Revelation, Reason, and Reality
When it comes to the question of how we can know truth, theologians typically break it down into two categories: special and general revelation. Special revelation is basically how God communicates directly to us, and general revelation is how we’re able to learn from his creation; that is, via the sciences. I prefer to break general revelation down into two separate categories: one dealing with sciences that have something concrete (e.g., history, physics, etc.) as their object of study, and the other having how minds think as the object (that is, the science of reason). We therefore have the following “three Rs” (yay for alliteration), which are umbrella terms for how God communicates truth to us:
- Revelation
God’s direct communication to us through his written word, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and through his miraculous intervention in the world he created and superintends.
- Reason
God’s way of thinking via rational thought processes, which we think after him by virtue of being made in his image.
- Reality
God’s indirect communication to us through his created order, which we can study through the observational and historical sciences.
Under each of these umbrellas, then, are a number of skills in which we can develop our competency over time.
Note
Don’t think of these three categories as hard and fast subdivisions. There’s some overlap, and developing skills in one area improves your skills in another.
Revelation
A primary habit to be cultivated under revelation is that of reading the scriptures. There are some who contend that we are where we are today simply because Christians are largely ignorant of what the Bible says. If the only Bible reading we do is in conjunction with the sermons on Sunday, and if those slowly work their way through scripture a few verses at a time, it can take a lifetime to finally make it through the whole counsel of God. That’s simply too slow a pace, and it means we’re just not familiar enough with everything God has to say. Pick one of the many “read the Bible in a year” plans and go with it. Don’t get discouraged if you get behind a few days—if it takes you two years to make it through, that’s better than twenty. When you make it through, celebrate, and then start back in again. The Daily Bible is a good resource in this endeavor.
Beyond simply reading scripture every day, we must commit ourselves to memorization, that we might hide truth in our heart (Psalm 119:11). Part of this is memorizing scripture itself, whether that means individual verses, or whole books of the Bible (start with the shortest books to build your confidence). A program like Awana can be a big help here. In addition to memorizing scripture, consider also memorizing one or more of the early Christian statements of faith, such as the Apostles’ or Nicene creeds. A final practice in the realm of memorization that has been largely lost in evangelicalism is that of catechism, which is just a fancy word for a summary of doctrine compiled in a question and answer format. Consider using A Catechism for Girls and Boys, though there are a number of others to choose from.
Note
As you’re memorizing these extra-biblical resources, keep in mind that they are not infallible as the Bible itself is.
In addition to knowing what’s in the Bible, we also need to hone our skills when it comes to interpreting what it says. The practice of understanding the meaning of scripture is known as biblical hermeneutics. To an extent, it’s simply an application of how to analyze literature, where the literature in question is the word of God. If you get good at one, you get good at the other, so a resource like How to Read a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler, can be beneficial. More specific to scripture, though, you might consider learning and practicing the inductive Bible study method, though other methods abound. A significant difference between interpreting scripture versus other works is you have the author on hand to help you. As such, books like Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline can be helpful, in that spiritual disciplines like prayer and fasting help to put us in a place where God can better inform and correct us.
Reason
Another way we can discern between that which is true and that which is almost true is by using the rules of logic. This is a practice that is often overlooked these days, so training ourselves in the fundamentals of logic, and in more advanced logical argumentation, can go a long way in improving our ability to ascertain truth. Once you have the fundamentals down, a fun way to continue to sharpen your skills is to keep your eyes peeled for logical fallacies throughout the day and talk through them come dinner time.
In addition to thinking logically, we can also improve our skills in the realm of communicating effectively, known as rhetoric. While you speaking persuasively doesn’t directly improve your ability to determine truth, knowing how people communicate effectively, in terms of both honest and deceitful tactics, can help you sense when something’s amiss. Aristotle’s Rhetoric is the classic text on the subject, but How to Speak, How to Listen, by Mortimer J. Adler, is a good one as well.
Reality
A first arena under the umbrella of reality is that of empirical science, which consists of using our senses to better understand the world around us. We can improve our observational abilities over time with practice. Such skills are foundational to the scientific method, which allows us to verify whether our current understanding of how the natural world works is correct, and adjust our thinking if not. Additional skills that play into the process are the practices of deductive and inductive reasoning, which come from logic, mentioned earlier. “Well hang on now. Are you saying I need to switch careers and become a scientist?” No, but I am saying you need to be able to think critically about what you see in the world around you.
A second arena is that of historical science. This one is often overlooked these days, because the prevalence of naturalism has duped us into thinking the only things we can know are those we can know “scientifically,” by which is meant “by the methods of empirical science.” Consider this question, though: What did you have for lunch last Tuesday? I’m afraid no amount of observational work is going to answer that question for you. Instead you need historical thinking skills like examining sources, determining context, finding corroboration, and careful reading, to name a few. A great resource for training you in these techniques is Cold Case Christianity, by J. Warner Wallace.
Whether you’re dealing with empirical or historical sciences, a skill set useful to both is that of evaluating evidence. This involves evaluating the credibility of sources: how close they are to the information they’re reporting, whether or not they’re biased, how reliable they’ve been in the past, etc. Instead of simply accepting information because it comes from an expert, you need to be able to determine the likelihood that the expert is giving you accurate information in a particular situation.