{"id":1140,"date":"2014-08-19T12:02:32","date_gmt":"2014-08-19T12:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/justandsinner\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2014-08-19T12:02:32","modified_gmt":"2014-08-19T12:02:32","slug":"christian-theology-doesnt-just-consist-in-presenting-an-internally-consistent-system-j-w-montgomery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/justandsinner\/christian-theology-doesnt-just-consist-in-presenting-an-internally-consistent-system-j-w-montgomery\/","title":{"rendered":""Christian theology doesn\u2019t just consist in presenting an internally consistent system" — J.W. Montgomery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"A<\/a>
A very smart guy with lots of smart things to say\u2026 like this: \u201cVagueness as to what is meant by Christ\u2019s historicity must necessarily result in vague and indecisive theologies of history.\u201d*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

If I hear him rightly, Montgomery is saying, among other things, something like \u201ccorrespondence<\/a> \u2013 not just coherence\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong> As Wikipedia says about \u201cthe Correspondence theory of truth\u201d, \u201cthe truth or falsity of a statement is determined only by how it relates to the world and whether it accurately describes (i.e., corresponds with) that world\u201d.\u00a0 Related to this of course, is the matter of demonstrable evidence, necessary to establish\/verify particular claims.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a previous post on apologetics<\/a>, I had quoted this bit from C.S. Lewis\u2019 conversion story:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEarly in 1926 the hardest boiled of all the atheists I ever knew sat in my room on the other side of the fire and remarked that the evidence for the historicity of the Gospels was really surprisingly good. \u201cRum thing,\u201d he went on. \u201cAll that stuff of Frazer\u2019s about the Dying God. Rum thing. It almost looks as if it had really happened once.\u201d<\/strong> To understand the shattering impact of it, you would need to know the man (who has certainly never since shown any interest in Christianity). If he, the cynic of cynics, the toughest of the toughs, were not-as I would still have put it \u2014 \u201csafe,\u201d where could I turn? Was there then no escape?\u201d [read quote in full context here<\/a> on PBS\u2019s website]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here we see the role of real evidence in C.S. Lewis\u2019 conversion \u2013 how the \u201ctranscendent\u201d broke through<\/strong>.\u00a0 This, I said, got my vote for \u201cChristian apologetics soundbite of the 20th century.\u00a0 I also made the following statement:<\/p>\n

For me, it is very significant to think of a quote like this in terms of its epistemological and theological significance. Although the Scriptures say that all are guilty before God (Romans 3), it also assigns a greater degree of guilt to persons who receive more light.\u00a0 Does God assign greater culpability to those who simply hear the eyewitness testimony of those who witnessed the resurrection?<\/strong> Or do they need to at least feel like the claim is perhaps worthy of their attention \u2013 while still not believing it \u2013 before they can be accorded additional guilt?\u00a0 Or, in order for this to happen, do they perhaps first need to read C.S. Lewis<\/a> on why Hume is wrong on miracles, John Warwick Montgomery<\/a> on how faith is founded on fact, John Wenham<\/a> on why the resurrection accounts are compatible, or J. Warner Wallace<\/a>, N.T. Wright<\/a>, or Michael R. Licona<\/a> making an inductive case that it is more probable than not that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I will admit, I meant those questions to be rhetorical.\u00a0 After paying attention to and thinking about these issues for a long time, I have come to some conclusions in the matter which I plan on laying out soon. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I found it interesting that a day or two after I asked these questions Todd Wilken asked the following question of John Warwick Montgomery on this show<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Talk about if you would the absolute necessity for Christian confession [of faith] to be based not just in claims, not just in assertions, but in what can be established by ordinary means by which we usually establish \u2013 to a degree of high probability \u2013 to be facts.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Montgomery responded:<\/p>\n

You put it very well. The fact of the matter is that religion deals with the ultimate meaning of life and the possibility of eternity\u2026. the possibility of a final cosmic resolution of problems \u2013 it deals with ultimates. And since it does, it\u2019s of absolute consequence that we have solid evidence for the religious position that we maintain.<\/strong> If in medicine, let\u2019s say, it\u2019s important that we have a basis for taking a particular remedy rather than another \u2013 because otherwise we might manage to kill ourselves \u2013 it is infinitely more important in the area of religion that we not rely upon something which is untrue\u2026 which is simply wishful thinking. And therefore orthodox Christians \u2013 Christians in the tradition of the church\u2019s creeds and that believe that the Bible is in fact God\u2019s word from cover to cover \u2013 these people have been tremendously concerned with the evidence and the factual foundations of faith.<\/strong> This is the reason why one branch of systematic theology is apologetics \u2013 this is the defense of the faith, the demonstration that this stuff is true. Christian theology doesn\u2019t just consist in presenting an internally consistent system.<\/strong> You know my Uncle Oswald, who I mention frequently on the program, who is convinced he is followed by Albanians has a completely consistent philosophy \u2013 it\u2019s just that it hasn\u2019t got anything to do with reality. In the case of Christians, they insist that that the reason for believing in Jesus Christ is because He is God Almighty, He did come to earth and this is the incarnate God who really died on the cross and therefor can really provide a passport for eternity<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I appreciate John Warwick Montgomery\u2019s remarks here.\u00a0<\/strong> I think that it is very well put and needs to be paid close attention to.\u00a0 That said, my questions revolve more around the content of Pastor Wilken\u2019s question.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What am I thinking about?\u00a0 Well, even if Christian faith is merely asserted in this or that circumstance, we can nevertheless say that by virtue of its being Christian<\/em> faith there is necessarily a lot behind that assertion \u2013 not only good and logical reasons but things that we must call evidence as well.<\/strong>\u00a0 This is part and parcel of Christian faith, even if it really can not be said to be the case for other faiths (yes, a few do try, but I think very unsatisfactorily).<\/p>\n

But what is the nature of that evidence?\u00a0 When we speak of the evidence that is part and parcel of our faith, what should we be focusing on?\u00a0 And when it comes to speaking to unbelievers in particular, does God\u2019s word have anything to say about what constitutes this evidence?\u00a0 And what really, if anything, does this have to do with notions of probability?<\/strong>\u00a0 These are the kinds of questions I want to explore and will look to talk about more in coming weeks.<\/p>\n

FIN<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

* Where is History Going?<\/em> 1969, p. 185<\/p>\n

Image credit: Patrick Henry College website.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If I hear him rightly, Montgomery is saying, among other things, something like \u201ccorrespondence \u2013 not just coherence\u201d.\u00a0 As Wikipedia says about \u201cthe Correspondence theory of truth\u201d, \u201cthe truth or falsity of a statement is determined only by how it relates to the world and whether it accurately describes (i.e., corresponds with) that world\u201d.\u00a0 Related […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n"Christian theology doesn\u2019t just consist in presenting an internally consistent system" -- J.W. 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