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| Last week |
Preaching on common evangelical topics related to problems of evil and suffering, a fine evangelical pastor stated in a sermon (paraphrased) that these were not true and real needs. Instead these were considered human desires, wants and related.
The pastor's theological concept was (paraphrased) that a person only needed air, food, clothing, shelter to survive.
Red flags arose immediately in my mind...
If his view was to be consistent; things not in the category he mentioned would not be true, real needs. The pastor stated that it was a person's responsibility to solve these types of problems, that are desires and wants, not true, real needs. The responsibility for obtaining these desires and wants is pushed off to humanity with human free will.
Very non-exhaustively, for the sake of argument, let us work with the pastor's assumption in regard to true and real needs. Below is a non-exhaustive, speculative list of needs for survival:
a) As a finite human creation, being maintained and sustained in existence by the infinite, omnipotent God.
God that exists by necessity, maintaining and sustaining a contingent being.
Geivett points out Kant postulates the existence of God out of practical necessity within a system of morality. Geivett (1993: 87). In my reasoning, God as infinite and eternal, is the only being that exists by necessity; all other creations exist contingently. They do not exist by necessity.
b) A father and mother to procreate a person. Therefore, ancestors are a requirement.
c) Suitable living environment as in atmosphere, air and climate.
d) Water (Clean)
e) Food and Drink
f) Clothing
g) Shelter
h) Significant physical and mental health
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As an adult, for arguments sake, a person could live on a desert island or in an isolated part of the planet and therefore it could be argued, strictly speaking, would not need for survival other people, family, friends or acquaintances, Many persons' at least could maintain significant physical and mental health for a significant period in isolation. A child, certain seniors and persons with special needs would likely not be able survive in solitude, but typically an adult could, based on the pastor's view put forward.
My corrective is that there are different levels of need. Some needs are survival related. Other needs are for spiritual, mental and physical peace and joy.
As Jesus Christ stated:
New American Standard Bible
Matthew 4: 4
But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"
New American Standard Bible
Luke 4: 4
And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.'"
A problem I see with the pastor's view, is that it attempts, I speculate, to once again from an evangelical perspective, 'let God off the hook' for problems of evil and suffering. This is done by assuming God does not provide things degraded to a human desires and wants. This makes in error, significant human free will the primary cause of thoughts, acts and actions, instead of a secondary cause in a hypothetical chain from human nature, when in reality, almighty God is the primary cause of all things. To be clear, I reason biblically, theologically and philosophically, God is infinitely holy with pure motives in all that he wills and allows.
The pastor intellectually, it can be stated has performed the 'pull the rug out from under his own feet' because with this view, it can be implied that salvation in Christ would not be a true, real human need! In some cases, this view would let other people off the hook, if the sin of another may have contributed to problems of evil and problems of suffering. Too much emphasis for problem solving is placed on the individual as opposed to the Christian community.
A person can survive in this realm without knowing God and Christ, although again I acknowledge that God must maintain and sustain human life. Post-mortem, a person can survive in the biblically described Hades and then the lake of fire, everlastingly in the next realm, willingly apart from God and within divine judgment. (Revelation 20-22). In reality, biblical, New Testament salvation is an essential need; not for bare survival, but for meaningful, joyful, peaceful, everlasting life.
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| Last week |
GEIVETT, R. DOUGLAS (1993) Evil and the Evidence for God, Philadelphia, Temple University Press.
KANT, IMMANUEL (1781)(1787)(1998) Critique of Pure Reason, Translated and edited by Paul Guyer and Allen W. Wood, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
KANT, IMMANUEL (1781)(1787)(1998) Critique of Pure Reason, Translated and edited by Paul Guyer and Allen W. Wood, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
KANT, IMMANUEL (1781)(1787)(1929)(2006) Critique of Pure Reason, Translated by
Norman Kemp Smith, London, Macmillan.
http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/cpr/toc.html.
KANT, IMMANUEL (1788)(1997) Critique of Practical Reason, Translated by Mary Gregor (ed.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
KANT, IMMANUEL (1788)(1898)(2006) The Critique of Practical Reason, Translated by Thomas Kingsmill Abbott, London, Longmans, Green, and Co.
http://philosophy.eserver.org/kant/critique-of-practical-reaso.txt
KANT, IMMANUEL (1791)(2001) ‘On The Miscarriage of All Philosophical Trials in Theodicy’, in Religion and Rational Theology, Translated by George di Giovanni and Allen Wood, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
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| Today |
