Ignatius of Antioch:
"The greatness of Christianity lies in its being hated by the world, not in its being convincing to it." -- The Letter of Ignatius to the Romans
Thomas Aquinas:
"For the will of God cannot be investigated by reason... But the divine will can be manifested by revelation, on which faith rests. And it is useful to consider this, lest anyone, presuming to demonstrate what is of faith, should bring forward reasons that are not cogent, so as to give occasion to unbelievers to laugh, thinking that on such grounds we believe things that are of faith." -- Summa TheologicaPeter Abelard:
"Assiduous and frequent questioning is indeed the first key to wisdom. Aristotle, that most perspicacious of all philosophers, exhorted the studious to practice it eagerly, saying, 'Perhaps it is difficult to express oneself with confidence on such matters if they have not been much discussed. To entertain doubts on particular points will not be unprofitable.' For by doubting we come to inquiry; through inquiring we perceive the truth, according to the Truth Himself. 'Seek and you shall find,' He says, 'Knock and it shall be opened to you.' In order to teach us by His example He chose to be found when He was about twelve years old sitting in the midst of the doctors and questioning them, presenting the appearance of a disciple by questioning rather than of a master by teaching, although there was in Him the complete and perfect wisdom of God." -- Sic et Non
Karl Barth:
“Anxiety concerning the victory of the Gospel – that is, Christian Apologetics – is meaningless, because the Gospel is the victory by which the world is overcome… God does not need us.” -- The Epistle to the Romans
Hans Urs von Balthasar:
"But the essence of the matter is faith, not a (neutral) looking on or a desire to experience something (for oneself). One who snatches at psychological experiences (presumably perhaps "in the Holy Spirit") will reach into a void. And one who gropes for the flame will get burned by it. Faith is reverent; it allows the light space in which to burn. Still more: it receives from the light the eyes with which it sees the light. Si comprehendis, non est Deus*: and if you think to have grasped it, you are not one whom God has grasped...
Jesus has no need of apologetics: he shines through. He shines upon everyone who comes into the world (John 1:9) and does not deliberately look away (John 1:12). The Church should not pursue any apologetics for herself, but should instead endeavor to make her Lord visible." -- Does Jesus Shine Through?
William Platcher quoting Hans Frei:
"'The most fateful issue for Christian self-description,' [Hans] Frei wrote…, 'is that of regaining its autonomous vocation as a religion, after its defeat in its secondary vocation of providing ideological coherence, foundation, and stability to Western culture.' We no longer live in what Kierkegaard called Christendom. But old habits die hard, and Christian theologians had fallen into the habit of trying to delineate the religious dimension of our general culture. Some seem not to notice that our culture, by and large, isn’t much interested. Some grow angry at the lack of interest. Some try all the more desperately to make the appropriate connections.
In a post-Christian age, however, Christianity might instead try to regain 'its autonomous vocation as a religion.' We Christians still have stories to tell—distinctive stories. Stories about how God worked in the life of Israel, and God’s self-revelation in the life of Jesus Christ. Stories that define a community different from the world around us because of the way these stories shape our self-understanding, a community that may sometimes be wildly radical politically and on other issues seem conservative... Hans Frei called us to be tellers of such tales." -- Hans Frei and the Meaning of Biblical Narrative
Michael Spencer (some of the last words he ever wrote):
"There is little good news in 'My argument scored more points than you argument.' But the news that 'Christ is risen!' really is Good News for one kind of person: The person who is dying. If Christianity is not a dying word to dying men, it is not the message of the Bible that gives hope now. What is your apologetic? Make it the full and complete announcement of the Life Giving news about Jesus." -- Internet Monk blog
John Hobbins:
"No reasonable person with a brain attached to their body is going to experience zero cognitive dissonance in their lives. The control beliefs we have, if they have any substance at all, are going to clash, often or occasionally, with facts on the ground. It may even be an index of the truth of those beliefs if they do. If we are intellectually and spiritually alive, meta-narratives at odds with our own will garner our attention and call the viewpoint we have adopted into question. Traditional apologists too often paper over such conflicts, offer answers where instead we should hold on to questions, and shut off inquiry rather than encourage it. Or I should say pseudo-traditional apologists, since the Bible itself and great authors like Augustine, Maimonides and Aquinas do not sweep the substantive issues under the rug, but face them head on." -- Ancient Hebrew Poetry blog
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