Richard E. Denton, Research Associate Professor of Physics
February 10, 2005
Before I address faith and skepticism, I'm going to talk about truth. When I was in graduate school, there was a radio program that focused on the achievements of Albert Einstein. One of my professors, who had worked with Einstein, was asked if Einstein showed that everything is relative. The professor responded that that was not at all what Einstein had in mind. In fact, Einstein's principle of relativity shows that despite our different perspectives, and the fact that we see different things, the same physical laws are valid in any frame of reference.
Last week, Erik Turnberg spoke about the danger of thinking that we know all the answers. He rightly pointed out that God warns us about this, especially when it comes to judging others. However, when it comes to matters of religion, I think the opposite extreme is more common. People wonder whether there is any truth at all. If anybody's truth is as good as anybody else's, what's the use of pointing anyone to God? What's the point of answering the skeptic?
D.A. Carson gives an interesting critique of historical ideas from epistemology, the study of how we know things. He talks about modernism as placing the foundation of knowledge on the human being. Descartes' most famous phrase was "I think, therefore I am." Carson emphasizes the "I" in the statement. Descartes believed that he could create an internally consistent argument starting with his existence, and leading to all essential truths, such as God's existence. Today, we are greatly influenced by postmodernism, which is in part a reaction to modernism. Postmodernism, seeing the weaknesses of modernism, comes to the opposite viewpoint, that we don't have any firm foundation of belief, and that what we think we know is entirely dependent on our culture and perspective. The phrase "I'm OK, you're OK" has been generalized to "My beliefs are OK, and your beliefs are OK," or "It may be true for you, but it's not true for me."
Postmodern thought has some very good points. It encourages us to understand others by seeing their perspective, and it encourages us to be humble, but the conclusion that there is no foundation for truth discounts the possibility of revelation from God. If there is a God, then there are some statements about him that are true, and some that are false. Jesus said that we would know the truth. The means of revelation is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said "The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you."
I'm not encouraging arrogance. In fact, the Christian concept of revelation is that it is entirely due to God's grace. We are but unworthy servants. Furthermore, we really do need to be mindful that we don't have all the answers. But if we buy into the worldly philosophy that all ideas are equal, our potential for influencing people for good will be severely weakened. Toleration is a good thing, if it means that we respect other human beings and live in peace with them even if we have different beliefs, and even defend their right to have such beliefs, but toleration should not mean that we must accept all beliefs as equally valid. So to summarize what I've said so far, I'd like to encourage us to hold on to the idea of absolute truth.
Our Scripture passage today describes the Apostle Paul's visit to Athens. He was just passing through. While he didn't stay long in Athens, he spent many years in the nearby city of Corinth. There are a number of similarities between Athens and the Ivy League. Both were considered centers of learning and enlightenment, and in both, people were proud of what they knew. In both, there was great variety in religious faith and practice. In Athens, the concern was that every god should be worshiped. Hence the altar "to an unknown god." Belief in an exclusive God was discouraged. Thus the early Christians were considered atheists, because they did not honor the gods, and believers are sometimes considered narrow minded today.
When Paul came to Athens, he saw that the people were very religious, for there were many objects of worship. The first point that I'd like to make is that Paul felt that it was important for the people to hear about the true God. The fact that the people were already religious didn't deter him. The fact that they were very intelligent didn't mean that they were without need.
The second point is the Paul spoke to the Athenians in language they understood. The Bible says that he reasoned with them. Furthermore, he made reference to their temples, objects of gold and silver, and the altar with an inscription to an unknown god. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible ... I have become all things to all men."
Finally, Paul brought the message around to Jesus, and it was the discussion about Jesus that brought the listeners to the crucial point of decision, either to reject the message or to learn more about God.
It seems to me that skeptics have two basic questions we can address. "Why should I believe?" and "What does it matter?" While ultimately it is God who draws people to himself, we can be his instruments to remove barriers to belief. Even if God is not provable, that doesn't mean that faith in God is unreasonable. Jesus said to Nicodemus that though we don't see the wind (which in Greek is the same word as the word for Spirit), we do hear the sound of it. In the same way, it is possible to see evidence of God's action in the world.
A couple of weeks ago, James Baehr shared how belief in God satisfies many of his intellectual cravings, such as understanding the origin of justice. Perhaps the greatest reason for my belief is the beauty I see in Christ's sacrifice, his giving of himself. As John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Other reasons for my faith include the depth and consistency of the Scriptures, the dedication of apostles, the fact that they were willing to die to proclaim that what they taught about Jesus was true, and instances of healing and the changed lives of people I have known.
Is it important? Jesus said "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep ... The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
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