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Pelagianism of the writings of the Scholastics in general and Occam in particular. Still,
the Reformers certainly appreciated Occams work insofar as it emphasized the
sovereignty of God over his creation. Stated differently, while interchangeable terms, the
Reformers focused on the concept of "voluntarism" (i.e. Gods will) as an appropriate
critique of the medieval synthesis over and against "nominalism" ­ a philosophy which
certainly did take an unexpected, modern turn. The truth of voluntarism points humanity
to our absolute dependence upon divine revelation for true understanding about both God
and the created order. The world as we know it is so because God, who never changes,
declares it to be so. In his brilliant introduction to Luthers Bondage of the Will, J. I.
Packer beautiful sums up the ethos of the epistemology of the Reformation. Packer
writes,
[Luthers] unflagging polemic against the abuse of reason has often been
construed as an assault on the very idea of rational coherence in theology,
whereas in fact it is aimed only at the ideal of rational autonomy and self
sufficiency in theology­the ideal of philosophers and scholastic theologians, to
find out and know God by the use of their own unaided reason. It was in her
capacity as the prompter and agent of natural theology that "Mistress Reason"
was in Luther's eyes, the Devil's whore; for natural theology is, he held,
blasphemous in principle, and bankrupt in practice. It is blasphemus in principle,
because it seeks to snatch from God a knowledge of Himself which is not his gift,
but man's achievement­ a triumph of human brain power; thus it would feed
man's pride, and exalt him above his Creator, as one who could know God at
pleasure, whether or not God willed to be known by him. Thus natural theology
appears as one more attempt on man's part to implement the programme which he
espoused in his original sin­to deny his creaturehood, and deify himself, and deal
with God henceforth on an independent footing. But natural theology is bankrupt
in practice, for it never brings devotees of God; instead it leaves them stranded in
a quaking morass of insubstantial speculation. Natural theology leads men away
from the Divine Christ, and from Scripture, the cradle in which he lies, and from
the theologia crucis, the gospel doctrine which Christ sets forth. But it is only
through Christ that God wills to be known and gives saving knowledge of