More than 600 people flocked to Sutherland Auditorium to hear lectures by J.P. Moreland, Gary Hartenburg and John Mark Reynolds on Reynolds’ new book, “When Athens Met Jerusalem: An Introduction to Classical Christian Thought,” Tuesday night.
The book emphasizes the incorporation of reason with faith, by studying and integrating Greek philosophy with Christian theology. Moreland began the three-part lecture by listing three ideologies – post-modern relativism, scientific naturalism, and fideism – that seem to dominate culture lately. Each one has either a complete lack of faith or lack of reason, he said. He urged the audience to realize the importance of supporting their Christian faith (Jerusalem) with reason (Athens).
“Restore the value of reason,” he urged.
He stated the importance of Greek philosophy -– reason –- in defending the Christian faith in modern-day society.
“Aristotle and Plato are critical to us,” Moreland said. “We cannot understand Western culture without understanding a little of [these Greeks] philosophies… Many [churchmen] saw the value of these thinkers in integrating our biblical teaching into a broader worldview,” he said.
Hartenburg spoke next, saying that “faith without reason is dangerous. There have been many things done in the name of religion that are clearly not right.”
He left the audience with this question: What does Athens, or reason, have to do with Jerusalem, or the Christian faith?
Reynolds answered this question with keen insights on how love is the vital connection between faith and reason. He said that to love God is to want to know everything about Him. Christian thought cannot stand on faith alone, but must have solid knowledge as part of the foundation.
“If we love God, and we don’t want to do theology, we’re liars, and the truth is not in us.,” he said. “Our first love has gone cold.”
He went on to give several examples of how love is the key motivator in a Christian’s pursuit of knowledge.
“The quest for knowledge is motivated by beauty, which stimulates within us love, and love produces the pursuit of everything we can possibly know,” he said.
Reynolds spoke on the importance of seeking knowledge of God with endurance and drive. He said Athens and Jerusalem are about to fall apart, dividing into pure intellectual skepticism, or unquestioning fideism (faith devoid of reason). Christians are called to keep the two cities together, by endeavoring to think like God, and to continue to love and wonder at His greatness.
For Samuel Wilson, a senior physics major and Torrey Honors student, the lecture was a reminder of the awesomeness of his Creator.
“The fact that God loves us, the idea that we have an all powerful all knowing God, reminds us of what it means to be a Christian,” he said. “It encourages me to dig deeper and to never cease to wonder at God.”
Danielle Decena, freshman humanities major, was also enthusiastic about Reynolds’ words.
“I felt that the love response was extremely practical,” she said. “I definitely think there’s a correlation between loving God and loving knowledge. I’ve never really thought about it before. Reynolds made it easier to understand.”
