Clement of Alexandria
Classes in seminary started up and reading through Justo Gonzalez’s The Story of Christianity made me pause. On reading through a chapter on the apologists, Clement of Alexandria resonated with me and some of the philosophy posted on this blog. According to Gonzalez, Clement emphasized the relationship between faith and reasoning to pursuing “a quest for deeper truth.” Gonzalez outlines Clements views as follows:
There is a close relationship between faith and reason, for one cannot function without the other. Reason builds its arguments on first principles, which cannot be proven, but are accepted by faith. For the truly wise, faith is the first principle, the starting point, on which reason is to build. But Christians who are content with faith, and do not use reason to build upon it, are again like a child who is forever content with milk. (p. 73)
Clement’s philosophy dovetails nicely with this blog’s emphasis on pursuing God. Christians need to pursue God, to experience God’s love and grace through “seeing” truer realities. Otherwise, Christians remain “at risk” for spiritual stagnation, going through the motions of worship without seeking communion with God.
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