Newport designates this particular approach as an "integrative approach." He prefers this approach since it avoids the extremism of the reason then faith approach and the faith alone approach. Further Newport calls the approach as the "faith seeking understanding" approach. This particular approach has legitimacy in that it utilizes faith as a correction to inadequate human reason according to Newport.
Augustine is a representative of this approach and this is summed up in his conclusion, "I believe in order that I may understand." Augustine argued that in order for a person to come to a correct belief in God he must first of all believe and thereafter utilize human reason to "prop up" so to speak faith.
In Augustine we see a blending of the epistemological approach of rationalism and empiricism since for him we use our human reason to interpret our life experiences. This is what seems to be taking place in Augustine's contend that we experience belief in God and then use human reason to interpret that experience.
In Augustine we also observe an excellent blending of the three sources of human knowledge which philosophy in general and Christian philosophy in particular advocates: revelation, rationalism, and empiricism.
In addition, Newport argues that the medieval theologian Anselm also represents this approach in his contention that "we find out inward experience of God, given in and through our self consciousness, to be supremely revealing and significant among all other experiences, and then we go on to interpret all other experience in terms of it."
One weakness of this approach lies in the potentiality of the approach to slide toward the Fideistic approach and to neglect totally the legitimacy of reason. It seems that many individuals once claiming to have experienced belief in God through faith fail to go further in exploration of the rationality of their faith.
However, the approach is to be credited with providing legitimacy to both faith and reason. The approach genuinely provides a basis for utilizing human reason as a basis for supporting one's faith. In addition, the approach does not overly emphasize human reason. Put differently, the approach does acknowledge that human reason does have its dangers and its limitations.
