Michael Patton has written a terrific blog on All the Right Beliefs for All the Wrong Reasons. This is must-reading.
He starts out by reviewing four types of people with respect to knowledge:
1. The one who doesn’t know, and doesn’t know that he doesn’t know. He is a fool – shun him.
2. The one who doesn’t know, but knows that he doesn’t know. He is a student – help him learn.
3. The one who knows, but doesn’t know that he knows. He is an unenlightened person – enlighten him.
4. The one who knows and knows that he knows. He is a wise man – follow him.
He then adds a fifth:
5. The one who knows but does not know how he knows. He is naive — deconstruct him.
Michael’s fifth category refers to those who have all the right beliefs for all the wrong reasons … a common phenomenon in theological circles. Michael is correct in asserting that one who knows but does not know how he knows is in great danger of one day losing what he knew. Why? As Michael explains it, “Because the justification for this knowledge is unqualified and insufficient. Creating a dichotomy between the mind and the heart is a self-defense mechanism for those who are truly insecure about their faith.”
Amen. Having all the right beliefs for all the wrong reasons is not a good thing.
Bob
Fides Quaerens Intellectum
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Bob Pratico
Fides Quaerens Intellectum
(my Sojourn blog)
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