Free Public Plantinga & Wolterstorff Events

2012-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Biola University's Center for Christian Thought is hosting a number of free events open to the public featuring Dr. Alvin Plantinga and Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff. Full details for most of the public events can be found here.

"Science & Religion: Where the Conflict Really Lies"
by Dr. Alvin Plantinga
February 2, 2012 • 6:00pm
Biola University, Calvary Chapel
No registration required

"On the Moral Significance of Poverty"
by Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff
February 6, 2012 • 7:00pm
The Commons @ EV Free Church, Fullerton, CA
No registration required

"Honor Everyone: 1 Peter 1:9-17
by Nicholas Wolterstorff
February, 10, 2012 • 9:30pm
Chase Gymnasium, Biola University

"On Divine Action in the World"
by Dr. Alvin Plantinga
February 12, 2012 • 7:30pm
The Commons @ EV Free Church, Fullerton, CA
No registration required

"From the Uselessness of Art to the Uses of Art and Part Way Back Again"
by Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff
February 13, 2012 • 8:15pm
Biola University, Calvary Chapel

Free Class - Evangelism: Rethinking & Retooling

2012-01-20T00:54:00.000-08:00

Starting this Sunday I will be teaching a class with J. P.Moreland, Craig Lockwood and others on evangelism. This won’t be anintroductory class, but will be challenging spiritually, creatively, andintellectually.

The first class will be on the relationship betweenspiritual formation, evangelism and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

This class will also provide several interactive exercisesat individual tables with the teachers and other leaders. The goal is todevelop both and understanding and a skill set equipping us for kingdomevangelism.

Some of the topics include:

Rethinking the Gospel: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything

Developing Your Own Story

Cultural Points of Contact: Faith & Film

How to Listen Well and What to Listen For

How to Invite People into a Kingdom Community

Answering Difficult Questions

Dates: January 22-March 11

Time: 4-5:30

Location: AnaheimVineyard Church

5340 East La Palma Avenue Anaheim, CA 92807-2021

Room: 103

Cost: Free

Confronting What I Actually Know and Believe

2011-12-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

In this post Iwant to briefly explain and apply psychologists Eric Johnson’s thesis in, “How God isGood for the Soul?” with respect to four specific attributes of God: God’sdivine aseity divine moral goodness, righteousness and justice, God's faithfulness, and finally God's mercy. Special attention is given to personalreflection regarding how my life might be different if I deeply believe thatGod was perfectly good, self-existent, faithful, and merciful.

To begin with,first consider the following thesis offered by Johnson,

Because of thethorough interdependence of self-understanding and God-understanding accordingto Christian thought, we would expect that the Christian self would beprofoundly benefited by its perception and experience of God.[1]

More specifically Johnson states,

Since humans aremade in God’s images, humans can only become whole selves in love with God.Because of the breadth of God’s character, just about every dysfunctional statecan be addressed by some trait in God.[2]

According to Johnson there are a variety ofpsychological benefits of experiencing God’s attributes. The specific type ofexperience Johnson has in mind is drawn from Jonathan Edwards’s notion of spiritual understanding: the holisticapprehension that engages the affections as well as the intellect, whichresults in love and an experience of awe in the heart.[3]

I want to know howmy life would change if I really believed or perhaps even really knew that Godis as scripture says he is. It is one thing to say that I believe or know thatGod is good, and quite another to actually know and believe that.[4]Because what I profess to believe may not actually be what I believe, I have tolook to something other than my profession. I am convinced I have to look at mylife and what it produces.

Before this can beaddressed something must be said about what it means to believe and to know.Consider Dallas Willard’s characterization of belief:

Belief: Person S has a belief about x = _def. Person S is willing to act as if x is true, when S is in the appropriate circumstances.[5]

In agreement with Willard, I take it thatbelief is deeply weeded to action, and is not mere mental assent orrepresentation. Consequently, the stronger or deeper my belief is the strongerthe corresponding actions will be.

Knowledge,however, is altogether different than belief. Again, Willard is helpful,

Knowledge: Persons S has knowledge regarding x = _def. Person S has the ability to represent x as it is on an appropriate basis ofthought and experience.[6]

Clearly, knowledge connects one to realitymuch more reliably than belief does, because there is a basis for knowledgethat ties it down to reality. Beliefs, on the other hand, can be false whileknowledge cannot be false. Consequently, belief as well as faith and trust, infact much of life, ought to be grounded in knowledge.[7]When we know something and follow through with belief or even more so faith, weare set into action when the appropriate circumstances arise and we are able toact responsibly and with a humble authority.

