The Well-Tempered Worldview: Developing an Apologetic Theology of Religion
The Well-Tempered Worldview: Developing an Apologetic Theology of Religion
By Robert Velarde | Plus, The Creator-Creation Distinction
Quotable
A fundamental starting point [for the doctrine of creation] is the Creator/creature distinction (e.g., Rom 4:17). We often take this for granted without realizing how crucial it is to the doctrine of creation. God’s triune nature is utterly distinct from the created nature of the cosmos. One often-overlooked implication of this distinctness is that the Trinity intended for the creation to have a being that is different in kind from divinity. God did not make the creation with the same infinite being or triune nature. Furthermore, the Father calls it to become uniquely what it is destined to be in the Son as perfected by the Spirit. This is not unlike how the Father calls each one of us to become uniquely who we are created to be in Christ through the perfecting work of the Spirit. Therefore, the creation neither is divine nor shares in infinite divine being, though cultures throughout history and across the world have had a tendency to divinize the creation. Because this divinization is so easy to do, there are numerous biblical warnings against it (e.g., Deut 4:15–19).
The biblical distinction between divinity and the creation has a number of important theological implications. One is that pantheism does not appropriately capture the nature of the creation or the Trinity’s relationship to it. Pantheism is the view that there is no distinction between God and the universe; that is, they are identical.
Furthermore, the distinctive createdness of the cosmos is valued—it has the kinds of properties and functionality God intended it to have. After all, when God proclaimed that everything was “very good” (Gen 1:31), God was proclaiming all of creation as worthwhile. The Hebrew term tov in Genesis 1 and 2 is often translated as “good.” It has a variety of meanings in different contexts, including craftsmanship and functioning well. . . . One very common OT use is the sense of functioning properly. For example, “It is not good [tov] for the human [’adam] to be alone, I shall make him a sustainer beside him” (Gen 2:18). The human is not fully functioning without this sustainer or ally appropriate to the functioning of this created nature and role. In the context of the first two chapters of Genesis, then, the repeating refrains of “good” primarily have the meaning of functioning properly, working as intended, or fulfilling assigned purposes. From the beginning, the creation does—and will—function as God intended. We will see several examples of this good functioning over the course of this book. Perhaps most importantly, the creation functions as intended for the unfolding of God’s covenant to consummate all things in the Son in the new creation.
Moreover, we see God’s love for the creation particularly in Jesus’ incarnation. What higher affirmation that God’s creation is loved could there be? The second person of the Trinity—the one through whom everything is made—took on that same created nature and inhabited its order, an order that the Son established and blessed in the beginning and that is being redeemed as an object of love and worth through the Spirit.
— Robert C. Bishop, Larry L. Funck, Raymond J. Lewis, et al., Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins: Cosmology, Geology, and Biology in Christian Perspective (IVP Academic, 2018), 16, 17, 18.
The Well-Tempered Worldview: Developing an Apologetic Theology of Religion
by Robert Velarde
Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier is a masterpiece of musicianship—a work of musical excellence that lays a firm foundation, equipping keyboardists theoretically and practically. It is not only musicians who should seek to be well-tempered, however. Christians with an inadequately tempered worldview run the risk of operating within theological parameters of religious discernment, evaluation, and understanding that are too narrow, too broad, or too undeveloped. A well-tempered apologetic theology of religion will help avoid these pitfalls.
WHAT IS RELIGION?
Developing an apologetic theology of religion should begin by defining religion. Winfried Corduan writes, “A religion is a system of beliefs and practices that provides values to give meaning and coherence by directing a person toward transcendence.”[1] Harold Netland remarks, “Most religions presuppose that human beings, and in some cases the cosmos at large, are presently in some kind of undesirable predicament ... in contrast to this predicament, an ultimately good and desirable state can be achieved.”[2]
Netland proceeds to address three key questions regarding religion:
What is the nature of the religious ultimate?
What is the nature of the human predicament?
What is the nature of salvation (or enlightenment or liberation)?
