A tale of two professors

The first seminary I ever attended deeply formed me. [Yes, I have attended more than one seminary.] That seminary was Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, OH. There were professors there that I still remember to this day. And, there was an attitude there that I wish to this day that I could replicate in my life. Ashland is a seminary of The Brethren Church. Because of their Anabaptist background, they are pacifists, but they are not simply pacifists with regard to physical violence. They are also pacifists with regard to verbal violence. This is one of the areas where I feel I have most failed in my life, after seeing their example.

But, this does not get you to my point today. I learned some important attitudes from the two professors that I am about to name, attitudes that I would commend to many of you. One was Dr. Joseph N. Kickasola. He taught me to think logically and gave me a love for philosophy. He was a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and a very strong Calvinist. He argued strongly for his theology and insisted that his students be able to respond logically. From him I learned in classical form the five solas: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solo Christo, and soli Deo gloria. I also learned about Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. No, I was not a five-point Calvinist back then, nor were most of those good Brethren students, but he made sure that we knew the five points.

But, I also learned that one can have strong opinions without being inappropriately aggressive. Remember that he was teaching at a Brethren seminary. He did not engage in verbal violence, but he would certainly make sure that you knew your logic. And, the most important lesson I learned was that he learned the limits of logic. He was the one who taught me about antimonies. What is an antimony? An antimony is an apparent contradiction between two statements that seem equally reasonable. Another definition is an apparent contradiction between two valid conclusions, a paradox. And, what he taught was that there were areas of Scripture for which one could cite equally valid statements that appeared to contradict. For instance, we have free will and we are predestined. There is one God, and there are three Persons in the Trinity. There are two natures in Jesus, but only one Person. It is bread and wine, but it is Body and Blood.

So, what were the results of his influence in my life? First, I learned to be logical. As a result of his teachings, I ended up reading philosophers whom I did not understand, so, after my graduation from seminary, I attended a secular university to earn a Master’s degree in Philosophy. But, much more important for the purposes of this post, I learned about mystery from this professor. One of the most utterly logical professors I have ever met taught me the limits of human logic and taught me that I do not have to be able to solve every conundrum in Scripture. I can be comfortable in knowing the limits of my humanity and in living with antimonies, with paradox, with apparent contradiction, in other words, with mystery. Having said that, I have little mercy on Christians who are simply illogical, who cannot tell the difference between a paradox and their failure to study so as to show themselves approved. [I told you that I am not good at matching the Brethren commitment to no verbal violence.]

And, so, when I ended up in Eastern Orthodoxy, I had little trouble with the strong theology of mystery that runs through Orthodoxy. I had already been prepared by this Calvinist professor, this philosopher, this Old Testament expert, to know the limitations of my humanity, and to accept that I need not know the solution to every paradox in order to be a logical Christian.

And, so, I ask you. Have you studied hard enough to ensure that your statements are logical and not self-contradictory? At the same time, are you aware of what the limits of human logic are? And, when you reach those limits, are you willing to “let it go” and live with the mystery? Or, do you feel that you must solve every paradox you find in Scripture?

You will not grow as a Christian until you admit, as Isaiah had to admit, that his ways are higher than ours. You will also not grow until, as St. Paul requested of St. Timothy, you study to show yourself approved.

I will tell you about the second professor tomorrow.