That is the title of my latest entry on The Catholic Thing. Here’s how it begins:
The God of Christian theism is the Source of Reason. St. John calls the Second Person of the Trinity, the Logos, a Greek term from which we get
the word “logic.” Within the greatest commandment is the instruction to “love the Lord your God with all your. . .mind” (Matt 22:37-JB). St. Peter commands believers to “always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience” (I Peter 3:15-16). St. Paul commands the Church in I Thess. 5:21 “to think before you do anything. . .”
When explaining the Christian faith on Mars Hill, St. Paul shows a better than average knowledge of his opponents’ philosophies and beliefs. In his dispute with the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, St. Paul quotes from the Greek poet Epimenides (Acts 17:28a) and from the Phainomena of Aratus (Acts 17:28b), both of which are non-Christian sources. But this was the brilliance of Paul’s apologetic. Taking the time to study and understand the philosophical systems of his intellectual adversaries, Paul sought a common ground with his non-Christian audience so that he could share the Christian story with them.
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