Page History

SCANNED PDF 

There appears to be a problem with Gamwell's reasoning in support of his of his claim that Christian faith prescribes democracy. If, as he holds, Christian faith Christian faith prescribes the way of reason; and if, as he also holds, the way of reason in turn in turn implies democracy in the form of popular sovereignty, then how could Christian could Christian faith not prescribe democracy except by failing to be self-consistent? And  And yet Gamwell seems to assume it could. 

The problem is solved, or shown to be only apparent, I think, by recognizing by recognizing that, in his view, it is not Christianity specifically as suchthat prescribes that prescribes the way of reason and, by implication, democracy, but rather Christianityrather Christianity as an axial religion. This it does in making or implying a claim to claim to truth, and thereby promising that its claim can be critically validated by common by common human experience and reason. But whether or not its distinctive account distinctive account of ultimate reality, not merely formally as an axial religion, but materially but materially as specifically Christian, adequately explains how it can hold out this out this promise remains to be determined. In other words, the situation at this point this point is exactly the same as the one Gamwell envisages-at envisages—at the end of the Appendix the Appendix (A-8 f.) and elsewhere-when elsewhere—when he allows that Christian faith is right at right at least in this, that every human being has a true belief, whether or not the Christian the Christian faith's claim to be the true account of that belief is a valid claim. the human problem is a problem of radical self-misunderstanding, in the sense of understanding oneself contrary to what one originally understands ultimate reality to be.The problem is solved, or shown to be

See 5-1, where it's much clearer how Gamwell means to arguenamelyargue­—namely, that Christian faith prescribes the way of reason and, by implication, democracy democracy, not because it is specifically Christian faith but because it is an axialan axial, or ultimate, religion, for which the human problem is a problem of radical self-misunderstanding, in the sense of understanding oneself contrary to what one originally understands ultimate reality to be. 

1 February 20042004