The Case for "Faith" not "Belief"

American theologian Karen Armstrong published a piece with the Washington Post by this title at this URL in which she she wishes to push people out of the confines of their logical and propositional approach to Faith.

She says "When we are talking about God, nobody has the last word because what we call God lies beyond the reach of speech. It also violates the Western rationalist tradition: a Socratic dialogue was a spiritual exercise and, Socrates insisted, would not work unless it was conducted throughout with gentleness and courtesy. Nobody 'won' the argument: a Socratic dialogue always ended with participants realizing that they knew nothing at all, an insight that was indispensable to the philosophic quest."

How often have you seen Christians debating matters among themselves, thinking they were following the best rationalist traditions, but at the same time seeking to verbally belt their opponants into pulp in order to win the argument?

While I "live and move and have my being" in an Anglican tradition these days I can remember being part of the Churches of Christ tradition where it was proudly proclaimed to me that there were certain "Facts of the Faith" that were indisputable. It seemed to me at the time to be a convenient piece of double talk and left me somewhat puzzled about what the problem was with having to believe something for which the rational realm had not viable explanation.

I have for some time used a term for such matters of faith - TRANSRATIONAL - and until recently thought I had invented a word. However there was a school of Futurists in the early 1900's who developed the term and by it I think meant what we nowadays talk about as "counterintuitive" that it goes against common sense.

Since then, others like me have wanted to add a nuance of meaning that allows for you to know something is TRUE without FACTS or LOGIC to back you up in that conviction. Some might say such a position was IRRATIONAL because they couldn't see it as RATIONAL. I would want to say it is TRANSRATIONAL because it transcends the rational realm.

I still struggle in the company of those who want everything about the faith to be able to be expressed in propositions or rationalistic terms. For me there is more to life and faith than that.

What do you think?