Trying to bring a little moisture into our dogmas concerning Scripture, Carl Raschke’s words drip like cold water from the roof of a damp cave. Taking Charles Hodge to task for his stalwart defense of the doctrine of Scripture, Raschke says this: “Hodge essentially made the unprecedented claim that the saga of the parting of the Red Sea, Elijah’s miracle on Mount Carmel, or Jesus’ ascension all had the same ontological status as the rain in Spain or the annual flowering of the cherry blossoms in the nation’s capital. In other words, God’s extraordinary acts in history were really quite ordinary. There was no room for the Reformer’s faith response to Scripture. Faith was really rather incidental.”
The intellectual dishonesty involved in this really takes the breath away. Rascke is arguing that Hodge is making no room for faith when it comes to these events. And why? Because Hodge believes that they happened. And he, Raschke, leaving room for an ontological status other than that of “having happened” is really exhibiting faith because he doesn’t think it necessary to believe they really happened.
So. God says something like Jesus was “parted from them, and carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51). Are you ready for the deep mysteries of the postmodern way? Ready for the deep things of Satan? If someone reads this and thinks that this is what actually happened, it only shows that he is in the grip of Aristotle, Descartes, and other unsavory characters. However, if someone else doesn’t believe it, this shows that he understands the immense depths that the adventure of faith may take us to . . . without an air hose. Faith is now unbelief and unbelief is now faith. Jeepers. One more postmodern idea grinder up against the word of the Lord.
Then there is his use of the word “unprecendented.” Hodge made the unprecedented move of thinking that the historical events described in the Bible really happened? This was a nineteenth century development? Luke went to Princeton (Luke 1:1-4)?
Raschke’s view of an extraordinary event is one that did not necessarily happen. “Honey, an extraordinary thing happened to me today. I was kidnapped by aliens over the lunch hour, and made to listen to Neil Diamond albums.” “Really?” “No, not really. But that’s what makes this story so unique. One might even say extraordinary. And this is what makes this story so important to me personally.”
I’ll tell you what is extraordinary — so much so that I am almost tempted to give up my belief that the age of miracles is past. What is extraordinary is that our ecclesiastical solons are giving these people the time of day. These guys are getting their books published.