In unexpected ways, science and mysticism are joining hands and reinforcing each other. That’s bound to lead to new movements that emphasize self-transcendence but put little stock in divine law or revelation. Orthodox believers are going to have to defend particular doctrines and particular biblical teachings. They’re going to have to defend the idea of a personal God, and explain why specific theologies are true guides for behavior day to day.
If you survey the literature ..., you can see that certain beliefs will spread into the wider discussion.
First, the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships. Second, underneath the patina of different religions, people around the world have common moral intuitions. Third, people are equipped to experience the sacred, to have moments of elevated experience when they transcend boundaries and overflow with love. Fourth, God can best be conceived as the nature one experiences at those moments, the unknowable total of all there is.
Good reading perhaps for where discussion may be headed (The Neural Buddhists).
As always, the task of the Christian apologist will be to distinguish between truth and untruth, to weed out untruth, and show how the truth points people to Christ!
Yes... we will have to become more familiar with the Eastern Religions... for they are becoming more interspersed, common, and discussed in our day, raising new questions and additional thought. Here, we will have to build on the labors of those faithful saints who have gone before us and apply the truth/Scripture in our day!
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