God’s Divine Aseity

According to thedoctrine of divine aseity, God depends on nothing for his existence other thanhimself. The ground for God’s being is internal to God, such that he isself-existent.[8] This istruly “wholly other,” as nothing else can come close to possessing anythinglike divine aseity. Aseity does not come in degrees; it is an all or nothingfeature. In virtue of this, all of creation owes its existence to God,initially at creation and continually in its existence. This is anawe-inspiring truth to meditate on. In abstraction, considering God’s aseitygets me in touch with a deep sense of being small in the universe, small andcontingent. Yet more profoundly, approaching God as a person, not a doctrine,with his aseity in mind offers a deeply humbling and rich experience. In morepractical terms, if I had a deeper belief that God has the attribute of divineaseity I think my life would radically improve in the following ways.

Tobegin with, there is a much deeper and extremely profound understanding thatcomes with sitting and meditating on God’s aseity. The first thing that struckme was that regardless on my family history my ultimate genuine origin is inGod. I exist because of him. This weighs heavily against my natural tendency tofeel the weight of coming from a father who abandoned me at age 3 and anadopted father that did the same at age 13. The simple fact that my existenceis grounded in the only one who is self-existent has a strong sense of comfort.If I had a stronger belief or better yet a deeper knowledge of God’s aseity Iwouldn’t struggle so terribly with finding my purpose in him.

Secondly,I feel a struggle within me for more life, for deeper flourishing. God’s divineaseity tells me that, although I am not the source of life I am invited tointeract with the one who has life in himself (Jn 5:26). I am not left alone inthe world of contingent things in constant need of more life. Moreover, asJohnson points out, God’s aseity means he will never be drained, burned out orout of control.[9] If Ibelieved this more I wouldn’t struggle so much to receive newness of life.

Lastly,there is also a very really knowledge of the truth that I am not the center ofeverything that exists, nor is any other contingent thing I often try to findmeaning, value, or love in. Henry Scougal (1650-1678), in his brilliant book The Life of God in the Soul of Man,writes of humility,

Humilityimports a deep sense of our own weakness, with a hearty and affectionateacknowledgement of our owing all that we are to divine bounty, which is alwaysaccompanied with a profound submission to the will of God and great deadnesstoward the glory of the world and the applause of men.[10]

If I had a deeperknowledge of and really believed that God is the only self-sufficient being inexistence, my inordinate sense of self-importance would dwindle, and beovercome with unfeigned humility. To know God as self-existent is to alsoaccept my contingent, dependant nature, and my statues in the world as whollyderivative from God in my existence. Humility is not, however, a devaluing ofmyself, to think of myself as having no value.[11]Having a new nature in Christ assures against this. Yet, knowing this, inhumility, in the fullest sense I know I cannot stand on my own, and if Ibelieve this I will no longer conceive of my self as or struggle to stand on myown.

God’s Divine Moral Goodness

The scripturesattest with a loud and clear voice to the far-reaching goodness of God. It ishis goodness that is expressed by his mercy, longsuffering, grace, and love.John Feinberg points out, “When we look at the biblical concept of divinegoodness, one major idea stands out. It is that God is concerned about thewell-being of his creatures and does things to promote it.”[12]

The psalmiststates that experiencing God will result in one seeing that God is good (Ps34:8), which support Johnson’s thesis. Moreover, it is a truth I haveexperienced. The experience of bathing in the presence of God with an openheart and mind is soaked with the presence of his goodness, a felt awarenessthat God is not simply the source of my well-being, but that he is always at workto promote my well-being. This distinction is important. Something or someonecould be the source of my well-being, but be fickle about promoting it. Godhowever, is always at work to promote my well-being. Hi goodness is never capricious.

In the mostradical sense possible, if I where to take this into my heart and mind andtruly and deeply know and believe that God is endlessly at work to promote mywell-being, I would live a very different life, a life without fear. I couldserve and love others without worry that I won’t get what I think I need. Iwould faithfully find my source of happiness in Jesus and participating in hiskingdom, rather than in the abundance of things that cannot be desired first.If I really believed that God is like this then I wouldn’t constantly be atwork to protect myself from others, managing my appearance before them so Iremain untouchable. I would walk with a humility and openness to others as wellas myself. I would love others freely and with greater conviction. I would loveGod that much more as well.

God’s Faithfulness

Consider God’sfaithfulness. God is unequivocally true to his promises.[13]Such unwavering faithfulness is repeatedly demonstrated throughout scripture,church history, and personal experience. Constantly, God is juxtaposed tofallen humanity. God will not lie or change his mind, as human persons do (Num.23:19). God will always do what He promises.[14]

Accordingly, theFather calls us to emulate his faithfulness. We are to remain faithful to ourword (Eccles. 5:4-5), and keep the promises we make to God (Ps. 61:5, 8; 66:13)and to each other (Josh. 9:16-21). So why do we lie? At least one reason seemsclear: we lie to protect our selves, because we do not trust that God will. We lie because we do not trust God, thathe will take care of us or that his call to faithfulness is actually the best way tolive a life that flourishes. If I were to trust God’s faithfulness I would be more faithful. If Ithought that Jesus’ yoke was truly easy, I would live accordingly. But my lackof trust in God keeps me from fully investing myself in his kingdom. Instead, Iwaver from resting in God and fending for myself.

