Premises and Praxis

The Augustine Institute stands on these premises:

• • That discerning vocation and equipping oneself for it are central tasks of each Christian.

• • That vibrant and vital conversation with the tradition linking us with Luther, Augustine, and Scripture provides rich resources for those tasks.

• • That continued renewal and translation of those resources can energize and inform our constructive engagement with the institutions, issues and concerns of our time.

• • That these matters are too important to abdicate to the authority of jargon or hyperspecialization.

We invoke significant parallels between the Augustine Institute and the praxis of Luther the Reformer:

• • A climate of accessibility and open discourse. (When languages are inaccessible due to disuse or jargon, we will seek to translate. When terms pose difficulties, we will together ask: "What does this mean?")

• • The use of transforming technology to enhance the spread and discussion of important ideas. (As Luther seized opportunities provided by the printing press, so we seize opportunities provided by digital technology and the World Wide Web.)

• • An open spirit of debate and discussion in pursuit of truth, with no hidden agendas. (The door on the church at Wittenberg served as a bulletin board inviting communal disputation of important matters. The Web site of the Augustine Institute seeks to emulate it.)

• • We will seek to avoid entrapment in the “argument culture” of our time, and strive instead for a hermeneutic of fellowship. We seek to foster engaged discussion among those honestly seeking insight and wisdom from one another. But we understand that there are times when one may also have to declare with Luther, "Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me."