The God of Faith and Reason Foundations of Christian Theology

By Robert Sokolowski

Book Overview

How is it that Christian faith can be said to be in accordance with reason and at the same time to transcend reason? On the one hand, the concordance of faith with reason appears to reduce faith to rational thinking and to natural human experience; on the other hand, the difference between faith and reason seems to make belief unreasonable and arbitrary. In The God of Faith and Reason, Robert Sokolowski treats this theological difficulty not by speaking directly about faith and reason, but through an examination of the Christian understanding of God that focuses on God the creator and the world as created. In so doing, he demonstrates how the Christian concept of God preserves both the integrity of reason and the distinctiveness of faith. Sokolowski begins with a statement of the Christian understanding of God developed in terms provided by St. Anselm, in whose writings the issue of faith and reason surfaces in an historically significant way. He next brings to light the special character of the Christian understanding of God by contrasting it with the pagan understanding of the divine. While pagan and other natural religions see god as the most powerful part of the world, Christianity understands God to be separate from the world, not added to in any way by the act of creating it. This understanding of God and the world lies behind the belief in Creation, and is shown to provide the context for the other Christian mysteries, such as the Incarnation, Redemption, the Church, grace, and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. The author also shows how the Christian understanding of God and the world helps clarify the difference between natural human virtues and the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. In an appendix, he deals with the relationship between political philosophy and Christian revelation, and, through a discussion of the ideas of Leo Strauss, speaks of the place of politics and political reason in Christian belief. Throughout the book Sokolowski employs a method of theology based on phenomenology in order to show how the things of Christian faith differentiate themselves from the phenomena given to natural experience. With its insightful, straightforward arguments, The God of Faith and Reason is ideal for use in both introductory and advanced courses in natural theology, fundamental theology, Christian philosophy, philosophy of God, philosophy of religion, and metaphysics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813208270
• ISBN13: 9780813208275
• Release Date: April 1995
• Publisher: Catholic University of America Press
• Length: 194 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Not as good as I was expecting it to be

Given that this had been strongly recommended by Fr James Schall, whose recommendations I respect, I came to this book with high expectations, which were not quite met. That being said, there are some valuable thoughts on the development of Greek religion and the interrelatedness of human virtue and supernatural virtue. He is excellent on the absolute transcendence of God and on the place of the sacraments in the christian life.

Beautiful Reflection

This is a beautiful piece of theological writing and reflection. I appreciated most his discussion of the "necessary absence" of God due to the distinction we must make between the Creator and the creation. What we have access to directly is the created order itself, not the Creator. Also valuable was his discussion of the elements of human action and natural virtue. At times his treatment grew more difficult to follow because of my lack of background in this kind of philosophical inquiry. But what I understood, I valued and grew from. This book requires a good deal of mental effort to absorb. It will probably resonate most with someone from a traditional Catholic perspective.

A New Approach to Theology

In this book Msgr. Sokolowski, one of the most respected philosophers of phenomenology, applies his philosophical insights to theology. The result is a fruitful new way of thinking about the World, God, human living, and the Scriptures which he names the "Theology of Disclosure." This is the book where Sokolowski does his most fundamental work on explaining the "Christian Distinction" between God and World, and how this distinction changes the way we see everything. He explains how the virtues that Aristotle explores remain necessary for human living even when we move into a Christian setting. But then Sokolowski argues that the distinction between God and World shows us that even what is necessary in our world is contingent upon the free and loving act of God in creating and redeeming our world. This book shows us how Christians can take pre-Christian insights about human nature seriously, while bringing those insights into the new context provided by the distinction between God and World. Through Sokolowski's explanation of this distinction we not only come to see our human living in a new light, but also come to understand the Creation and Incarnation in wonderful new ways. This is solid theological and philosophical work, and is not confined to either a Catholic or non-Catholic audience.