Difference Between Fideism And Strong Theological Rationalism

As with any controversial topic, there are many different approaches people will employ and identify with. On the topic of Jesus’ Resurrection, Fideism, Strong Theological Rationalism and Critical Theological Rationalism are three main categories of logic Christians seeking to defend the Resurrection could fall into, and each possesses a specific set of standards for having that belief. Those who fall into the first category, Fideists, believe strongly that faith is the only justification necessary to accept something as fact. This approach is based almost entirely on blind faith because of its intolerance for the need of more evidence than is supplied in the Bible. In the mind of a Fideist, the Bible is the ultimate authority because God said it was so, and the Bible says that God cannot lie and that everything written in the Bible is truth. Therefore, when it claims that Jesus was resurrected from death this claim must be true. To a Fideist, there would be no need for further inquiry or evidence as either would diminish the need for faith which the Bible states Christians should have. While the strength of this view lies in it’s dependence upon God and his Word, one weakness would be it’s lack of appeal to logic, and therefore, to most non-Christians. Strong Theological Rationalism, the second category, is to the …show more content…
I find Fideism especially unbiblical as Christians are not called to blind faith but are called to reach the unsaved people around them in a way they can understand. The world today is full of rationally centric people and the way to help them understand Christianity is often by having a rational conversation that causes them to reassess their beliefs. Each person much choose for themselves however and these three veiws tend to be the most commonly found among