mclaren thought #5

In response to the 30 years war over religion and fear of it coming to France, Descartes creates a knowledge in a public sphere that is free of religion so that members of different religions can step out and dialogue on a neutral certainty.

“[Descartes’ method created] certainty without moral wisdom, certainty without compassion. This kind of certainty is dangerous.”

“Excessive confidence is like a cancer. We need to treat it with chemotherapy and there are two chemotherapies to absolutism: pluralism and relativism.”

“If any place had created a secular public sphere, it was Germany.”

In response, philosophers seek to diminish this certainty.

“You introduce pluralism and relativism and absolutism retreats – but religious faith plummets.”

“Today we have people who think [reason] is the answer.
There are people who think pluralism and relativism are the answer.
There are still those who think religion is the answer.”

“The story is not an absolutist metanarrative or a private personal true-for-me relativist narrative.”

“What the biblical narrative is an all-embracing mega narrative. This type of narrative always has room for and cares for the other. It does not want to destroy others but always has room for them.”

“I believe that we can and must as Christians within a postmodern world give an account of human knowing that will apply to music, mathematics, to biology and to history, to theology and to chemistry. We need to articulate for the [post-modern] world what we call an epistemology of love.”
NT Wright

“If the gospel of Jesus cannot solve this problem, (jaw dropped and head shaking in befuddlement) then I don’t know who can do it.”