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relation to humans. To cite one example, in his discussion of the relation of God's decree to
human responsibility, sin, and personal faith he noted that logical objections have often been
made regarding God's predestination: it makes God a tyrant and the author of sin and would
seem to excuse sinners; yet sinners are brought to judgment, so it seems unfair to judge sinners
for actions that were foreordained.
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Nonetheless, since the Bible teaches these truths, Calvin
argued, we must submit to them regardless of the offense they seem to cause our reason. Closer
to Augustine in how he treated such problems, Calvin did not so highlight the paradoxical nature
of Christian doctrine like Luther, preferring to use the classical notion of mystery for such
truths.
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He simply argued that God's nature and judgments are beyond the reach of human
reason. Paul "teaches how unworthy it is to reduce God's works to such a law that the moment
we fail to understand their reason, we dare to condemn them." "Monstrous indeed is the
madness of men, who desire thus to subject the immeasurable to the puny measure of their own
reason."
53
Also influenced by Augustine, the Christian thinker Blaise Pascal was likewise disposed
to respect reason's limits.
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"The last proceeding of reason is to recognize that there is an
infinity of things which are beyond it. It is but feeble if it does not see so far as to know this.
But if natural things are beyond it, what will be said of supernatural?"
55
This great
mathematician was keenly aware of the value of formal logic, but he recognized that the
complexity of reality could not be grasped by a simplistic use of that logic. "The two contrary
reasons. We must begin with that; without that we understand nothing, and all is heretical; and
we must even add at the end of each truth that the opposite truth is to be remembered."
56
More radical is the approach of Soren Kierkegaard. He was admittedly profoundly