The latest To The Source article by Stan Guthrie is about knowledge, in particular, thoughts about Dallas Willard’s new book titled Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge. Willard, who teaches philosophy at the University of Southern California says that the moral confusion finds its source in one problem, “the trivialization of faith apart from knowledge and… the disastrous effects of a repositioning of faith in Jesus Christ… outside the category of knowledge.”
He goes on to say that in the context of modern life and thought that Christians are:
…urged to treat their central beliefs as something other than knowledge. Those beliefs are to be relegated to the categories of sincere opinion, emotion, blind commitment, or behavior traditional for their social group." When this happens, Willard says, Christians cannot influence society for the good. Only knowledge, as opposed to mere belief, commitment, or formal adherence, conveys the right and authority "to act, to direct action, to establish and supervise policy, and to teach.
Truth matters. Knowledge that I possess, if it is true at all, must be acted on. It is something that should impact my life, my attitudes, my decisions, anything that matters at all. This knowledge, this truth is the authority when I teach. It is the authority that I am under. To diminish it will only add to moral confusion.
Which is what we see in our society today.
Shane Vander Hart
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I like this post Shane! I remember back in my college days I had a philosophy class where we talked about knowledge being defined as “a justified, true belief.” I've never heard a better definition.
I think the problem you highlight here is that a lot of modern Christians see their religion as a true belief they hold, but because it is taken on faith they do no see it as “justified.” I think this arises from the dichotomy between religious and secular circles in this country, in the secular sphere faith is not sufficient to justify “knowledge.” However, it is important for Christians to realize that their faith does indeed justify their belief, and that faith gives a knowledge of Christ that is even more sure than the law of gravity, because faith is a bond that is stronger and more sure than even the hardest science.
I'm glad I was beginning to wonder if anybody even read it, LOL.