"Once you master the five principles from Romans 1, you will be equipped to think critically and creatively about any theory in any field of study or work." - Nancy Pearcey
Romans 1 offers a refreshing alternative to the "Everyone else is wrong" approach to apologetics. Because a counterfeit god is something within creation, Pearcey says, it leads people to focus on that aspect of creation--which means they are likely to uncover some genuine truths. Consider these three idols of western society:
Materialism is partly right because God did create a material universe. He even pronounced it "very good" (Gen. 1:31). So we should not be surprised that scientists who embrace materialism can tell us a great deal about the physical universe.
Rationalism gets something right because God did create the world with a rationally knowable structure. He also created the human mind with a corresponding structure. Good reasoning leads to god. In C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, the experienced devil warns the younger devil to avoid arguments: "By the very act of arguing, you awake the patient's reason: and once it is awake, who can forsee the result?"
Empiricism gets some things right because god did create a world with a sensory dimension, and he equipped humans with their fives senses to function in that world. Jesus confirmed his identity by giving empirical evidence that was available to any seeking person.
Romanticism was right to oppose Enlightenment worldviews that reduce humans to complex mechanisms. It was right to assert human freedom and creativity. Because we are made in the image of a Creator, Christians should be more committed than anyone else to supporting the creative arts.
A biblical worldview enables Christians to approach every viewpoint with a free and respectful attitude, knowing that virtually every perspective offers something of value. We should refuse to allow good words like empirical and rational to be taken over by secular worldviews. Every ism isolates one strand from the rich fabric of truth. Christianity alone provides what the greatest philosophers and sages have sought all along: a coherent and transcendent framework that encompasses all of human knowledge.
Resource: Finding Truth, Nancy Pearcey
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