Irrational Spirituality
I recently listened to a lecture by John Mark Reynolds (who always has interesting blogs at Scriptorium) in which he claimed that the United States would be a lot better off today if it were not dominated by an irrational spirituality. I agree with both his assessment and his recommended treatment. It is not that America is not a “spiritual” country. It is not that America is not a “rational” country. The crux of the problem is that spirituality and rationality have each been divorced from the other. Since at least the 1800’s (certainly earlier as well, but not quite so pronounced), reason has been separated from religion. The result of such a separation is all the craziness that transpires today in the name of spirituality. Repeatedly, popular polls tout how “spiritual” the country is. A remarkably high percentage of people would classify themselves as Christian. Howe ver, many have obviously succumbed to the dichotomy of the age and hold to a religious beliefs in which they do not see a tension between their spirituality and the truth of their religion. Reynolds thinks that irrational spirituality is the dominant view of our culture. Science and scientists are held high as the ultimate bearers of truth and truth claims while religious folk go on believing and doing whatever they wish as long as society does not have to take them seriously.
The cure is a call to biblical, rational spirituality. Christians are challenged to be balancers of “head” and “heart.” Being rational does not entail being unspiritual. Being spiritual does not entail being irrational, as many would have one believe. The biblical view is one in which the Christian is transformed, body, soul, mind, and spirit.