It seems that there is an inevitable relationship between epistemology and metaphysics or ontology. Whenever we are striving to "know" (epistemology) such efforts “to know” always take place within the framework of metaphysics or ontology. After all, that is what we are attempting to "know." However, metaphysical reality, at least in certain circles, is unchanging but epistemological understanding is not so.
For example, while it is true that "Truth" does not change between the ages of 22 and 52, it is true that my life context does change and what I "know" of that Truth is very different at 52 than what I knew of that Truth at 22. To fail to recognize this evidences a lack of personal insight and self-reflection.
Consequently, it is my contention that I must have a sense of epistemological humility regarding my knowledge of that Metaphysical Reality or Truth. With regard to the relationship between metaphysics and epistemology, Paul Tillich, an ontological theologian comments that every epistemological assertion is essentially or at least implicitly ontological.
There is also an experiential or pragmatic basis for the necessity of ontological categories. In other words while many would contend that a Philosophic discussion of Metaphysics is esoteric that simply is not true. The discussion of Metaphysics and Ontological Reality has some very practical implications, not the least of which is the fact that as "creatures" we are unable to be satisfied with merely functional or fragmentary interpretation of our experience.
Again Paul Tillich advanced that our dissatisfaction with the failed expectations of this life and the lack of purpose, significance, or meaning, which this life gives, drives us, or propels us to search for a higher meaning and significance. Consequently books like Rick Warren's the Purpose Driven Life are sold by the millions (regardless of a lack of Theological Profundity or even correctness).
In each human there is a quest for purpose. This quest inevitably leads to Metaphysical investigations. Again at the risk of being overly pragmatic, a sermon and even a church should strive to help people in search of a Metaphysic, though we could never say it in that fashion to the lay people.
In addition, another contributor to Metaphysical search and quests lies in the reality that we tend to believe that there is a rational cohesion and order to the universe and our environment. Consequently T. F. Torrance contends that in our quest for metaphysical understanding not only are we dependent upon the intelligibility of the cosmos but we in the very reality that we are willing to engage in the question we assume the intelligibility of the cosmos and that it contains a Metaphysic that we can grasp. In essence, the Metaphysical quest is amazingly optimistic and hopeful.
We live in a culture that generally has no regard for biblical texts. Consequently, the church is going to have to learn how to connect with culture based upon Philosophic categories and not just biblical texts. That is hard for the Biblicist to hear, but it is nonetheless true. Yet this is not the first time in Christian history that this has been the case. We seem to have forgotten that the apostolic church had to connect with its own pagan culture without the benefit of the canon of the New Testament. We are simply being asked by Providence to do the same today. Unfortunately, we have been so spoiled in past decades by living in a culture that at least (under modernism) accepted to some extent the authority of scripture, that we have completely misread our contemporary culture (postmodern) and are still trying the approach that seemed to work in the time of modernism.
I frequently tell my students that while we believe in the text of the New Testament, we have failed to see that our culture no longer does so if it ever really did. Consequently, that cannot be the primary or initial connecting point any longer. As I think about it, this is increasingly true of the church, since most it seems can no longer even find the preacher sermon text on Sunday morning because they are so biblically illiterate. I contend that this is partly because we have through the use of technology eliminated the need for people even to bring their Bibles to church, and even more so have projected the texts onto the screen so that even if they have their bible, they no longer need to look up the text for themselves.
Questions:
1) Taking the three points stated above and basing your response upon Philosophic constructs what might these three realities tell us about the content of a Christian metaphysic?
2) How might these three points provide some kind of connecting point for communicating the Christian faith to others?
