Round One: Circular Reasoning

Hi! I’d just like to go on record here and now to announce to you and the world that I am… Batman.

Alright, everyone calm down. I know the majority of you already want autographs, and the paparazzi are rolling up even now for photographs. But maybe some of you are skeptics. Some of you might doubt my claim. Okay, fine. Let me just ask you this: Have you ever seen Batman and me at the same time in the same place?

Yeah, that’s what I thought. I rest my case, I am Batman.

Silly, right? And I am joking with all of that, but my joke (like most jokes) is done with the attempt to pursue a reaction or to prove a point. The point I’d like to make is that circular reasoning is not foolproof. We can go round-and-round saying that I’m Batman and that since you’ve never seen us simultaneously my argument is a valid one.

Circular reasoning is an argument one tries to prove valid on its own claims. In a sense it’s going about in circles. It doesn’t always work. But it can work.  We use circular reasoning a lot more than we think. For example, if we wanted to prove the merits of science we would have to reference science. If I want to praise the benefits of a certain meal I would compare or contrast it to other meals. A movie is judged according to other movies in the film industry.

Maybe poets can wax eloquent and create abstract comparisons (metaphors, etc.) to address something likened to something else. But most of us adopt circular reasoning in our arguments. And the truth of the matter is no one really seems to mind…

…until it comes to the Bible.

For some reason the Bible is off limits from circular reasoning. We are told that we are not allowed to use the Bible to prove the Bible. But we never hear a scientist being told not to use science to prove (or disprove) science. A chef is never told not to cook or reference condiments, meals, taste, and other culinary experiences. That’d be ludicrous!

Yet when it comes to the Bible circular reasoning is off limits. And to make matters worse, is that we believe the critics and back down. So let me ask: How do you prove the Bible without using the Bible?

Without our Bibles, we lose most of our understanding of who God is, what salvation means, and so much more. Yes, nature proclaims the glory of God. I’m not denying that nature may be a good teacher, but I will affirm that nature is an insufficient teacher.

But to prove the Bible (its inerrancy, its authority, its historicity, etc.) without the Bible leaves us in a fuddled mess. We are bewildered with what to do next. And we leave others confused too. But we needn’t cower before our critics. An argument with circular reasoning is not always an invalid one. We don’t deny that sometimes it’s not the best argument, but neither is it moot. In fact, it is a valid one in our case and we have every right to use it.

Come back next week to see how we can best use circular reasoning to prove the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible.

A Confessional Blog About What We Do and How We Are Doing

Lately we’ve been swamped with busyness. I say this because it serves as the most honest excuse for our absence from this blog (though certainly not the only excuse). It’s been far too long since we were last here. Since then we’ve been through a whirlwind of experiences, but the consistent factor through it all has been busyness.

Sad, isn’t it? Too often we see busyness preventing us from some of the things that matter most. Yet busyness often eclipses other important aspects of life. For example, I just said that since we last left this blog the consistent factor or the pattern in our lives has been being busy. That’s not entirely true.

In fact, to be honest sometimes we didn’t blog because we quite simply forgot, or were too tired (even lazy) to write. So let me restate what I said earlier: The most consistent factor in our life since we’ve last written is that God is good. All the time. God’s grace has not failed us. His mercies are constantly renewed. I cannot let busyness eclipse God’s goodness to me.

I also cannot let busyness eclipse you from being a more connected part of what we do. Yes, I want you to know what we do and how we are doing. That’s why we’ve decided to try to keep up with you more consistently through this blog. What we do is we keep busy. But not just to garner your sympathy or support. Our busyness is not just to impress others or to try to please our Father. We are busy because the work here is great, sometimes overwhelming, but it is work that will impact eternity.

Ashley has invested more time into the Lily House than any year past. She is there every day! And, on top of that, she is also teaching Spanish every day and a few Bible classes throughout the year. She leads a small group and is one-on-one mentoring a hungry student, plus so much more. Her work here is invaluable.

Carter is also teaching Spanish every day. He is teaching Bible classes for the next 3 weeks and other classes during the semester. He is setting up the calendar of guest teachers and filling in the expected and unexpected vacancies as needed! A teacher’s work is never done. Between lesson plans and classroom activities, personal study and textbook formatting, there is a lot of work ahead. He is also translating on Sundays and for conferences as needed.

All this to say, this has been our busiest year yet! This is our fifth GAP year in the Dominican Republic and we are refreshed in the knowledge that the work we do is not in vain. We are encouraged by your prayers and by the strength we find in the Lord. We cannot do this on our own, it’s much too taxing. Our strength is insufficient on our own. So thank you for your payers, and hopefully this has given you a glimpse into what we do and into how we are doing as well.

In sum, what we do: we keep busy seeking to glorify God and advance His kingdom by equipping young people with practical missional experience, a deeper knowledge of the Bible, and other elements that in a word mean discipleship. As for how we are doing, well, again, we are tired but we are plodding on. We keep going because God is faithful and His strength is sufficient. We are also blessed in all of this busyness by knowing we can count on you for prayer and support.