religion and science are viewed as just that; religion and science, two absolutely separate themes that could never work together. As Dr. Bill Dembski (leading scientist for Intelligent Design) has shared numerous times, a scientist can believe in Intelligent Design, but once the creator becomes a proper noun into the “Creator”, the scientist is immediately shunned for thinking both science and religion could work together. The models of rationalism and fideism are two standing extremist theories that separate the two departments of religion and science, which leaves no means for reconciliation. Within the two extremes (rationalism being reason alone, fideism being faith alone) there must lay a middle ground, a place where both scientist and theologians can rest comfortably knowing that both logical reasoning and faith are being used together. The intention is to prove that true faith should include reasoning, and true reasoning should include faith.

Rationalism is defined as “Reliance on reason as the best guide for belief and action”[1]. In taking a glance at rationalism, the most important and possibly founding father to the idea is Plato. Platonic thought is primarily based on the idea of universals, which originally seemed to state that universals were either ghost-like or eternally existing in “forms” of every objects that exist (i.e – the redness of an apple, the applehood of an apple, etc.). Most modern thinkers conceive Plato’s idea of universals, which took up both time and space, and original form as Platonic realism. Platonic realism seems the epitome of explanations in a life where faith and God (a god) cannot exist.
Not too far behind this Platonic thinking is rationalism, the idea that all things are rational and reasonable, without any faith at all. The issue normally encountered with a rationalist is explaining things unseen or even “miraculous” type events; without faith there is no basis for miracles or prayer, everything must be follow basic logical thought. Within reason alone, a rationalist trust there mind and reason; they can take comfort in logical arguments and material/visible substances. However, the troubles that are encountered within rationalism become significant because since no faith can be involved, their perspective on life is narrowed. Example: Faith in the goodness of a child; their ability to do something from genuine care, and not selfishness Rationalism dissipates the idea of faith within the child’s genuine action and calls for thorough examination of previous actions in correlation to this particular one, to determine motive.
While rationalism holds a few key points, there are issues where the believer is not only short changing their own beliefs, but affecting everyone around them.
Fideism

Fideism is defined as “Reliance on faith alone rather than scientific reasoning or philosophy in questions of religion.”[2] Under the confines of fideism, a religions person is left with faith alone without science or philosophy ever superseding a faith-based thought. The issues encountered by a faith alone believer often leave out all scientific facts and findings. Science is either considered any enemy or useless. The reality that faith can stand alone without the help of science or philosophy is in itself, irrational. The Bible states in Colossians 1:16 “…by Him [Christ] everything was created, in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible…” The Christian God and Messiah even claims that all things were made by Him, this gives the implication that all of the scientific findings can lead back to Him, if the work is done correctly.

Both rationalism and fideism take the two extremes of religion/faith and science. The middle ground between the two is non-existent, but looking toward the future of science and religion there seems to be an explosion of both departments working together toward truth. A great example of science coinciding with religion is the Intelligent Design movement. Granted the ID movement gives NO specification as to who the creator may be, or what the intelligence may be, but it provides a “faith-based” alternation to Darwinian evolution using scientific fact.[3] Taking irreducible complexity, a theory that views the complexity of nature and humanity, an individual is given the opportunity to examine complex designs that seem to have no transition period. The importance and significance of theories such as Intelligent Design are that they provide an escape to the rationalism found in Darwinian evolution, but they also do not accept fideism because they are using both reason and science for faith based arguments.
The ideal for society and even for anyone faith based is that they can eventually be able to use science to prove the existence of their god. Theories that challenge evolution gives normal individuals a chance review their own faith in light of science. There may be differences between where science holds the truth to be, and where faith holds the truth to be. In any such case, the individual can rationally and reasonably decide within their mind how to solve the dilemma. Advocating for fideism or rationalism is very irrational as ironic as it seems, but providing a place within the scientific community and faith community where both views are freely welcome is on the way. Dr. Bill Dembski made statements that Darwinian evolution is going “belly up”, giving the implication that Intelligent Design is going to provide a reasonable, rational, and scientific look at the creation of the world for faith based scientist.

Noting that both science and religion can work together is NOT advocating theist evolution, in such a case; a person must examine their doctoral beliefs to see what their writings share. In Christianity as an example, Genesis 1 is clear that God created by fiat, meaning He created things complete and fully functional, thus theist evolution does not match up with what the Scriptures teach. The Scripture leaves no room for macro-evolution to work.
Although Darwin, Calvin, Luther, or Edwards will not be able to see the coming future, a new Enlightenment is on the rise, one filled with knowledge, facts, science, and faith. With no advocating for faith alone or reason alone, society must stand back from conventional categories, and realize the ground breaking implications that Intelligent Design brings; a new idea where faith works with reason, and reason works with faith.

