Augustine on The Renewal of Our Minds

"Since, therefore, we must enjoy to the full that truth which lives unchangeably, and since, within it, God the Trinity, the author and creator of everything, takes thought for the things that he has created, our minds must be purified so that they are able to perceive that light and then hold fast to it.  Let us consider this process of cleansing as a trek, or a voyage, to our homeland; though progress towards the one who is ever present is not made through space, but through integrity of purpose and character.  This we would be unable to do, if wisdom itself has not deigned to adapt itself to our great weakness and offered us a pattern for living; and it has actually done so in human form because we too are human"  (On Christian Teaching, 1.22-23).

I'm always encouraged to hear truly masterful theologians stress the importance of the renewal and sanctification of our minds.  (For another look at the sanctification of human reason, see the opening chapter of John Webster's Holiness.)

Hermeneutical Humility: The Complement to 'Augustinian Inerrancy'

Below I mentioned that Augustine was committed to the truthfulness of the Bible's teaching and, upon continuing on in his Confessions, I was impressed by his humility about biblical interpretation.  He acknowledges that he's fallible in interpreting Scripture and even prays for patience in dealing with those critics who are more sure of themselves than he.  Later, he asks that, if at some point his exegetical prowess is lacking, someone else would come along and shed light on the meaning of the biblical text in question.  

I'm convicted by the piece about letting others step in when we find ourselves unequal to the task at hand.  This is a valuable thought for thinkers, teachers, preachers, and Christian leaders of all stripes to meditate upon...

Augustinian Inerrancy...

Endeavoring to uncover the meaning of Genesis 1, Augustine writes:

"I will have nothing to do with all those who think Moses could have said anything untrue."  (Confessions, 12.23.32)

I'm not convinced that the Christian tradition is without the doctrine of the truthfulness of all Holy Scripture until Old Princeton comes on the scene.  Thoughts?

Vying for Content

"[W]hen it happens to me that the music moves me more than the subject of the song, I confess myself to commit a sin deserving punishment, and then I would prefer not to have heard the singer."  (Augustine, Confessions, 10.33.50)

How might the worship of the local church be different if we aimed always to delight ourselves in the subject matter of our faith more than guitar riffs and goosebumps?