God’s Mercy

Consider furtherGod’s mercy, his loving compassion and tenderness toward his children, andthose in need.[15] This isclearly displayed in how the Lord interacted with Israel[16]and even more so in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus hadcompassion and was moved by the spiritual poverty (Matt. 9:36), physicalsuffering (Mark 1:41), and need for knowledge of God (Mark 6:34). This wascentral to Jesus’ ministry (Matt 9:35-36).

If I really letthis into my heart I wouldn’t struggle so much guilt and shame. If I reallybelieved, really knew that God is merciful I would live life with much lessanxiety. I would feel safe. I wouldn’t simply fear failing or doing wrong, butI would love what is good and I would do so knowing that God looks on me withcompassion. I would run to him in prayer, knowing he is not indifferent towardme. I would give others compassion more freely, because I would be full of theFather’s compassion for others and even myself.

There are manyother attributes of God that deserve such attention, and I invite you to thinkthrough each of them in your own way. Do so by inviting the Holy Spirit intothis with you. Intellectual and spiritual exercises (although I don’t considerthem to be so separate) are not to be done on our own, but empowered and underthe guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

There is a realdual aspect to the content of this discussion. Much of what has been said canbe known about by reading scripture or a good theology of God’s nature. That isonly part of what has been discussed. The phenomenological report I gavestruggled to expresses the non-propositional knowledge one can gain of God andself. This is knowledge by acquaintancewith God and self, which can produce a deeper faith, confidence, trust in Godin a way that gaining propositional knowledge is simply unable to. DallasWillard writes,

It is an unavoidable fact, however, that what we do or do not understand, in any areof our lives, determines what we can or cannot believe and therefore governsour practice and action with an iron hand.[17]

The kind of “spiritual understanding” thatcomes from a meditation on the nature of God and experiencing his presencedetermines our beliefs and therefore our trust in God in a way that nothingelse can.

So,here is my confession: I believe and in many ways I know, but I am desperatefor God to help my unbelief. Unless I am aware of this I don’t see how I canparticipate in much of my discipleship unto to Jesus. And if our fellowshipsand churches do not embrace this honest confession from its members, then I donot know how discipleship onto Jesus can take place there. There is nothingwrong with saying, “I know God personally. I know Christianity is true and thatthere is salvation in no one but Jesus. But, I am learning to trust Jesus withmy life right here and now by following his ways.”

[1]Eric L. Johnson, “How God is Good for the Soul” Christian Spirituality and Mental Health, Vol. 22, No. 1 (2003): p.78.

[2]Johnson, “How God is Good for the Soul,” p. 86.

[3]Johnson, “How God is Good for the Soul,” p. 79. Johnson refers to JonathanEdward’s book, Religious Affections.

[4]An excellent book on self-deception and spiritual formation is: Gregg Ten Elshof, ITold Me So: Self-Deception and the Christian Life (Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans, 2009).

[5]Dallas Willard, The Disappearance ofMoral Knowledge, (Unpublished Manuscript, 2011, forthcoming late 2012/2013)Ch. 1, p. 27.

[6]Dallas Willard, Knowing Christ Today: WhyWe Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge (New York: HarperCollins, 2009), p. 15.

[7]This notion is developed much more fully in; J. P. Moreland and Klaus Issler, In Search of a Confident Faith: OvercomingBarriers to Trusting in God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008);and Dallas Willard, Knowing Christ Today.

[8] John S. Feinberg, No On Like Him: The Doctrine of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001),p. 239.

[9]Johnson, p. 80.

[10]Henry Scougal, The Life of God in theSoul of Man, Edited with a Historical Introduction by Winthrop S. Hudson(Mansfield Centre, CT: Martino Publishing, 2010), p. 39.

[11]Dallas Willard is excellent on this point in: Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ(Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2002), chapter 4.

[12] Feinberg, No On Like Him: The Doctrine of God, p. 366.

[13]Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology,Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1998), p. 317.

[14] See for example: 1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor.1:18-22; 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Timothy 2:13; and 1 Peter 4:19.

[15]Erickson, Christian Theology, p. 322.

[16] (Ex. 3:7; Deut. 5:10; Ps. 57:10;86:5; 103:13).

[17]Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing aConversational Relationship with God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsityPress, 1984), p. 193.

Inner Renovation Project

Free Public Plantinga & Wolterstorff Events

Free Class - Evangelism: Rethinking & Retooling

Confronting What I Actually Know and Believe

Christmas Break Reading List