[1] Answers.com, 2007, http://www.answers.com/topic/rationalism/ (accessed April 28, 2007).
[2] Answer.com, 2007, http://www.answers.com/fideism/ (accessed April 29,2007).
[3] It is very much note worthy that ID does not side with any particular religion, nor does it advocate in giving the “intelligence” a name.

The first sign of persecution took place in Jerusalem (Acts 4) following a miracle by Peter and Paul who healed a cripple. The authorities could not refute the miracle, nor were they able to keep it a secret. Peter and Paul found themselves in a vulnerable position; in an attempt to keep the report from spreading, the council threatened them and asked them not to speak to any man in the name of Jesus. It is revealed in Acts 5:17 that one of the motives of the officials to persecute Christians was that of jealousy. The officials did not possess such authority therefore Peter and Paul were flogged and sent on their way. After being flogged they rejoiced having had the opportunity to suffer as Jesus did. The unjust acts against Peter and Paul marked the beginning of Christian persecution.

In the center of the rapid growth of the Christian movement, certain Spiritual needs of the Church were being overlooked, as certain widows were being neglected. Stephen a new convert along with six other men was appointed to manage this aspect of the ministry. Stephen was a man who was filled with great wisdom and the Word of God abide in him, because of the high regard fellow believers had of him he was chooses as overseer. Unable to cope with Stephen’s wisdom, the leaders of the day in a jealous rage secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him spoke blasphemous words against Moses and against God” (Acts 6:11). They motivated the people under false pretense to disregard Stephen’s true character and had him brought before the council. Following a long speech by Stephen which revealed the suspicion and insecurities of the Officials they became irate and drove him out, and stoned him to death while he called upon the name of the Lord. Following the martyrdom of Stephen, because of persecution, the Christians scattered throughout Phoenicia Cyprus and Antioch. These Christians went on to preaching and winning souls to Christ. The stoning of Stephen marked the beginning of Christian martyrdom.

Rome at the time was saturated in paganism with all sorts of corruption taking place. This way of life filtered into other Roman dominated regions where the worship of false gods was a common and accepted practice, and sexual immorality was prevalent. The beliefs and practices of Christianity went against the accepted norms of the Roman Society. There were various cults present and all these debaucheries created a difficult battle for the Christians, as it was their task to challenge this type of lifestyle and make the love Christ known to all. In becoming a Christian, one was putting their very life in danger. Christians suffered emotionally as their possessions were confiscated and burned, including valuable writings and Bibles, and soon their very places of worship. These crimes against Christians became more brutal as time went by. The reason for this was because Christians possessed an authority that the Roman government could not understand. Intimidated, the government viewed them as a threat to the culture, and indeed the very structure of Roman Society. Ironically, instead of putting an end to this movement, without any logical explanation, the movement experienced phenomenal growth.

Eventually, under the reign of Emperor Nero the State begun to viciously inflict physical torture against Christians employing various means, sometimes even death. Nero, being the ‘master of disaster’ that he was, desired to see the destruction of the world prior to his death; he gave orders that the city of Rome be set on fire. This fire which lasted for nine days claimed the lives of thousands, numerous infrastructure was lost, including what was known as the circus. It is said that while the city burned, Nero set on a high tower and amuse himself by playing his fiddle and singing the song pertaining to destruction of Troy. When Nero realized that he was about to be ousted by the Romans, he deceitfully blamed the whole fiasco on the Christians, thus conveying hatred and resentment against this group.

Paul who under the name Saul had single-handedly persecuted many Christians following the martyrdom of Stephen but having been converted, traveled the region preaching and bringing men to Christ. He had his share of confrontations with the authorities, and his demise was close at hand. Paul was seized by the authorities and brought before the council; he appeared before Governor Felix, and also two years later before Festus who succeeded Felix, and finally before Agrippa. Agrippa found no fault in Paul; therefore, he was shackled and transported to Rome. He was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. In Rome the Officials could not find any grounds on which to condemn Paul, therefore, they had to release him. Paul called together the leading men of the Jews and begun witnessing to them, winning some souls to Christ, but was later captured and beheaded under the instruction of Nero.

James the son of Zebedee who was a fisherman when called by Jesus was the first of Jesus’ disciple to be martyred. After being captured by Herod, because of his spreading of the gospel, James was beheaded along with a convert who had come to faith in Christ. All the other disciples of Jesus were martyred accept for John who suffered persecution as well but did not suffered a violent death; eventually he died of old age. Simon (Peter) one of the early Church leaders ended up in Rome and was crucified; because he did not thought himself worthy to die a death similar to that Jesus, he requested to be crucified up-side-down. Also crucified were his brother Andrew, Phillip, James, Bartholomew (also beaten), Jude and Simon (the Zealot). Matthew was killed by a halberd, James the just was beaten to death after being crucified, and stoned, Matthias was stoned and beheaded, and Thomas was killed by a spare. Numerous other Christians were condemned to die for their faith in Jesus Christ.

