It may a strange thing to title a pastoral note “In Praise of Logic.” To some it may seem silly – wouldn’t it be absurd to hold logic in contempt?
Yet, sadly, there are those who do. In one of post-modernity’s strangest developments, there are voices today that claim that the use of logic is itself an instance of an oppressive hegemony holding the disadvantaged down. Is logic ever used this way? Absolutely, and as a pastor it both grieves and appalls me. But is the use of logic itself essentially oppressive and therefore morally suspect. Absolutely not, and this position horrifies me far more.
When we consider what the Bible teaches about what it means to be created in the image of God, we find three aspects of what it means to bear God’s image. There are three aspects of our being that are being renovated as God does his work in us. We are being renewed in “knowledge” (Colossians 3:10), “righteousness,” and “holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). From the perspective of a Biblical worldview, it is important to recognize that being human means, among other things, being an essentially cognitive creature.[1] That does not mean exclusively cognitive – we are not merely brains or simply intellectual beings. But we are never called to be less than cognitive, or intellectual beings.
The manner in which we think may be broadly considered to be comprised of our logic. In Ecclesiastes 7:27 we find an ancient Semitic reference to logic: “Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things…” There are times when the scripturally enjoined work of ‘adding one thing to another’ is clearly to be inductive (reasoning from the specific to the general). In Proverbs 6:6 we read, “Go to the ant, you sluggard, and be wise.” We are to recognize the instance of the hardworking and resilient ant and learn a general lesson regarding work ethics that applies even to us humans. Logic can also be deductive (reasoning from general principles to specific instances). Titus 1:12-13 says, “One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons…’ Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” Here we have a general abstract statement about the Cretans own self-assessment being applied specifically to the new believers on Crete who will need to forge new behaviors as they learn to follow Christ.
And logic is specifically connected to faith itself. In Hebrews 11:17-19 we read that, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac… of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” Did you catch that! Abraham ‘considered’ (some translations read ‘reasoned”) that the two apparently contradictory words of God (that through Isaac Abraham’s lineage would be multiplied and that Isaac should be sacrificed on Mt Moriah) could be reconciled by assuming that God could raise the dead. His logic bolstered his faith and led to obedience.
Be logical. Your critical thinking about the many messages that bombard us in this brave new century is essential to your effective participation in life as a child of God. You were designed to think – and to do so in a cumulatively increasing, logical manner. What you do with your thoughts or how you abuse logic is an entirely different matter. But it is never to be accepted that using logic is itself a bad or suspicious endeavor.
The capacity to think logically is a gift that God has, by his common grace, given to all people without respect to their socially constructed identities. So, dear Christian, think!
Your Pastor,
Bob Bjerkaas
[1] Perhaps in another one of these notes I will address what it means to bear God’s image in righteousness and holiness. This note will focus on knowledge.
N.B. The image is Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker” on display at the Peabody Essex Museum’s exhibit: “Rodin: Transforming Sculpture.” (Andrea Shea/WBUR)