Living the Mystery: Doctrine, Intellectual Disability, and Christian Imagination

Abstract

This essay considers the role of doctrine in spiritual and moral growth by examining the way it connects teaching, mystery and imagination. Contemplating the mystery of our salvation, I suggest, fosters humility, reminding us that what we see (physically or with the mind’s eye) is not all that is. For the “rationally capacious,” Christian teaching guides the constant giving-over of imagination and attention to the work of remembering Jesus faithfully. Not every person requires this same blessing from doctrine, however. The question about how doctrine functions, specifically with respect to those who cannot grasp its technical or abstract principles, frames the discussion. The core of the analysis concerns the function of doctrine, yet my conclusion is fundamentally practical: doctrine builds up the body of Christ.