epistemology

Tapestry: Where did you come from, Cotton-Eyed Joe?

Today at Tapestry, I wrote about how our culture or worldview affects our reading of Scripture.

"C. S. Lewis wrote, ‘The character of evidence depends on the shape of
the examination… It determines how much of that total truth will
appear and what pattern it will suggest’ (Lewis, The Discarded Image, 223). In other words, we understand truth in light of the questions we ask and how we ask them.

Because of this, there’s not a Christian worldview but many
Christian worldviews. Worldview includes many components such as
economics, politics, knowledge (or epistemology), science, ethics, etc.
Religion is one part of worldview. Christianity both is influenced by
worldview and influences worldview. Christianity cannot exist outside
of culture, but it also transforms culture."

Read the rest: Where did you come from, Cotton-Eyed Joe?

Read Part One of the contextual theology series (includes a list of some theological resources).

What Is the Truth?

I have been reading (for those of you who remember from my Joy of Reading post) a book about the spiritual journey of U2 by Steve Stockman called Walk On (review to come later). There are several points and Bono quotes that have me thinking (again, or still) about the nature of truth and the nature of epistemology.
Stockman says, “Huxley got it right when he feared that we would not have truth concealed as Orwell thought, but that truth would become irrelevant in thoughtless, trivial culture” (p. 104). The internet and hourly news barrage us with facts and information. Lobbyists and politicians whisper in our ears. But what is truth? And does it matter?
God has given us all the resources, the Holy Spirit, the universal church, and God’s revelation in the bible. That has not changed. But have we forgotten the questions? Have we stopped listening?
Content in our systems, we have whittled down the mysterious until the oak tree, once full of life and beauty, once sharing comfort with its shade, its home to the birds, and its food to the squirrels, is now a totem pole. A useless talisman except to prove our control.
The truth has not and will never change, but we need to re-examine our interpretations because truth has become irrelevant.
What is the truth?
I AM the Way, the Life, and the Truth.