tyle="text-align:justify;">The early Christians had implemented a standard that was not typical; it was sure to be the cause of a society revolutionized by a people eager to perform the will of God . Because of the standard they maintained, government was disturbed, as Christians were able to evaluate the actions of the State. Fearlessly, they refused to participate in pagan ceremonies held by the State; they remained committed to the standard implemented. As a means of attempting to rid society of this new religion, the State imposed grievous persecution against Christians, utilizing numerous demeaning and terrorizing measures. Christians were tortured and asked to recant; those who refused were often burnt alive, beheaded, fed to wild animals, sewn up in the skin of animals and thrown to wild dogs, forced to wear clothing made of wax and put in the garden where they were set on fire to provide light for pagans, etc. Despite the persecution, the world witnessed a religious ignition that left authorities baffled; Christianity had rapidly spread throughout the Roman Empire. When Emperor Constantine came to power, and following his conversion, he thought of a way to deal with the clash of culture between pagans and Christians. Because of the awesome growth and authority that Christians possessed, Constantine’s desire was that of becoming a recipient of the blessings that the they were beneficiaries of; therefore, he orchestrated a plan that united the State with Christianity, thus legalizing Christianity and making it the preferred religion of the Roman Empire. Soon Rome was known as the holy Roman Empire, as Christianity gained numerous converts, most of whose motives was that of an end fulfilling a means. From this point on, the Christian movement that was so vibrant and true to its calling seemed to have been desecrated, as everything went downhill from here on.

Constantine was a great emperor in many ways, including his dealings with the armies, legalities, and politics. These, united with his Christian faith made him not only a great emperor, but allowed his people to embrace his decisions and seek advice from him. At first, Constantine was hesitant to get involved with the churches conflicts and sought for the church to handle their own problems. However as time passed, and much like we do today, the Christians used his political power to solve their disputes. Much like it is in today’s culture, we base our decision of what the role of a political leader should be within the church, depending on their doctrinal views that they hold. For example, if the President of the United States was a Southern Baptist who wanted to create a new creed of the bible’s inerrancy within the church, I doubt we would have objections. However if the President of the United States was a Methodist, we as Southern Baptist might have strong objection to whatever that President might want to input within the church.

For the first time the Christian church had someone on their side that was dictating how the empire was going to transact with Christians. Constantine overturned the prior judgments upon the Christians with the freedom to worship Christ, the return of all the Christian heirlooms and relics that were taken from them, and linked Christianity as the Roman Empire’s religion. Since Christianity was now attached to the Roman Empire name, much like God attached His name to the Israelites, Christians felt that it was their duty to instruct the Roman Empire how to deal with things to keep their name holy. We see the same tactics in today’s politics we hope that if we can get a “Christian” into power, than we can use that leverage to get our moral beliefs to reflect our country, state, and cities.

One of the biggest problems that Christianity faces is its division amongst itself. Many Christians today see these divisions as something recent. On the contrary, Christianity has been debating doctrinal absolutes since the death of Christ. Constantine fought several himself including monasticism, and donatism. But the one that he is must famous for was arianism. Constantine was requested to deal with the issue of the deity of Christ. Arius was teaching that Christ did not co exist with God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Thus Constantine brought all the bishops together and formed the Council of Nicaea. The outcome of the debate was that the teachings of Arius were heretical, and the Trinitarian belief was established. There can be positive and negative outcomes when the state has influence on doctrinal absolutes. The problem that we face, is each division among Christianity believes they know the absolutes, so depending on what division that state leader believes in, can be positive for some and negative for others. The states decision on absolutes won’t necessarily change individuals’ beliefs but can have an effect on the masses, as people tend to follow their leaders.

As a Christian we all desire to have that church and state relationship, as long as it adheres to what we believe individually. Who wouldn’t desire a nation that women and men alike would cover their bodies to prevent others from lusting? Or that all types of pornography would be illegal, where you could walk down the streets without fear of seeing an explicit billboard or driving passed a strip club. Where god’s word is the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to laws and regulations on the land. Where homosexuality, abortions, and same sex marriages are not only outlawed but forbidden. Where the majority of the society not only practice these laws but practice in their faith because of their fear of god. Some would go to even say that this unity of church and state could never be possible, but I would beg to differ. Not only is it possible, but it is currently working and in place in a country we know as Saudi Arabia. For you see they follow the Shari Law, which not only adheres to the above but goes into more and more strict laws. While reading those lines, we picture them with our Christian beliefs. And though many of us would love to live in a country that instilled those beliefs, we as Christians wouldn’t move to Saudi Arabia because of its church and state relationship. I bring this point up for one reason, though I believe it is extremely important for us as Christians to be involved with the state, if we turn Christian America into what Muslim Saudi Arabia is, who will we then reach for Christ. For I believe that for the same reasons we will not move to Saudi Arabia, if America becomes our heaven away from Heaven, non believers will not desire to move to America. The church and state relationship is important, because I desire my freedom to worship Christ, however we have to be careful to not turn America into a dictatorship.