Sárospataki Füzetek 1. (1997)
1997 / 1. szám - M. Eugene Osterhaven: The Foundation of our Faith and Theology. (Hitünk és theológiánk alapja. - Fordította: Rácsok Gabriella)
THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH AND THEOLOGY experience, and nineleenlk century culture in wLick Newtons science played a leading role in ike intelligentsia. Of tkese. we look only at tke Scollisk Common Sense Pkilosopky . or Realism, a pkilosopky wkick developed in tke eigkleenlk century to comkal skepticism and alkeism. It sougkl to estaklisk a firm intellectual foundation for faitk ky k II ilding on tke empirical data of consciousness and deriving moral and spiritual laws from tkis source. Great faitk was placed in tke powers of perception and reason, and tkis was carried into tke study of tkeology. Sure of tke akii ily of reason to perceive, collate, and interpret facts, it laid out arguments from antkropology, pkilosopky. elkics. and kislory on tke kasis of wkick tke intelligent study of tkeology was sa id to ke possikle. Tke foundation tkus laid was called apologetics, and tkis department of learning was given first place in tke curriculum of Princeton Tk eological Seminary. Professor Benjamin B. War field (1887-1921 at Princeton) spoke for Princeton wkeu ke claimed lkat apologetics lays tke foundations on wkick tke w kole structure of tkeology is determined. "(2) Key words used in kis famous article on tke sukjecl are estaklisk. eslakliskmenl. foundation. and kasis. Until tke foundation kas keen eslaklisked ky rational demonstration, tke pursuit of tkeology is impossikle. for apologetics is tke fundamental department of tkeology. ’(3) Wilkout tke intelligent foundation wkick apologetics lays for faitk. tke wkole of (tkeology s) work would kang in tke air. and tkeology would present tke odd spectacle among sciences of claiming a place among a series of systems of knowledge for an eiakoralion of pure assumptions. (4) Instead of lkat. Warfield kelieved tkal faitk. in all its forms, is a conviction of trulk. founded as suck, of course, on evidence... Ckrislianily... kas keen placed in tke world to reason its way to tke dominion of tke world. (5) Tke last quotation from Professor Warfield is from kis review of a kook ky Professor Herman Bavinck of 'ke Nelkerlands on tke certainty of faitk. Bavinck. Akrakam Kuyper. and tkeir colleagues, utterly mystified (6) Warfield. in spite of kis respect for ikem, kecause of tkeir disagreement w ilk kirn and tke Princeton Sckool in tke proper function of apologetics in tke tkeological curriculum. Tke Dulck keld lkat apologetics kas its place in tkeology as a reasoned defence of tke faitk kul not as an offensive weapon, as tke Princeton tkeologians conceived its function, fkey keld lkat tke 73
