"The New Testament speaks of the impact of Jesus of Nazareth in terms of his potential transformation of humanity through faith. While much of this potential transformation is described in soteriological terms-- such as salvation, redemption, or reconciliation-- it is already understood to extend to the human mind. To give an obvious example: Paul urges his readers to not "be conformed to this world" but rather "be transformed by the renewal of [their] minds" (Romans 12:2)-- thus affirming the capacity of the Christian faith to bring about a radical change in the way in which we understand and inhabit the world. The human mind is not replaced or displaced; rather, it is illuminated and energized through the faith. Paul is speaking of a transformed disposition of the knower, which leads to a new way of thinking that enables the discernment of deeper levels of reality than unaided human reason or sight permit. Faith is about the transformation of the human mind to see things in a certain manner, involving the acquisition of certain habits of thinking and perception"--Alister McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology, pp. 38-39.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Christianity and the Renewal of the Human Mind
"The New Testament speaks of the impact of Jesus of Nazareth in terms of his potential transformation of humanity through faith. While much of this potential transformation is described in soteriological terms-- such as salvation, redemption, or reconciliation-- it is already understood to extend to the human mind. To give an obvious example: Paul urges his readers to not "be conformed to this world" but rather "be transformed by the renewal of [their] minds" (Romans 12:2)-- thus affirming the capacity of the Christian faith to bring about a radical change in the way in which we understand and inhabit the world. The human mind is not replaced or displaced; rather, it is illuminated and energized through the faith. Paul is speaking of a transformed disposition of the knower, which leads to a new way of thinking that enables the discernment of deeper levels of reality than unaided human reason or sight permit. Faith is about the transformation of the human mind to see things in a certain manner, involving the acquisition of certain habits of thinking and perception"--Alister McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology, pp. 38-39.
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