On Fideism


Austin's Blog

Fideism is an apologetic method that seeks to protect faith by means of intellectual insulation and isolation. Douglas Groothuis in his book of Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith asserts that fideism consists in various forms but essentially tries to “make belief a self-certifying and self-enclosed reality that needs no intellectual fortification from the classical arsenal of apologetics.” Fideists believe that because faith is a divine gift that serves as channel or means through which one approaches and understands God, human reasoning cannot establish the validity of any religion. Some fideists also believe that sin is so entrenched within the human mind that any rational attempt is retarded by sin’s effect. Fideism seems to still linger within the Church today. Anytime someone says, “Well, you just gotta have faith and believe it. You don’t need evidence or reason. Just have faith.” in response to real, meaningful questions, fideism…

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