Was ich bisher von und über den Theologen Roger Nicole gelesen habe, faszinierte mich. Ich besorgte mir die Biografie von Daivd W. Bailey “Speaking the Truth in Love”. Der Titel des Buches (ein Zitat aus Eph 4,15) wiederspiegelt das Lebensmotto dieses gesegneten Mannes, der 2010 zu seinem Herrn heimgegangen ist.
Ein längerer Abschnitt über die Zeit am klassischen Gymnasium (das er übrigens in der französischen Schweiz besucht hat) und seine grosse Krise bezüglich Autorität der Bibel berührte mich besonders. Sein geliebter Philosophie- und Deutschlehrer, ein von der Eglise Libre als Pfarrkandidat abgelehnter Theologe, vermittelte seiner Klasse, dass die Bibel eines echten Denkers unwürdig sei.
Well, I sensed very deeply that if this professor was right, and that I was not permitted to accept the Bible as the Word of God without any further discussion, I would have lost my whole basis for faith. I would have no standard fence to prevent me from coming down into an abyss.
Ein ganzes Semester lang forschte er, machte sich Notizen, doch sein inner Kampf blieb. Schliesslich fragte er seinen älteren Bruder, der damals bereits in Frankreich als Dozent unterrichtete, um Rat. Dieser sah sich die Notizen von Roger an und wollte schliesslich wissen, was der Lehrer vor den Aussagen, die Roger so beschäftigten, gelehrt hatte.
And there was a point in which I had a chapter called “The Criterion of Truth” so my brother said, “What did he say there?” “He said what is very obvious”, I replied, “that the criterion of truth is coherence; truth is tested by whether it fits with everything else.” And my brother said, “Did you accept that?” And I said, “Of course, I accepted that, what else could I do?” And he said, “That’s where your mistake came in. You have accepted a criterion of truth which he cannot prove, but which in your case eliminates the possibility there might be an element of truth that is beyond your check and that is, however, binding.” My brother added, “When somebody talks about the criterion of truth, he is obliged to go beyond what he really can prove, because then he has to assume the truth of his approach in order to check whether his criterion is right. And if you have another criterion, he cannot dislodge you.”
Diese Unterhaltung war die Schlüsselszene schlechthin für den weiteren Verlauf von Nicoles theologischer Laufbahn. Er ging zu seinem Lehrer und gab ihm seine befreiende Erkenntnis weiter. Dessen einzige Entgegnung war:
“You are impossible.” – (Roger) For me, that was a declaration of liberty; I was like a bird that had been in a cage and now the door had flown open. This was an experience of immense significance for me because it led me to discard rationalism, though not for lack of a sound alternative basis, but to discard it as a foundation.
