Faith and reason: no multiple choice to gospel

The "plain truth" of Jesus' ministry is not to be found in the red tape of academia, says Ivan Grindlay.

It seems to me that Jesus' ministry was designed to cut through the "red tape" of cultural, religious and professional presuppositions.

These three "grids" so influence our thinking that when we are confronted with the plain truth, we are screened from its pure and profound influence.

Recently, I spoke to two tourists sitting at the railway station enjoying the sunshine waiting for the departure of their bus.

I asked for a few moments of their time to complete a religious survey.

They kindly consented. As it happened, they were both Canadians and both held PhDs.

As we began, I was impressed by their diplomacy and manner. But as we continued, it became apparent that they were working together to please me rather than answer the questions honestly from their perspective.

Having determined where the survey was leading, their key consideration was being broad-minded - tolerant of all opinions. We concluded as their bus arrived.

I thanked them for their comments and asked, "When will you come to conclusions on these matters?" There was an awkward moment as they looked at each other sheepishly. Then they were gone.

It seems to me that academia prides itself in elevated thinking. It has earned the right to be once-removed from the ranks of common man.

And to justify its position, it chooses to remain engrossed in the complexities of peripheral issues that hide reality and protect it from exposure to truth and the reach of society in general.

Knowledge is based on a premise long established by pioneers in a particular field. That premise becomes the benchmark; the plumbline to measure all research that follows.

Knowledge then builds a framework based on the foundation laid by the pioneer. But what if the foundation is flawed? The whole structure is then suspect.

I never cease to be amazed at the simplicity of Jesus' teachings on the fundamental issues of life.

If anyone had the capacity to present knowledge in all its complexity, Jesus did . . . for He was, and is, God.

He is creator and sustainer of this complex universe that our greatest minds strive to understand and master. Yet we see Him constantly using illustrations from everyday life and stories with which the common man could identify.

To the intelligentsia of the day who resented the way Jesus' authority undermined their esteemed position, He spoke in parables so that "in seeing, they would not see and in hearing, they would not understand" (Luke 8:10).

I recall a friend doing postgraduate studies and uncovering a fundamental flaw in the historical evidence upon which all research had hitherto been done.