All religions, in some way, grapple with these questions. In turn, these questions lead to the discussion of key theological concepts in relation to developing a theology of religion.
KEY THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
Creation. The doctrine of creation is important to developing a theology of religion. First, in Christian theology God created the universe and everything in it ex nihilo (out of nothing). Therefore, God is not the universe (pantheism) and the universe is not an extension of God (panentheism). Second, human beings are made in the image of God (imago Dei). Other religions, however, often do not typically emphasize the significance of creation ex nihilo or creation in God’s image. This often leads to serious theological problems, such as minimizing God’s omnipotence or over-elevating or diminishing human value.
Fall. Although human beings are created in God’s image, the Fall resulted in human estrangement from him. Our relationship with God has been severed and this separation has seriously affected every aspect of our being negatively.[3] Such is not the case in many other religions. In forms of Hinduism, such as Advaita Vedanta, our problem is not sin against a holy and personal God, but lack of enlightenment regarding one’s own divinity and connection to an impersonal entity described in terms of monistic pantheism.
Redemption. In Christian theology, redemption is sorely needed, but is not something that we can accomplish on our own. I once heard apologist Kenneth Samples say, “Christianity is the only rescue religion, where God throws us a life preserver.” In the case of Christian theism, the “life preserver” (or “life redeemer”) is Jesus Christ, not our own efforts (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9, etc.). In contrast, other religions often teach that we can reach God and be redeemed, liberated, or enlightened by our own efforts with no mention of human fallenness, the need for a personal and sinless savior, or our need to humble ourselves before such a Savior, admit our fallen condition and receive the grace of a personal and living God.
Revelation. In general revelation, God reveals himself via the created world (Psalm 19; Romans 1:20) and our moral conscience (Romans 2:14-15). However, general revelation can only take a person so far. That is why God also provides special revelation through the Bible and most dramatically in the Incarnation. God has revealed himself through the person and work of Jesus Christ. He has proven this by a number of miracles, including the resurrection. There is, therefore, no further need for added, allegedly divine revelation such as the Qur’an, the Book of Mormon, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures (Christian Science), or any other writings. Jesus Christ is the supreme example of special revelation—God himself in human flesh.
JESUS AND OTHER RELIGIONS
The role of Jesus is crucial to an apologetic theology of religion. Jesus did not come to offer one path among many paths to God or to travel East and learn alternative teachings that enabled him to master the "Christ consciousness," as in new spirituality teachings. Jesus was not merely a man, as Islam claims, who just happened to be a great prophet as well. Instead, Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament. His birth was miraculous and his ministry filled with supernatural events. Jesus spoke of a personal and transcendent God, creator of all that exists, who calls us to repentance and offers redemption through Christ's atoning work on the cross. Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh, who came to suffer and die for the sins of humanity, to be raised again from the dead after his crucifixion. No other religious leader or founder has made such claims that can be studied and demonstrated to be reliable from the perspectives of history, archaeology, internal consistency and trustworthiness of documents.
KEY APOLOGETIC THEMES
Common ground. The exclusive claims of Christ may give the impression that there is no common ground between Christianity and other religions, thus compounding the apologetic difficulties involved in evangelism. However, there is room for common ground. Since we are all human beings created in the image of God, it is expected that even though religions will hold distinctive beliefs that are at odds with Christianity in significant ways, there is also a certain amount of common ground, such as religions that rightly claim there is something wrong with the human condition that is in need of some kind of remedy or that acknowledge a transcendent power.
In Acts 17, Paul seeks common ground when interacting with philosophers. Paul compliments the Athenians with a formal greeting and by acknowledging their interest in religion (v. 22). He acknowledges that they are religious and in some way are searching for God. Paul even quotes philosophers they respect, but then goes on to declare the resurrection of Jesus, a coming day of judgment, and the need for repentance. In developing an apologetic theology of religion, we should strive to find common ground, but without compromising the essentials of the faith.
