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Where piety meets reason, 2003-04-29
Turning Point is the initial book in a series on developing a Biblical worldview. Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-Chief of World Magazine, and Herbert Schlossberg, author of Idols for Destruction, here set forth the fundamentals of this Christian worldview. After addressing the problems of rationalism and pietism, they offer a true balance of reason and piety, a harmony that reveals itself in Christian action.The first problem is the error of rationalism, which places man's reason above all else, and ends up throwing out Scripture and much truth out of a desire to be reasonable. When reason is elevated so high, sins such as abortion and sexual immorality suddenly seem milder than they really are, and ideas such as evolution begin to take prominence over against Christian truth.
They also cover the problems of pietism, which is devotion to God to the exclusion of involvement in the world. Many Christians see problems in our culture and instead of grappling with these matters, confident in Christ's instruction in all matters, they instead retreat into their personal lives of prayer, Bible reading, and "love." When such pietism is embraced, both culture and the church are allowed to be harmed by the world.
Olasky and Schlossberg expose the ditches of rationalism and pietism on both sides of the road, and then they guide readers onto the straight path. A Christian worldview recognizes the importance of both reason and piety, and they blend these two together in submission to God's Word. Christians are to love God, but prayer and study of Scripture are to be manifested in discipline of the nations. Reason is necessary to apply the Bible to assorted areas in culture, but wisdom is lost when reason replaces Scripture.
Use reason wisely, and be a truly pious Christian. But don't serve either out of proportion; blend them together into a glorious view of the world and subsequent reform of culture.