Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

and seeks knowledge instead. Rationalism values what can be seen and measured.

In an attempt to spread the gospel, Rationalismwas employed to structure the broad Story of the Bible into simple propositional statements that would be easy for believers to memorize and communicate. In the late 1800s, helpful attempts were made to come up with lists of fundamental beliefs that Christians could affirm and communicate, such as the inerrancy of Scripture, the Virgin birth, and salvation by grace. The mo- tivation was good, but the employment of Rationalism in these exercises had hidden implications that surfaced in later decades. A Reasonable Faith Rationalism suggested Christianity is reasonable, and following Christ would have the natural effect of a good life. The implication was, “those who want a good life should seek what is true and live according to truth.” Because of this assumption, Rationalism pushed believers to have logical reasons to defend their faith. It was assumed that Christianity needed to be both reasonable and relevant before others would agree with its claims. Christians were taught to value outlines, logical arguments, and propositional statements. This tended to cause believers to be defensive about their faith, especially if they felt ill-equipped to give intellectual answers to difficult questions.

The Problem of Evil Because Rationalism seeks cause-and-effect connections, Americans have trouble understanding the existence of evil. Cultures valuing

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