The Greek philosopher Aristocles is arguably the most influential Greek philosopher to the modern Western world. Although he was in many ways rejected by the early church, he is possibly the Greek most obviously assimilated into Christianity—some Thomists might object and assert that it is Aristotle, and perhaps they are right. Nevertheless, Christian thinkers and Western minds have been heavily influenced in many ways by Aristocles.
Why does that name not ring any bells?
His name probably does not ring any bells for you, but that is because he was better known by the nickname allegedly given to him by his wrestling coach: Plato, which means broad. Plato either had a broad head or a broad chest, both of which are useful in grappling. A broad chest makes it harder to be controlled, and a broad skull is a useful fifth point of contact and balance—it’s basically an extra shoulder or hand. Even my toddler understands the concept and employs it intuitively with great effect.
Brothers, the world thinks male and female are fluid in gender and interchangeable in social roles, and it is easy to begin pointing our fingers at those issues. Yet, the Church has to think through masculinity, gender roles, and demographics.The Church is mostly women and children. There is an increasing number of ministers who carry themselves in an effeminate fashion or argue emotively instead of logically from the floors of our courts. Furthermore, reformed, institutional church ministry as a whole seems to be producing a church organism that is anemic out in the world.
I believe we need more broad men in the Church. By this, I mean we need men strong in mind and body, men stout in heart and spirit, men who are mighty in the Lord—for the battle we fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the present darkness, and the forces of evil.
When reading Plato, we cannot receive him wholesale without discernment. There are bones in that meat! One obvious issue is his view of sin and human failure. Nevertheless, Plato has some common grace utility. According to Plato, a well-ordered community requires wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. The Reformed man can affirm the virtue and value of Plato’s four pillars and apply them to his own heart and, from there, his family, his business, his church, and his county.
So, how can Plato’s four principles be of use to us?
Let’s start with Wisdom.
Wisdom is skill in the art of godly living. Reformed men should not merely be on a quest to be skilled in the art of good knowing, but I fear at times that is what we have become. Godly wisdom is more of a moral quality than an intellectual one. A wise man does not necessarily have all the answers written down in a manifesto or playbook, but he is able to navigate scenarios as they come his way. Wisdom is more like navigating the field after the play has broken down than it is like running the play as scripted.
When you read Ecclesiastes, you learn much about wisdom. Solomon enumerates the blessings of wisdom. He constantly shows us that it is better than the alternative: folly. Solomon illustrates its superiority in a parable: the wisdom of one poor man saves a little city under siege (Ecc. 9.14-15).
Christ is the ultimate, lowly wise man who delivered his City—the Church—by his blood, and his wise obedience to the Father is credited to our account. Like the man in the parable in Ecclesiastes, others have benefitted from the one, lowly wise man. Western society has eaten the crumbs of His table for years. The obedience of one man (Christ) who was poor and lowly in the world has blessed many.
And that is where I fear that most pastors in the world will stop in the application of that parable.
Men, there is another use of it, a use that certainly must come after that one previously mentioned: because of Christ’s Word and Spirit, we can be like wise men whose wisdom benefits others around us. There is, after all, a third use of the Law. Have we forgotten this? “The city” around us is under siege, not from a tyrant with siege works, but from secularism within its own walls. Our society does not just lack the godly wisdom that only comes from knowing the Redeemer, the city even seems to lack the common sense that God gave to the geese! There has even been a rejection of natural law—nature’s wisdom is ignored as well.
The city under siege here in this analogy might even be a family, a church, a neighbor, a neighborhood, a city council, a state representative, a school—some assembly hall here or there. There are many little cities in need of godly wisdom. The wisdom needed, the wisdom of Christ, can only be carried there by Christian men who are broad—men deeply committed to the wisdom of the Lord and well-studied in his ways.
The mad folly of secularism, which brings a laundry list of sorrow according to Solomon, has made its way into many institutions: the Church, Marriage, and the family. Unlike Plato, we cannot be idealists—we actually have little republics to shape and mold. The Wisdom of God has to move from paper to practice. From mind into motion. And that takes courage and temperance.