{"id":780,"date":"2024-07-03T11:58:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T18:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/dinosaurdeliberates\/?p=780"},"modified":"2024-07-03T11:58:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T18:58:09","slug":"the-case-for-christian-agnosticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/dinosaurdeliberates\/2024\/07\/the-case-for-christian-agnosticism\/","title":{"rendered":"The Case For Christian Agnosticism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Anyone who seriously studies the Bible for any length of time comes to a point, I suppose, where he or she must say: \u201cI just don\u2019t know concerning this point of doctrine.\u201d\u00a0 Or this element of the Faith, or this particular tile in the mosaic of my theology.\u00a0 In fact, it may so happen that one\u2019s field of \u201cunknowing\u201d grows over time, and actually increases with biblical study.\u00a0 It has happened in my own experience, and I\u2019m beginning to suspect that this expansion of uncertainty may parallel and accompany a similar growth of personal\u00a0 humility (at least I hope so in my own case).<\/p>\n

Now of course I\u2019m not talking about the fundamental pillars of Christianity: when it comes to the core beliefs I find that belief actually increases.\u00a0 I am more firmly convinced of the key doctrines than ever.\u00a0 I have no doubts about the Virgin Birth, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, Christ\u2019s substitutionary payment through death for my sins, and so forth.\u00a0 \u00a0The basic elements found in any elementary catechism of the Faith \u2014 whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox \u2014 I subscribe to without hesitation.<\/p>\n

I find room for a healthy agnosticism, however, in those details where the devil is said to reside.\u00a0 I would never suffer martyrdom, for example, for the doctrine of premillennial dispensationalism, and neither would I for post- or amillennialism, or any possible configuration of dispensationalism.\u00a0 \u00a0Any one of those formulations could certainly be true, and i am always willing to be convinced with scripture.\u00a0 But at the moment I just don\u2019t know which one is accurate, and I have certainly spent a good portion of my life studying the issue.\u00a0 My point here is that it is possible for fully-informed Christian scholars and Bible students to differ on very important tenets, and to produce reams of evidence for each position.<\/p>\n

That being the case, I settle back in my chair and relax into a comfortable agnosticism.\u00a0 Whether the Rapture will occur or not \u2014 whether past ages fulfill the prophecies of Revelation or they await a future consummation \u2014 these and similar points of contention I leave to those combatants who enjoy the clang and din of swords clashing about in the fog of war.\u00a0 And copious fog I certainly find in the world of disputatious exegesis.\u00a0 I will brandish my sabre in defense of Mere Christianity, but not on behalf of either partial or extreme preterism.\u00a0 \u00a0Because (in spite of my leanings one way or the other) I simply don\u2019t know when it comes to nonsalvific subdivisions of the catechism.<\/p>\n

I know that Simon Peter tells us to be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks about the reasons for our hope.\u00a0 \u00a0And Paul often tells his readers that he doesn\u2019t want them to be ignorant of certain crucial details of the Faith.\u00a0 But I\u2019m afraid his explanations sometimes lead to opposing schools of interpretation.\u00a0 And if none of the schools convinces me with its arguments, then I\u2019m perfectly comfortable in my chair of reverent, pious, and (I hope) humble agnosticism.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who seriously studies the Bible for any length of time comes to a point, I suppose, where he or she must say: \u201cI just don\u2019t know concerning this point of doctrine.\u201d\u00a0 Or this element of the Faith, or this particular tile in the mosaic of my theology.\u00a0 In fact, it may so happen that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5183,"featured_media":783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[78,90,87,81,84],"class_list":["post-780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-agnosticism","tag-debate","tag-doctrine","tag-exegesis","tag-interpretation"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Case For Christian Agnosticism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anyone who seriously studies the Bible for any length of time comes to a point, I suppose, where he or she must say: "I just don't know concerning this Some details of doctrine we're just never going to understand completely. 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