The Presence of Reality & the Reality of Fear: Natural Theology and Christian Hope - Plenary II

By Jake Meador

Whether you consider the latest statistics on our nation’s mental health or simply listen to the people in your life, it is clear that ours is a moment of intense fear and anxiety. In part this anxiety arises from the radical uncertainty of our moment. Having turned away from any form of thick identity that obstructs individual choosing, we now find ourselves uncertain who we are, what the good life is, or what it means to be good. Still further, we are troubled by the uncertainty and opaqueness of the world we are rapidly moving toward. All that remains, we think, is the individual person, existing as a kind of “point of aggression” amidst a hostile and indifferent world. This entire way of imagining reality is foreign to the truth of Scripture and wisdom of the church, however. The faith teaches us that we are embedded members of a coherent creation, not detached points of aggression existing in space. If we wish to regain some sense of footing in the world, we would do well to begin by considering what the world actually is.

Presentation at 1:30pm on Friday, January 13 in St George Cathedral Fellowship Hall