The Bearing of Theology on Other Branches of Knowledge (Newman)
Last Friday, we discussed a section of John Henry Newman’s The Idea of the University (http://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/discourse3.html ). Newman envisions knowledge as “one large system or complex fact” which “resolves itself into an indefinite number of particular facts, which, as being portions of a whole, have countless relations of every kind, one towards another” (Newman 45). His concept of knowledge as a unified and objective whole made up of complementary parts stems from the idea that everything has its origin and sustenance in God.
Although monotheism provides a basis for unity and objectivity in knowledge for Newman, he locates theology as one of many disciplines which make up the “circle” of knowledge. For Newman, theology is important because it provides the presuppositions about man, God, law, etc. that inform work in other branches of knowledge. In speaking of theology, Newman means ”natural theology” – knowledge of God gained from general revelation that includes awareness of God’s character, of the moral law, and of the power of human and divine agency to impact the world. Newman chooses to focus on general revelation in order to create common ground with people from a wide variety of religious backgrounds.
In our discussion on Friday, we questioned the validity of Newman’s inclusion of general rather than special revelation as the basis of presuppositions in his vision of an interconnected “circle” of knowledge. We asked whether natural theology is indeed universal, and arguments were put forth for the value of special revelation as a basis for academic knowledge for the Christian. While this makes sense in the context of a Christian university, it becomes more difficult at a place like UNC. We discussed the unspoken code of values that underlies public universities, such as belief in freedom of speech and the importance of non-discrimination.
We then shifted the conversation to the question of whether the Christian scholar does perceive knowledge as an objective and unified whole. We came to the conclusion that the Christian scholar is capable of achieving greater congruence between intellectual and moral life, and asked the question “How does the church help us, as academics, do our work in a way that displays consistency between our ideas and our lives as members of the community?”Related to this question is the matter of vocation: Matt Harper asked what a church “discernment committee” for those seeking a career in academia would look like.
We concluded that the Christian does perceive a broad, objective reality grounded in the Lordship of Christ (rather than in more general natural law). This broader reality leads to broader disciplinary assocations, since we acknowledge the complexity of the world and do not perceive our individual disciplines as ultimately definitive. We recognized that Christians do have a strong basis for working in community, not only on academic projects, but on the greater challenge of living a whole life in which the way we think is consistent with our private lives.
