Mascall: faith vs. scholarship

Sunday, July 9, 2017
Meditation:
    They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
    —Romans 1:25 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The critical scholar is not committed, within the area of his research, to accepting the Church’s presuppositions about Jesus, but he should not be committed to accepting naturalistic presuppositions either. If he does accept the latter, then the results of his research will in all probability contradict the beliefs of the Church, but this is because he has begged the question from the start. In examining, for instance, the evidence for the virginal conception [of Jesus], if he begins with the presupposition that such an event is impossible he will end with the same conclusion; if he begins with the presupposition that it is possible he may end with the conclusion that the evidence for it is good or that it is bad or that it is inconclusive. This is as far as scholarship can take him. The Christian will accept the virginal conception as part of the Church’s faith. [Continued tomorrow]
    ... E. L. Mascall (1905-1993), The Secularization of Christianity, London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1966, p. 276 (see the book)
    See also Rom. 1:25; Ps. 89:2;Hos. 14:9; Matt. 11:25
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant me boldness in proclaiming Your eternal truth. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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