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The Certainty of Theological Knowledge 1: The Difficulty of the Question About the Certainty of Knowledge
I personally consider that the discussion about the certainty of theological knowledge a very relevant subject in a post-modern age, which if my own assessment is correct has lost any sense of certainty especially the religious and theological kind. If there is any certainty, which exists in the contemporary time, it is none other than but individual certainty, which can either be respected or refuted by another individual certainty.
If my acquaintance with theologians through their writings is accurate and updated, our era is rightly qualified as an age of uncertainty. No one is really sure about something. Any claim to certainty is nothing but an illusion. In presenting the subject of the certainty of theological knowledge gleaned from Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics, I would like to present it under five sub headings:
- The difficulty of the question about the certainty of knowledge
- The existence of theological certainty and its relationship to other kinds of certainty,
- The objective and the subjective aspects of theological certainty
- An assessment of the three proposed sources for theological certainty focusing primarily on the critical evaluation of religious consciousness, and
- The need for revelation to attain absolute religious certainty
And allow me to share about the difficulty of the question about the certainty of knowledge:
The question concerning the certainty of knowledge, including theological knowledge is a difficult question. Bertrand Russell identifies that this question is the most difficult contemporary question. He asks, “Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it?” (1973) This question, which appears simple to an ordinary man, is actually an enigma that puzzles numerous theologians and philosophers. Russell continues his assessment about this inquiry that such question, “which at first sight might not seem difficult, is really one of the most difficult that can be asked” (ibid.). Christianity, which claims to communicate the knowledge of God to man cannot escape confronting this kind of question. Christianity has its own theory of knowledge. Any theory of knowledge faces the question of certainty. Bahnsen in quoting another source points out “All important attempts at establishing a theory of knowledge grow out of the problem concerning the certainty of human knowledge”(1976).
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RoyW on
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It seems like that faith in Christ in on a pendulum. I notice that many today assume that any kind of faith in any kind of Christ is okay. This modern age thinking appears to have its basis in writings of others rather than Holy Scripture. Church conventions here in America have very little to do with Scripture. It is all about how to reach a lost world. The emphasis is good but the lack of Scripture emphasis troubles me. Certain emphases in Scripture do seem to divide but if honesty can exist brings about healthy discussions. It is when those emphases become traditions rather than revelations. Every generation needs to discover the Bible for themselves. Every generation needs to have a Luther type of revelation. I attended a Lutheran church once to find that but found that that particular church did not have the same revelation of Scripture as did Luther. We cannot believe in something just because Calvin and Luther did; we must believe because of revelation. I am convinced that God will speak to anyone that is open to His Word. Traditions do seem to separate but the Bible will bring us closer together.
When I have attended denominational meetings, it has never been about the Bible but always about the organization. Traditions are easy to learn and therefore where so many go. Bible knowledge, on the other hand, requires one to study Scripture. The study will bring Scripture alive even if it is on a small scale.
Ruel, good job. I made the mistake of reading from 5 to 1 as that was the way they appeared on my list. I will now reread from 1 to 5.
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Permalink Reply by Ruel Z Chavez on
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Thank you Roy!
As I read your reply, the thing that comes to my mind is the beauty of unity in diversity in the body of Christ and it is my personal opinion that various traditions should be respected. And tradition is also an evidence that the Spirit of God worked in the past. The challenge for every generation is not to be stuck in the past but to learn from them, how to grow from there and meet the challenge of the present. And there are excesses in tradition, which must be removed if proven contrary to the Scripture. I agree with what you said that we need a fresh understanding of the Scripture for our time.
I think it is part of the beauty of diversity to differ in the verbal formulations of what we believe but the substantial content should not be compromised. During my advanced studies, I also observed the tendency to exclude Christian distinctive in the name of mission. As I see it, it is a reaction to the lack of mission emphases in most creeds and confessions of the church.
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