All non-Christians regard any position held by Christians as being irrelevant. They assume that Christians only have points regarding the ethereal realm and have no relevant opinions in regards to the material world. In a word, they do not think Christians possess logical thought. They say that we hold our beliefs by faith and they sanctimoniously hold their positions by logic and reason. They honestly believe that they are devoid of bias and that their views are in accordance with all the laws of logic.
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines the word "logic," as, "The art of thinking and reasoning justly...Logic many be defined, the science or history of the human mind, as it traces the progress of our knowledge from our first conceptions through their different combinations, and the numerous deductions that result from comparing them with one another. Correct reasoning implies correct thinking and legitimate inferences from premises, which are principles assumed or admitted to be just. Logic then includes the art of thinking, as well as the art of reasoning..." Logical thinking is then determined upon presuppositions.
The question becomes, "Whose presuppositions do we use to determine what is correct reasoning and therefore, correct thinking?" Is there an objective standard available to us? Or are we merely left to our own devices of subjectivity in determining our presuppositions? Logic is based upon predetermined assumptions. This means that we must assess whether they are objectively given or subjectively given.
To answer the question of whether logic is Christian or secular, we must first deal with man and his relation to the outside world. The starting point of this analysis is whether man is a creature or a creator. As always, we are led back to origins. Each of us believe that there were human beings which existed prior to us. This means that the human race had to have a beginning point. As with all things, we must assume certain things i.e. take some things for granted. Man’s origin is one of a creature.
Being a creature presupposes that man has a Creator. If man had a Creator, then logic must have been given to him by this Creator. Genesis 1:26-27 reads, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Man has been made in the image of God.
The question then becomes, "What does the image of God consist of?" John 4:24 gives us the answer, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The image of God in man is spiritual because God is Spirit. The law of God from Genesis is that likes beget likes in Genesis 1:11-12, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good." The physical reality has a spiritual counterpart.
Since God is Spirit, he has made man with an incorporeal component. It is called the soul or what the Bible terms as the heart. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary’s rendering of "image" is apropos, "A representation or similitude of any person or thing..." Man is therefore a miniature representation or similitude of God spiritually and since logic occurs at the spiritual level, God would be the one who determines what logic is or is not. He has established an objective standard of truth.
We know that logic is something that occurs in the conscious realm but it is also an intangible function. It does not have a material or physical component to it. All people have access to logic. It is not in the realm of the elite. Some will be better at it than others but the point of the matter is that we all are able to reason. The question is not are we able to use logic, but rather are we using the right logical principles in our thinking and reasoning? All of man’s reasoning is circular. Where you begin will also be where you end. The conclusion is contained in the original premise.
Since man is a creature, this means that if his reasoning left to its own, it will always be of a finite nature. He can never think beyond what he is. His imagination is never reflected in reality. He thinks one way and the result is different from what he originally intended. The main point is as Cornelius Van Til expressed it best, "that man does not need to have exhaustive knowledge, but that he possess true knowledge."
Exhaustive knowledge belongs to God alone and true knowledge is our possession. This is confirmed in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." What has been revealed to us? God’s law has been imparted to us as our objective standard, whereby we determine what is correct reasoning and correct thinking. Logic, therefore, is Christian and not secular and only by thinking God’s thoughts after Him can we know that our thinking is logical and certain.
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