The Role of Reason. Christians must establish the importance of the role of reason in relation to any constructive dialogue. This may involve a discussion of the basic principles of logic and a defense of truth. Unfortunately, postmodernism has caused many to be open to religious pluralism. After all, if objective truth does not exist and no one overarching metanarrative (story) can claim to be true (except, paradoxically, postmodernism), then all worldviews, whether they are explicitly religious or not, become equally valid or invalid.
Accurately Understanding and Representing Other Religions. A proper understanding and representation of other religions is paramount, but takes time and study. We should be on guard against reading a few selected chapters or browsing some web sites and thinking that we have a clear grasp of another religion. We also must keep in mind that there are often important differences between the official written teachings of a religion and the manner in which such teachings cache out at the popular or folk level.
A SOLID FOUNDATION
Like musicians who can develop important skills relevant to their profession by studying and performing Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, so too can Christians seek to establish a well-tempered worldview rooted in a robust apologetic theology of religions. Furthermore, developing an apologetic theology of religion must involve not only scholarly efforts, but also personal interaction with adherents of other beliefs.
Notes
[1] Winfried Corduan, Neighboring Faiths (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 21.
[2] Harold Netland, Encountering Religious Pluralism (InterVarsity Press, 2001), 182.
[3] The Fall does not rule out potential human greatness. See my article, “Greatness and Wretchedness: The Usefulness of Pascal’s Anthropological Argument in Apologetics,” Christian Research Journal, Vol. 27, No. 2: 2004.
— Robert Velarde (M.A., Southern Evangelical Seminary) is author of several books including Conversations with C. S. Lewis (InterVarsity Press), The Heart of Narnia (NavPress), and A Visual Defense: The Case for and Against Christianity (Kregel).
Book Highlight
*Unless otherwise noted, descriptions are those provided by the publisher, sometimes edited for brevity.
The question of origins remains a stumbling block for many. But just as the Psalmist gained insight into God's character through the observation of nature, modern scientific study can deepen and enrich our vision of the Creator and our place in his creation. In this often contentious field Bishop, Funck, Lewis, Moshier, and Walton serve as our able guides.
Based on over two decades of teaching origins together in the classroom, the authors present a textbook exploring mainstream scientific theories of origins in astronomy, cosmology, chemistry, geology, biology, physical anthropology, and genetics. While many authors engage origins from a Christian perspective, this is the first work offering a full-fledged discussion of the scientific narrative of origins from the Big Bang through humankind, from biblical and theological perspectives accessible to a lay audience.
Topics include:
Principles of biblical interpretation
Close readings of relevant Genesis texts
A comprehensive Trinitarian doctrine of creation
Cosmic origins
The geologic history of Earth
The origin of life on Earth
The origin of species and diversity of life
Human origins
New creation and creation care
Science education
Rather than the familiar scenario where science and faith compete, this book seeks to diffuse tensions by taking the inspiration and authority of the Bible seriously while respecting and honoring God's revelation through creation. Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins gives the reader a detailed picture of the sciences of origins along with how they fit into the story of God's creative and redemptive action.
Endorsements
"According to the Bible, God created everything—the cosmos, the solar system, the earth, and life itself. Many Christians wrongly believe that science undermines that belief and so they avoid, or worse, attack science. Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins is a book that looks at the best mainstream science from a Christian perspective to show that such fears are unfounded. This book, born in the classroom, is a perfect textbook for colleges and also for all Christians who are interested in the question of how the Bible and science relate."
— Tremper Longman III, Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
"This superbly designed textbook once again shows how foolish it is to think of 'warfare' when considering science in relation to Christian faith. The team of authors includes first-rate scientists and much-respected Bible scholars. Together they explain clearly, patiently, and with accessible language why modern believers have nothing to fear from established scientific research—and why orthodox Christian faith has so much to offer in clarifying what scientists discover. It is a book perfect for the classroom, but also full of insight for general readers as well."
— Mark Noll, author of The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, coeditor of B. B. Warfield: Evolution, Science, and Scripture
Find Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins at Logos, Amazon, IVP, and other major booksellers.
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