📖 Biblical Definition
Scripture does not support fideism. Biblical faith is not belief without evidence or against reason -- it is trust in the self-authenticating God who has revealed Himself through creation, conscience, Scripture, and Christ. "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1) -- God provides evidence. "Come now, let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18) -- God invites rational engagement. Peter commands, "Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). Paul reasoned with Jews and Greeks from Scripture and natural theology (Acts 17:2, Acts 17:22-31). Faith is not the absence of reason; it is the exercise of trust in what God has made known through both revelation and reason.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Webster 1828 does not contain an entry for "fideism."
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The term "fideism" did not gain wide English currency until the late 19th century. Webster's era assumed the compatibility of faith and reason; the question was not whether they were compatible but which had priority. The Reformed answer was always that faith precedes understanding but does not exclude it.
📖 Key Scripture
• 1 Peter 3:15 — "Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you."
• Isaiah 1:18 — "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD."
• Acts 17:2 — "And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures."
• Romans 1:20 — "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Fideism thrives in both anti-intellectual evangelicalism and postmodern theology.
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Anti-intellectual evangelicalism often practices fideism without naming it: "Just believe!" "Don't question God!" "Faith means not needing proof!" This reduces Christianity to sentimentalism and leaves believers defenseless against intellectual challenges. On the other side, postmodern theology embraces fideism as a feature: since all truth claims are supposedly subjective, faith is just one "language game" among many, requiring no objective justification. Both approaches betray Scripture's own pattern. The God of the Bible gives reasons, presents evidence, issues challenges to false gods, and commands His people to love Him with their minds (Matthew 22:37). Faith without reason is credulity; reason without faith is autonomy. Scripture demands both, rightly ordered.
Usage
• "Fideism tells you to believe without thinking; Scripture tells you to think carefully about what you believe."
• "The Apostle Paul did not practice fideism -- he reasoned from the Scriptures in every synagogue and marketplace."