Fideism is a second approach, which attempts to reconcile faith and reason. Fideism is also known as Presuppositionalism. This approach gives priority to the role of faith. Newport summarizes this approach as contending that while faith is all-important, reason has little value.
This particular approach argues that human reason or rationality has no place in belief in God's existence. According to proponents of this approach belief in God's existence and salvation is a matter of faith alone. Newport contends that this category represents the conclusions of the "antirationalists."
The ancient church father Tertullian represents this approach. It was Tertullian who asked, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem". "Athens" represents the use of the intellect in matters of belief, while "Jerusalem" represents the simplicity of faith. The conclusion to the matter is according to the fideists is that Athens is to have nothing to do with Jerusalem. Human reason is of limited value according to this approach, but faith is not irrational, as the term "antirationalists" would suggest.
Martin Luther also represents the faith alone approach. Luther reacted against the reason then faith approach of the Catholic Church. In so doing, he reacted to the excessive optimism of the reason then faith approach of Catholicism, which is portrayed in the theology of Aquinas and Luther, concluded that reason is a contradiction to faith.
Perhaps the individual most associated with this approach was Soren Kierkegaard. According to Newport, Kierkegaard "scorned philosophy, renounced objectivity, and called the intellectual approach to Christianity paganism and blasphemy."
Fideism is to be credited with its sincere attempt to acknowledge the legitimacy and primacy of faith in one's belief in and especially relationship to God. In short, fideism attempts to take faith seriously.
However, with its de-emphasis upon human reason it may be that the approach does quite the contrary in that it fails to establish the reasonableness of belief in God.
Unfortunately, fideism may also represent an oversimplification of belief in God.
Finally, the approach is to be credited with acknowledging that eventually belief in God's existence truly is a matter of faith and can never finally be proven by use of human reason.
