Augustine Contra Fundamentalism

I'm about halfway through Francis Collins' The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence For Belief (2006). Collins is a brilliant geneticist who is also the head of the Human Genome Project. I checked the book out from the local library about six months ago but couldn't get into it at all. This time I'm actually listening to the CD version during the daily commute so there's nowhere to hide, and I'm enjoying it much more than I would have anticipated. Maybe God's Universe got me warmed up to scientific apologetics. Anyway, I'd like to share a choice quote that Collins offers from the sophisticated St. Augustine.

Augustine had a special interest in the first couple of chapters of Genesis. He felt these chapters were open to various interpretations. Yet, he hoped fellow Christians would at least not do harm to the Church by adopting and broadcasting untenable views. Quoting from Collins, p. 156-57, here's what Augustine wrote in The Literal Meaning of Genesis (De genesi ad litteram):

Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other elements of this world, about the motion and orbit of the stars ... about the kinds of animals, shrubs, stones, and so forth, and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience.

Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show a vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn.

The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but the people outside the household of faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men. If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books and matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods on facts which they themselves have learned from experience in the light of reason?

I'm not sure we generally give enough credit to Augustine, the last bright light of a dying ancient world, a prolific writer, and Western philosophy's key stepping stone across the arid millennium and a half between Aristotle and Aquinas.

Comments

[Geoff J]

Wow. Great pull on that quote Dave. And like you I am highly impressed with Augustine for displaying such wisdom.

[john f.]

I'm with Geoff. Great quote and insight. Thanks for pointing that out. Interesting that danithew is taking a look at the beginning of Genesis right now over at Blognitive Dissonance.

[Todd Wood]

Dave, I am back in SLC after a trip with my wife overseas. From the Days Inn motel, I thought I would pop on bloggernacle today.

Your title caught my attention.

I have read the book.

For now, I will just quickly ask, "Are LDS excited about the theology of Augustine?"

Secondly, evangelicals might differ on their interpretations of God's creative processes (put me firmly in the category of scientific creationism) . . . but I think all of them are united with the logical syllogisms that Collins presents of God's relationship with time and matter, etc.

I think this is where there could be a title "Augustine Contra LDS Doctrine on Eternal Matter".

[Dave]

Todd, hope you had a wonderful vacation. I remember vacations ...

I don't suppose you're in SLC to help hand out DVDs? Blog that and you'll have a thousand-hit post.

You are right, the LDS view certainly doesn't match up with Augustine's on a number of points. That's a whole 'nother post, however.

[J. Stapley]

I've been reading some Augustine in my research on Christian healing praxis. I find him quite wise and enlightening.

Todd, one could just as easily ask if evangelicals are excited about the theology of Augustine, no?

[Duff]

If you read Collins, you must also read Dawkins who makes great fun of Collins and is twice the better writer.

[Hellmut]

I think Terry Gross hosts Collins tomorrow. Today, she interviewed Richard Dawkins.

[Hellmut]

You can downoad Francis Collins' interview here. Fresh Air is also available as a podcast on iTunes. The Dawkins interview will be there as well.

[Dave]

Thanks for the links, Hellmut. I'm sure there are some interesting remarks by both Collins and Dawkins.

[Todd Wood]

Dave, I took my wife to Turkey. I thought I had better educate myself on the early seven ecumenical councils. Many of my LDS friends have stated that I have been reading Scripture through the lens of these councils.

Concerning Augustine, I think he would make a radical fundamentalist. :) Have you read his views on Biblical inspiration and inerrancy in translation?

[And concerning DVDs, I haven't given one yet to an LDS friend. I have watched the DVD once before, but I hope to watch it again more carefully and give a review. You are welcome to comment. I find actual conversation with people much more productive.)

J. Stapley, I think some evangelicals have just never read Augustine. But life can really began with the same words that Augustine heard long ago, "Take up and read. Take up and read."

I like Collins but not his pot shots at the intelligent design movement or even more specificly, biblical creationism. I wish he would have used more fuller source material for each of these movements that he critiques.