So this I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. – Ephesians 4:17-19 (NASB)
Reflection
In the first post of this series, we discussed how faith and learning were seamlessly integrated in God’s original creation. The fall of humanity into sin, however, resulted in the disintegration of faith and learning. Out of a desire to be independent of God, autonomous, and self-legislating, human beings entered into sin, which severed our communion with God. This mutiny entailed devastating noetic and epistemic consequences. Sin corrupted our minds and confused our knowledge. Having fallen from fellowship with God, our capacity to know and understand things from his point of view was lost. We ceased to acknowledge him as the maker of heaven and earth. We failed to see him as the infinite source, ultimate reference point, and explanatory principle of all reality. We no longer recognized the world as his creation. We no longer saw ourselves as his image and likeness. We misunderstood the nature of the human predicament and constructed false solutions to essential human problems. [Read more…] about Navigating Purpose: Re-integrating Faith and Learning, Fall