An interview observed, and philosophy reduced

The following is an interview of a man whose work (namely what little I have read of his work concerning the church, culture, and theological ramifications thereof) I have come to respect for its insight and candor. The interview is conducted by a pastor that I hold in high esteem as well, through his right division of the word of truth by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.



Here is the reasoning behind my decision to post this interview:

As artists, writers, speakers, theologians, critics... nay, as HUMANS, we live in the wake of and ride upon the proverbial backs of other individuals, who have gone before us, whether we like it or not. In fact, the notion of and search for the "true" existentialist is, in my mind, quite simply a joke, since even the existentialist relies upon the written works of the likes of Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Kierkegaard, and if they do not, they rely upon other individuals that have had a more personal impact upon their outlook. But the fact is that we find ourselves subject to the thoughts and ideas of our predecessors. We cannot escape our reliance upon heritage and those who have shaped our heritage. We sift through their ideals, their imagery, their practicalities, their nuances, and their convictions and find shards and blemishes alike. The shards, we realize, are those tools by which these individuals have taken what is broken, namely human reasoning concerning the divine and the essentially human, to cut hues and patterns into the symmetry of logic or a rejection of logic in order to make sense of reality. The blemishes are patterns we find which do not accord with reality. Through these patterns, we are endowed with the art of philosophy, and it is by this very broad term that we understand both practical and theoretical matters, which are found in the world that we live in, and which are a part of the human experience. The matter, then, is whether or not we realize our association with such "schools of thought," as it were. We follow such logic and weighing of influences with a matter of choice, either conscious or subconscious, concerning our allegiances to certain mindsets, and we count the cost in identifying with such ideals and subsequently build upon these foundations.

These individuals do not have to be big name philosophers or theologians. They can be relatives in our heritage, psychologists and talk-show hosts on TV, or the latest fiction novelist. The common western man with no interest in delving into philosophical or theological roots builds upon the foundations of his family upbringing, or the rejection of such principle; his peers, as well as his enemies for antithesis; his culture, which is force-fed to him through media, politics, economy, and the like; and his own conception of what ought to be god in his own mind. But what he does not realize is that his philosophical mindset is shaped by the filtered application of thinkers such as Hegel, Nietzsche, and Kant; his economic mindset is shaped by Adam Smith and his proteges; and his theological foundation is the classic liberal humanism, which is expounded from the pulpit of the world.

The Christian has a difficult time, then, as he is faced with being a work or (for our consumer mindset) a product of the Spirit as well as the temptation to be a product of the culture. Obviously, there are certain facts we cannot deny: that the Christian man thinks in terms, and grapples with ideas, of this culture. But as theologians, we supersede philosophers in this way. We must think in terms outside of culture as well, acknowledging a God that supersedes culture, and yet is somehow guiding and ordaining culture as he sees fit.

I have discussed some of these ideas in a previous post, and I have also written a painfully brief discourse on this idea of Christ's message within culture for a theology class I took this past semester.

I will discuss more later, for rather than to save this post without publishing and lengthen it at a later date, I should very much like to get the above interview on here post haste, as part of a statement as to which side I take in all of this debate. The postmodern man, as well as my former philosophy teachers, and even a few of those I know, love, and respect very dearly (maybe even you few who read my blog), shall perhaps disrespect me for taking such a side, or even for taking a specific side at all. To those who would prefer that I not take a side, I say this: the only "side" I claim to purport is that which adheres to scripture, that which adheres to the doctrine found in those scriptures, and that which founds itself in the Spirit of truth, through Christ Jesus, his death and resurrection, and the promise of salvation which he has ensured through such sacrifice. So, for those of you who claim to hold to that, I am still on your side. Call it enlightenment (for you open theists and humanists), call it an act of my free will (for you Arminians, whom I do love), or call it as I call it: providence, God's sovereignty, etc. In any case, I have been introduced to the biblical and cultural teachings of the likes of these men, and if you would like to know where I am coming from to spare yourself from yet another wearisome post (as if this was not already becoming one), listen to these men talk very briefly about culture and the state of certain theological debates, and perhaps explore more.

Also note certain websites that grace the top of my browser in my bookmark list: www.reformed.org, www.monergism.com, www.challies.com, www.thegospelcoalition.com, www.theresurgence.com. The last of these is the website from which I acquired this interview.

These are the things that I have been studying lately, and along with developing a kind of aesthetic foundation from which to draw an artistic means of communicating the truth that I see, I have been in prayer about how these thoughts and ideas translate into practical application into my personal life. Perhaps, I will bring in some poetry later, perhaps some prose. Hopefully, if I can find the time and endurance to complete them, a few plays. For now, though, I am studying. I am learning. I am the work of art that God is shaping. Bear with me please, and I shall with you. "Just because I'm losing, doesn't mean that I'm lost," and Tolkien said it beautifully: "Not all who wander are lost." But let us wander, shall we, within the parameters of those things we know to be true: Christ's death, resurrection, and promise of salvation to all who believe in Him.