Cognitive Science of Religion and Classical Theism: A Synthesis

Launonen and Mullins argue that if Classical Theism is true, human cognition is likely not theism-tracking, at least, given what we know from cognitive science of religion. In this essay, we develop a model for how classical theists can make sense of the findings from cognitive science, without abandoning their Classical Theist commitments. We also provide an argument for how our model aligns well with the Christian doctrine of general revelation.

Overcoming the World: Bavinck on Faith and Knowledge

After A Short Biographical Introduction, This Article Argues That Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Theology Displays His Appreciation For The Catholicity Of The Church. This Attitude Appears Most Strongly In His Interest In Epistemology. For Bavinck, Faith And Knowledge Form An Essential Unity. He Intends To Avoid Subjectivity While Incorporating The Modern Epistemological Turn To The Human Subject. This Is His Most Original And Most Important Contribution To Theology. According To Bavinck, Faith Overcomes The World By Viewing It As God’s Fallen Creation On Its Way To Final Restoration Through Christ’s Redemption. The Appendix Offers The First English Translation Of Thus Far Unnoticed Theses On Faith And Knowledge. KEYWORDS: Herman Bavinck, Neo-Calvinism, Theological Catholicity, Christian Epistemology, General Revelation, Subjectivity

Revelation and Cognitive Science

Cognitive science tells us that human minds are not equally receptive to any and all sorts of ideas or information. Instead, they can be characterized as having special subsystems that preferentially attend to, and process, some kinds of information over others. Furthermore, as finite information processors, human minds naturally and automatically fill in informational gaps to make coherent meaning from what they experience. In so far as divine revelation is an act of communication, and that the divine communicator knows how human minds are active in any act of communication, it follows that divine revelation will take advantage of human cognitive systems in particular and effective ways. One way in which it would do so is in establishing some general predilections towards humans’ receptivity to the idea that there are divine realities. As cognitive science of religion has shown, humans may find certain aspects of divinity and divine order relatively easy to understand and receive from interaction with the natural world. This general revelation, however, is inchoate and incomplete. Room is left for additional revelation to augment understandings of divine truths. This additional revelation, however, would also be interpreted through ordinary human cognitive faculties, whether its medium is private mystical experiences, reading Scripture, or observing the actions and teachings of Jesus first hand. Drawing upon C. S. Lewis’s treatment of miracles, the chapter considers Jesus’ miracles as instances of divine revelation that can be made more explicable through the lenses of cognitive science.

Gevoel and Illumination: Bavinck, Augustine, and Bonaventure on Awareness of God

This essay offers a reflection that seeks to clarify and complement Steven Duby’s God in Himself, especially on the natural awareness of God. First, in response to Duby’s assessment of Bavinck’s critique of certain forms of natural theology, I draw particularly from Cory Brock’s recent monograph on Bavinck’s critical appropriation of particular strands of post-Kantian romantic philosophy in order to articulate the affective dimensions of general revelation. This explains Bavinck’s preference for the term “general revelation” over “natural theology,” for the former emphasizes humanity’s pre-categorical dependence on God’s revealing work internal to the human psyche, manifesting as the feeling (gevoel) of dependence. Second, then, following Bavinck’s own connection of Schleiermacher to Augustine’s turn to the subject, I provide a retrieval of Augustine’s and Bonaventure’s accounts of illumination, which escalates the agent’s dependence on God’s revelation to a maximal degree.

Encountering the Religious Radicalism Movement Through Reconstructing the Multicultural Theology and Its Implication For Christian Leaders in Indonesia

This research aims to create a harmonious relationship among different religions in Indonesia. This aim is reached through reconstructing a multicultural theology based on biblical understanding. The multicultural theology is a biblical principle that be constructed in balancing between Old Testament and New Testament, between general revelation and special revelation. By exposing the general revelation based on theocentric dimension, we found general principles about how to make a good relationship among people in their differences, according to God’s perspective. At the same time, multicultural theology also exposes particular revelation principles centered upon the Christocentric dimension. This research is a qualitative study with a library approach. Data is analyzed by interpretation, critical thinking, and truth and healthy consideration based on the primary source. We found a Christian value to be a foundation to make the relationship in harmony with other people. For this purpose we are proposing a theological framework designed from Biblical principles, covering the following: (1) Cultural Mandate, (2) Human Nature, (3) Theological principles: God’s Sovereignty, God’s Providence and God’s Justice, (4) Incarnation, (5) Universal Soteriology (6) Present Theocracy, (7) Church Nature and (8) Eschatological Multiculture. Christian leaders are central people that must create a relationship with other people in harmony. Through this way, the Christian leaders can engage the religious radicalism by doing good things and togetherness in social work.

Reformed theology and natural science – Conflict or concurrence?

Atheistic natural scientists propagate a normative materialistic view of the universe, where God as creator is superfluous. Much effort is being expended to bring into disrepute any notion of extraneous control over the laws of nature. The idea of the universe and everything in it as an ongoing ‘cosmic accident’ is presented as the only truth. This is in stark contrast to recent scientific discoveries in disciplines such as biochemistry and palaeontology. In this article, the most recent developments in the fields of intelligent design and the anthropic principle will be interrogated to demonstrate that the reformed faith in God as Creator is credible and that the notion of creation as God’s general revelation to humankind is increasingly being accepted by the natural scientific community.

Schriftuur, natuur en cultuur: over de noodzaak van hermeneutische regels

Hermeneutical controversies often have to do with the tension between the text of the Bible on the one hand and what can be called ‘general revelation’ and ‘contextuality’ on the other hand. This article reflects on both tensions, argues for a positive-critical hermeneutical attitude towards nature – as created by God – and culture. Hermeneutical rules should not lead to a rationalist objectivation of Scripture, but still are necessary to avoid arbitrariness in explaining and applying Scripture today.

A Theological Review of Approaching Models in the Dialog of Faith and Science

<p>Scholars have been proposing numerous models in “reconciling” faith and science. All proposed models, generally, could be categorized into four approaches: conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration. Since models in approaching the dialog of faith and science, basically, express presuppositions of how someone view reality. In this essay, therefore, these models are reviewed in the light of how Christians should comprehend the reality through the Scripture: God reveals Himself in two ways, general and special. General revelation is the world as His creation, and special revelation is the His words that have been written in the Bible. Special revelation, fundamentally, is a metaphysical framework for Christians to understand God’s creation. As the result, approaching model which cohere to biblical concept of one truth is integration model, which is, as some scholars call, the reconstruction or paradigmatic approach.</p>

General Revelation, Science and integration: Objections and opportunities

Recent controversies over integrating modern science and Scripture have led to faculty firings and wholesale changes in academic programs. An underlying question is the relationship between science and general revelation. This article argues that modern science and general revelation are not the same but the relationship between them depends upon the approach one takes to the object of general revelation. The article concludes with guidelines for integrating general and special revelation faithfully.

Orbit and Axis: Carl F. H. Henry on Revelation and Education

Carl F. H. Henry serves as a fruitful resource for the integration of faith and learning. The central issue in Christian scholarship is to properly associate the revelation of God with the knowledge of God’s world across all academic disciplines. The particular effort of this article is to demonstrate the clarity Henry provides as it relates to general revelation, special revelation, and knowledge explored in a comprehensive university setting. Building on Henry’s clarity, an orientation of knowledge to Jesus Christ, a proposal for the resulting vision for Christian scholarship, and habits of Christian educational institutions follows.