As the Church tragically discarded the use of logic and reason in its worldview during the early liberal era, especially during the Presbyterian split of the 1920′s, the irrationalism that has cloaked much of Christianity since then has only seemed to have spread. Today it is far more fashionable to be confused and unknowing than it is to be mentally astute and logically well trained.
When I refer to reason, I do not refer to the pre-Protestant medieval and Aristotelian unfounded and man-centered reason. Rather I refer to the Reformation era goal of putting emphasis on the fact the Scripture provides the believer with the first principles and axioms, from which all thing that are to be known can be known, either directly or by honest deduction. Reason and logic then, rather than being the product of the human mind (whether a priori or a posteriori) created ex nihilo as in the Catholic Church, is simply and gloriously a reflection of the way that God himself thinks.
The irrationalism that has seeped into the Church is perhaps at its all time high when it comes to popularity. It is seen, not only as uncool, but also as prideful to claim that knowledge can be confirmed and confidence can be held in truth. This denial of knowledge has led to a situation wherein the rising generation have no idea what they believe, because, well, how could they? If knowledge is impossible, and we are all living life as one big guess, there is no reason to pursue truth at all. Truth gets pushed aside in favor of an ill-defined and squishy form of “love.” The problem though is that this so-called love cannot even be affirmed because it relies not on a foundation of truth.
In this way the Church has lost its footing. Without a standard of truth, no distinctions could possibly be made. Judging right from wrong and discerning yes from no becomes nothingness. Unable to tell justice from injustice, the Church has given up the very thing which it was supposed to bring to the table. To be a light in the world requires a recognition of light as opposed to darkness. Without the Church’s footing, and with the contemporary passion for irrationality, it is no wonder that the Christian has no standard today. It is no wonder that there is no intense opposition to tyranny and depraved culture. It is no wonder that the Church is so enslaved by immorality, confusion, purposelessness.
The Church has given up the Truth. And it is the Truth that sets us free.