Is the Conflict between Faith and Reason real or imaginary?

Abstract

From time immemorial there have been diverse opinions and presuppositions about the subject of faith and the subject of reason in both theology and philosophy from different schools of thought in the west and even in African Christianity. Some theologians have considered faith and reason as being incompatible and as two parallel lines that can never meet; the early Christian writer Tertullian asked, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What is the relationship between the church and the Academy? These rhetorical questions suggest that the conflict between faith and reason is real and not just imaginary. Other schools of thought see no discord between faith and reason and thereby conclude that the seeming rift between the duo is just founded on human imagination. Nevertheless, faith and reason are seen as the two ‘wings’ upon which theology or religion thrive and sustain themselves in comprehending religious concepts and beliefs. Consequently, there abound diverse hypothesis and presupposition about the duo (faith and reason). Various schools of thought exist in history and in the contemporary scene on the controversy, rift and conflict between faith and reason, fideism and rationalism. Rhetorically, is the conflict between faith and reason real or imaginary? Consequently, this paper addresses the historical overview of the concept of faith and reason, the conflict between faith and reason and the equilibrium cum negotiation therein. The research method employed was a historical-analytical one.