It got me thinking though. I have always enjoyed Christian Apologetics. And for a long time I looked down upon Apologists who left the bounds of Scripture to “reason” and “philosophize”. Now, I still think it is dangerous to abandon Scripture, but after two Philosophy classes, I have learned how important the discipline is. Philosophy for me is knowing both sides of an argument so well you can argue both sides. It taught me the necessity of definitions, and how in debate we so often speak past each other. It is being able to summarize and give an argument and not a long speech full of empty words and honey. With this in mind, I will get to the purpose of this post.
My grandfather passed away recently. In psychology we spent a week on Life and Death. The News is covered with the latest horrible act of unspeakable violence. Death and Suffering seem to be on my mind a lot recently. I wish to spend the next month or so dwelling on the topics of the Problem of Evil and A Christian Perspective on Death. I will use what I learn from Scripture, the Church’s Theologians throughout the years, Philosophy, and my own thoughts. I hope at the end of it to have set straight in my mind some of the answers and the questions I have on these topics. I tend to have thoughts bounce around in my head on repeat, so here I am stopping the cycle, and actually putting them to paper.
A word on the subject - It is important to have these issues sorted out intellectually, but also practically. A philosopher and a pastor are going to go about this in a very different fashion. I hope to bridge the two sides as I seek to better understand myself and my grief, and learn how to better serve those around me in this world in which suffering and death exist.
Soli Deo Gloria,
- Jonah