"Theology is a peculiarly beautiful discipline. Indeed, we can confidently say that it is the most beautiful of all disciplines. To find academic study distasteful is the mark of the Philistine. It is an extreme form of Philistinism to find, or to be able to find, theology distasteful. The theologian who labors without joy is not a theologian at all. Sulky faces, morose thoughts and boring ways of speaking are intolerable in this field."
Karl Barth
Hopefully I'm gonna be writing a paper on Barth's view of revelation, and if u come across good articles on the Net on this topic, share with me la :)
The Christian philosopher Ronald Nash has just passed away on March 10, 2006. I remember reading his book "The Word of God, The Mind of Man" where he argued that while God is transcendent, our finite minds can know him truly though never completely. It impressed on me that being made in God's image, our mind's rationality corresponds to the Creator's. Perhaps that's why, until today, I still view notions that God plays by different 'laws of logic' with suspicion.
It seems like an easy cop-out answer, when irrational ideas are exposed, to piously wave our hands and say, "God is 'higher' than laws of logic".
Of course logic is not an external system that God has to obey. But logic is valid because it corresponds to the Logos, the mind of the Creator himself.
Comments
Looking at interfaith dialogues, there's one particular speaker who kept saying "Only God knows best" especially when it came to tough questions.
Ronald Nash's books such as "The Gospel and the Greeks", "Faith & Reason", and "Life's Ultimate Questions" among others, have taught me a lot and greatly enriched my understanding of my faith.
The Henry Institute has a nice eulogy for Nash... A mention about his habit of hip-swaying when quoting heresies, heheh...