Christian intellectuals, yes, there are a few, are uniformly apologetic. They have to apologize for their faith and grace. That is beginning to change now in the postmodern era, but very slowly. The Christian faith has already survived several centuries of deconstruction, so naturally the Arts and Sciences faculty, who are having their sacred cows deconstructed at each new seminar, are casting furtive glances toward some of their theological brethren and sistren who have already been there and done that.

This has not yet motivated the theologians to take up a new initiative. To be a theologian is to be defensive, almost by definition. The overlap between the theologian and the proselyte is small indeed. Theologians have been defending the faith against every form of modernism that has come down the pike. They are not at all sure that postmodernism is not just another modernism in a very clever disguise.

Defending the faith and the faithful is the problem, and that has always meant keeping the intellect on a short leash. If that table were ever to be turned, where the intellect became a partner in faith or even its champion, that would be the end of the theological world, and the end of ours as well, I might add.

That is why everyone, and I mean everyone, is reluctant to begin the deconstruction of modern scientific cosmology. That is the end of our history-long journey into this material world. But that will be our next step and our last one in this world.

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rev. 4/26/97