Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Wright on Reason as an Instrument!

How about this from Tom Wright, suggestive of the traditional Reformed understanding of Reason as an instrument:

Nor can 'reason' be casually conflated with 'the results of modern science', as though there were a straightforward route, a kind of natural theology, from what we find in a test-tube to what we can and must say about God and his kingdom. 'Reason' is more like the laws of harmony and counterpoint: it does not write the tunes itself, but it forms the language within which tunes make powerful sense.

In all this, 'reason' will not constitute an alternative, or independent, source to scripture and tradition. It is the necessary adjunct, the vital tool, for making sure that we are truly listening to scripture and tradition rather than to the echo of our own voices.
Wright, N. T., Scripture and the Authority of God (London, SPCK, 2005), p88, emphasis added.



No comments: