January 28

Wilken, the author of “The Reasonableness of Faith” draws on the philosophy of Augustine to explore the topic that belief and faith play in religion. For many people, seeing is believing and there must be concrete evidence to support an idea. We rely on witnesses to accurately depict events. But how can we trust the words and authority of these individuals. This is one of the arguments that Wilken presents when confronted with questions concerning the legitimacy of the bible and its authors. As Wilken puts it: “Historical knowledge requires witness, and witness invites faith, or confidence in the word of the one who bears witness” (170).  Just like historical events it cannot be established without a shadow of a doubt that the events of the Christian faith took place. We instead rely on the authority of the person teaching us the information. We trust in their capability and integrity to establish the truth. This is how faith comes into religion and why it is unavoidable. Just like we trust the authority of the words of those relaying historical accounts, we must trust the authority and put our faith in the words of the bible and the teachings of a religion. There can be no knowledge of God without faith, for faith is the distinctive way we know God” (179). We cannot hope to progress and learn anything at all in life if we retain an infinite amount of skepticism in the authority of our teachers. “Faith is not only a matter of trust or confidence: it has to do with the knowledge that draws one deeper into what is known” (184). While we must have confidence that the authority of our teachers (of religion) we at the same moment elevate our understanding and connection with the said religion by establishing an intimate relationship with its teachings, trusting it entirely. In this way, faith is exceedingly beneficial because it allows such a relationship between an individual and their faith to grow and mature. A deeper knowledge and connection occurs.