Preface: This is the first part of a series on the limits of human logic in Christian faith. There will be more to come.
I’ve always had a keen interest in the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible. Even before receiving the gift of faith, my bookshelves were full of philosophy books (particularly, eastern religions, especially Taoism). The orienting point of reference for all of my thought life was, “how do I enter into a harmonious relationship with the world around me?”. Quite selfishly, I asked this question with the hope that my my desires and satisfactions would be ultimately gratified in finding the answer. I’ve learned, however, that this very desire is created in me, so in that sense, it is, in fact, a pious endeavor to attempt to scratch this particular proverbial itch (I’ve also learned that this desire for joy is only satisfied in a personal relationship, not in knowing an impersonal Truth).
In turning to the Hebrew scriptures for answers regarding wisdom (how to carry out the art of living harmoniously with the created world), one of the recurring themes we see is the embrace of the limits of human logic. The first key to unlocking wisdom is the fear of YHWH (which is quite easy when in the crucible—but when life is cushy, it’s a fog). The second is embracing the reality of the limits of human logic.
I’ve spent a great deal of time and energy exploring this concept and it intrigues me; probably more than any other dimension of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible. One would speculate that this particular intrigue is due to my western cultural conditioning that is oriented by the human(logic)-centrism of the Enlightenment (17th and 18th century Europe). The central tenants of the Enlightenment arrive post Anselm of Canterbury’s (11th century) faith seeking understanding. The champions of the Enlightenment aggressively chant “understanding seeking faith!”. Sorry to tell you this folks, but pure human understanding will never find pure faith. If it did, God wouldn’t be God at all now would He?
In fact, this is the very nature of faith—to reach beyond understanding to embrace something that is otherwise unseen. This, I believe, is at the heart of those who have written off faith, especially within the secular academy (isn’t it interesting, though, that the embrace of secular speculation of the origins of the cosmos seems to require more faith than the Judeo-Christian doctrine of Creation?).
Regardless, a response to the exhortation to embrace the limits of human logic doesn’t come easy. After all, our sense and understanding of things is what brings us comfort and stability. To embrace the limits of human logic makes us feel vulnerable—hence, the “fear of the unknown”.
Here’s my point and where I come away with this. Simply because something defies logic doesn’t mean that it cannot be known. Wisdom is experiential. Wisdom is the embrace of a reality that reaches beyond formulaic explanation and scientific reason. In order for one to truly be wise and to experience wisdom, we must be willing to consider and embrace the reality as something that expands well beyond the limits of the human mind. Love cannot be confined to reason, for example. I believe aesthetic value is tied directly to this concept…
In the next installment in this series, we will further explore this dynamic of aestheticism in connection to stretching beyond the limits of the human mind and the Christian imagination.
