“Everything we learn – economics, philosophy, biology, mathematics – has to be understood in light of the overarching reality of the character of God. That is why, in the Middle Ages, theology was called ‘the queen of the sciences’ and philosophy ‘her handmaiden’.” ~ Dr. R.C. Sproul, Everyone’s A Theologian
Recently my wife and I relocated to Tulsa, OK, and I’m still trying to adjust to the humidity. Seriously, how can it be overcast and rainy and also feel like I’m standing on the sun whenever I go outside?! But I digress…
In the midst of all the transition and settling-in I’ve been preparing for a class which I’ll be teaching this upcoming semester at my new job. The topic of the class is worldview. Worldviews deal with the presuppositions (basic beliefs and assumptions) we hold regarding the world, life, existence, etc. Our worldview is the way in which we see the world and affects the way we answer life’s most basic questions – Who am I? Why am I here? What happens when I die? Is there any meaning to all of this?
Something I’ve come to greatly appreciate is the intersection of theology and philosophy at the heart of the Christian faith. The words themselves mean “study of God” and “love of wisdom” respectively. As Christians, we believe in an eternal, personal God who Himself is the source of all knowledge and wisdom. And this is not a belief which is merely a holdover from more primitive times and from which humanity has largely moved on. Billions worldwide claim Jesus as Lord and God, and thousands give their lives every year in martyrdom for this testimony. Our faith is rational and logical as well as mystical and transcendent.
Thus, when we approach life’s most profound questions from a Christian perspective, we can do so confidently.
“Therefore, there must also be something which is to all beings the cause of their being, goodness, and every other perfection; and this we call God.”~ St. Thomas Aquinas
Taken from St. Thomas’s Summa Theologica, the above quote gets to the foundation of a worldview known as Christian Theism. This is a worldview based upon the presuppositions that there is a God, He can be known, He has chosen to reveal Himself (more on this later), and by His grace mankind is able to receive His revelation. Holding to the historic Christian faith means that I affirm these presuppositions and that they are the basis of all I believe and confess to be true.
At the very heart of this worldview is the first and most basic presupposition: God exists. While the details of St. Thomas’s argument for the existence of God are beyond the scope of this post, he taught that since everything was created and has being, there must be an eternal and uncreated being who is the cause of everything’s existence. As he said, we call this being God.
“God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” ~ Exodus 3:14
Although Moses may not have understood all of the theological and philosophical ramifications of God’s proper name, God revealed something incredibly profound to him that day. And this passage in Exodus is the first place in the Bible where theology and philosophy intersect, as God’s self-revelation answers the philosophical questions relating to metaphysics.
The study of metaphysics is concerned with the nature of being and existence. For us who are Christians, we believe that one of God’s attributes is His aseity. This Latin word speaks of God’s self-existence. Everything in creation came into being at God’s decree, and was given being by God. However, God has intrinsic being within Himself. In other words, He did not derive His existence from some source outside of Himself, rather He is the source of being and existence! Whereas everything in creation exists, God is existence itself, and this is seen throughout the biblical record. God is He Who Is.
“I know that there’s a meaning to it all…a little resurrection every time I fall.” – Jon Foreman
Further, since God is the source of all being, wisdom, and knowledge, His self-revelation also answers philosophy’s questions relating to epistemology.
Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It is concerned with two primary questions. First, the nature of knowledge ~ what does it mean for someone to know, or fail to know, something? And second, the extent of human knowledge ~ how much can man really know of all knowledge that exists? Christian Theism teaches that God is Omniscient (all-knowing). He not only knows all things, but is in fact their source and creator. God is the author of knowledge. That takes care of epistemology’s first concern. Second, as the creator, the extent of God’s knowledge is infinite and limitless. This answers the second concern.
Finally, God’s self-revelation answers philosophy’s questions relating to ethics. Since God is the self-existent One and creator of all that is, He sets the standards of what is good and evil. The innate sense of morality within every person was given to him or her by God, whether they acknowledge this or not. And because God’s self-revelation is seen most clearly in the Incarnation (Hebrews 1:2), we know what He is like. Jesus revealed God perfectly to us, because Jesus is God. And Jesus is good. His character was flawless. Even His most bitter opponents were unable to bring a single valid accusation of sin against Him. (John 8:46)
To sum up, Christian Theism comes to the cultural table-of-ideas and enjoys a well-deserved seat. As Dr. James W. Sire wrote in his fabulous book The Universe Next Door, “Nothing is prior to God or equal to Him. He is He Who Is. Thus, theism has a basis for metaphysics. Since He Who Is also has a worthy character and is thus The Worthy One, theism has a basis for ethics. Since He Who Is is also He Who Knows, theism has a basis for epistemology. In other words, theism is a complete worldview.”
Thus, as Christians we can joyfully and confidently navigate life even in the midst of pain, tragedy, and evil, because we know that ultimately all things are moving toward their God-ordained end, and His purposes will prevail.
“In short, the most important aspect of the theistic concept of history is that history has meaning because God - the Logos, meaning itself - is behind all events, not only ‘sustaining all things by His powerful Word’ (Hebrews 1:3) but also ‘in all things…[working] for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28).”