When is "Human Wisdom" Suspect?

If you spend time talking to Young Earth Creationists (YECs) about science, you have probably heard someone counter a scientific claim with the contention that it is just “human wisdom,” and Christians should rely on “God’s wisdom” instead. This dichotomy comes up so often, it is worth taking a serious look at the Bible passage in 1 Corinthians that people are alluding to when they invoke this distinction. Does what the Bible says really justify or require dismissing human learning and scientific achievement?

In 1 Corinthians 1 and 2, Paul develops the idea that the gospel is “foolishness” to those who are considered wise, intelligent, and scholarly by human standards. But the demonstrated power of the gospel to save both the Jews and the Gentiles is proof that God’s “foolishness” is wiser and stronger than anything. After all, Christ conquered sin and death through the ultimate expression of weakness and humiliation, crucifixion.

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:18-24)

What is the human wisdom of the world that the gospel destroys, discards, and makes look foolish? Does it have anything to do with scientific research or academic preparation, things that are frequently dismissed by YEC proponents as worthless “human wisdom?”

To address those questions, it helps to take a step back and think about how radical the gospel Paul was preaching seemed in its historical and cultural context, and how much it contrasted with the basic assumptions people made about the way the world worked.

As Jesus was on earth preaching, he constantly challenged the accepted social and religious wisdom of the day. He reprimanded and humiliated the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, those people who were considered the wisest and most educated men of their community. Throughout the Gospel accounts, who is praised for understanding the message of the Kingdom? The poor, the socially marginalized, and the disenfranchised. Who is chided for missing the point? The rich, the pedigreed, and the powerful. This was a stunning reversal for everyone whose expectations were based on conventional “human wisdom.”