Dr Paul Allen

Peter Medawar (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The natural sciences are empirical in their approach—in other words they rely on the application of observation and experiment in investigating the world. Yet empiricism refuses, as a matter of principle, to speculate about any realities beyond the observable world. Bas van Fraassen , a leading philosopher of science , makes this point clearly. To be an empiricist is to withhold belief in anything that goes beyond the actual, observable phenomena, and to recognize no objective modality in nature. To develop an empiricist account of science is to depict it as involving a search for truth only about the empirical world, about what is actual and observable … it must invoke throughout a resolute rejection of the demand for an explanation of the regularities in the observable course of nature by means of truths concerning a reality beyond what is actual and observable. This emphasis on what’s ‘actual and observable’ gives the sciences their d...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Dr. Robert Godfrey and titled, " We Don't Need No Education ." Dr. Godfrey reminded us that at one time Christians , particularly Reformed Christians, were the intellectual leaders in America , but that this is no longer the case. He explained the role that anti-intellectualism played in this self-inflicted problem and what we must do to turn it around. Anti-intellectualism is a recurring problem in the history of Christianity . Some Christians believe the Bible teaches (1 Cor. 8:1) – "Knowledge puffs up." One of the most misused texts in the Bible. Knowledge inevitably leads to pride and arrogance. The antidote is to flee knowledge. One of the main proponents of this view was Jerome – one of the most learned men in the early church. St. Francis of Assisi – They should pray more than they study. Augustine - It is possible to have great wisdom without much knowledge, and it's possible to ha...

Image via Wikipedia Anti-intellectualism is not the only danger Christians face. Those who seek to reclaim the Christian mind face the opposite danger — allowing a desire to please God to mutate into pride and a vain desire for worldly respect.  We must walk a fine line and never accommodate the gospel in an attempt to please the cultured despisers of Christianity . We have already seen the sad results of a previous attempt to do this in the nineteenth century. Related articles Constatine's Edict of Milan: Blessing or Curse of Christianity? (factorysense.wordpress.com) The Varieties of Anti-Intellectualism (esr.ibiblio.org) Love Constrains Us To Share the Gospel (howtofalldown.wordpress.com) The Accidental Historian on American Christianity (fallenfromgrace.net) The Power of the Gospel - Stress versus Rest (mudpreacher.org) Anti-Intellectualism on the Right (maverickphilosopher.typepad.com) Changing the Face of Christianity Inc Announces Christianity Quiz Result...