One of the more serious difficulties in erroneously believing that we have arrived at our destination when we have not is that we typically stop the journey.

Last week’s Triune Critics of what they call progressive theology is just such a case. While it might be nice to suppose that one has all the right answers to all the difficult issues in life, such is not the case for any of us.

A cursory read of the critics’ contributions might lead one to suppose that they are convinced that they hold the truth and Felten is mistaken about religion. While they probably do believe this, the substance of the disagreement runs much deeper: they apparently think the most important thing is what one believes (as long as it is what they believe). I suspect that Felten, along with me and many others, thinks it is as important to hold one’s views for the right reasons. And therein I suspect lies the heart of the disagreement.

The more difficult the issue, the more likely is it that people will disagree, and the more likely is it that we will make mistakes in our beliefs. All the more reason to carefully examine the grounds we have for our beliefs, and to examine the experiences we have had regarding these beliefs.

And all the more reason to do this with an open mind, recognizing that reason and experience might very well require that we modify our belief system.

So, what is the real difference between the critics and Felten? They are convinced they have “arrived” and there is no need to bring reason and experience to bear on their beliefs. In contrast, Felten and many others believe the journey is and should be still going on, and they believe there is much that reason and experience still have to teach us.