by Kenneth R. Samples

Philosopher and educator Mortimer J. Adler observed that only a small minority of Americans have what could be called a healthy "intellectual life." According to Adler, most of us exercise our minds vigorously only when we’re forced to—by fear of failure or loss—and even then some resist. People everywhere spend a large proportion of their free time on mind-numbing amusements.1 How many people (or how few) do you and I know who actively cultivate a growing "life of the mind"—the pursuit of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom—as a daily priority?

If this priority is evidenced anywhere, Scripture suggests it would be among Christ’s followers, or those on the way to becoming such, but is that what our observations confirm?

I see a climate of non-intellectualism, or even anti-intellectualism, in many quarters of the evangelical community today. One segment of believers seems to simply ignore or devalue intellectual pursuits, acknowledging no connection between intellectual development and Christian spirituality. These Christians recognize the importance of loving God with their hearts and souls but are unsure (or disinterested in) how the mind factors into this loving. They may think, or say, "Christianity is a relationship based on faith, not on intellect. Why waste my time on mental gymnastics?"

Another group, sometimes a whole fellowship or denomination, openly opposes intellectual pursuits. They claim that efforts to develop the mind are unspiritual and may even thwart spiritual growth. Subjective experience takes precedence over knowledge and careful thinking, in their view. For biblical support they quote the Apostle Paul: "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Cor. 8:1); "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world" (1 Cor. 1:20).2 Some within this camp argue that a formal education in college or seminary is destructive to spirituality. And they can usually cite examples of people who’s Christianity has been shipwrecked on the rocky shoals of academia.

The Bible does not, however, support this dichotomy between reason and relationship, between intellectual and spiritual vitality. In fact, we are commanded by the Lord Himself to love God with all our being, including our mind (Matt. 22:37). Christianity is much more than an experience of the soul; our thinking and understanding are crucially involved. Christianity encompasses a worldview and a coherent set of convictions. The Bible itself is a "propositional" revelation, which means that God has revealed His existence, His attributes, His power, and His plans and purposes for humanity in words that the human mind can comprehend. Indeed, He holds us responsible for our response to what we understand of His revelation. Further, the Bible instructs us to evaluate our experience and our thinking in the light of biblical revelation (1 Thess. 5:21).

Through all of Scripture, we learn that the mind has an integral part in our devotion to God. A central exhortation of Old Testament wisdom literature is that we "get wisdom, knowledge, and understanding," all of which are rooted in "the fear of the Lord" (Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 1:7). In the New Testament, we see the highly educated Apostle Paul bending all His intellectual prowess to the task of making Christ known among the nations. His knowledge did not puff him up with pride; it gave him tools with which He could, in the power of God’s Spirit, communicate truth and expose foolish thinking. His reasoning and rhetorical skills gained him an audience among religious and intellectual leaders wherever he traveled, even in the cerebral pinnacle, Athens, Greece (Acts 17:16-32).

Obviously, intellect alone, devoid of spiritual passion and commitment, does not bring us close to Christ or make us more valuable in His sight. Nor am I promoting "intellectualism" but rather a healthy appreciation for the thinkers and questioners among us. We need to invite and welcome them into our fellowship, not repel them. I wonder how the church today would receive such individuals as Augustine, John Calvin, Blaise Pascal, John Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards? These men shook the world with their brilliance and devotion to God.

The "Imago Dei" (image of God) is what distinguishes humankind from the animals, and it is that same image that makes the life of the mind so important. As Adler compellingly states: "It is man’s glory to be the only intellectual animal on earth. That imposes upon human beings the moral obligation to lead intellectual lives."2 Simply stated, the Christian’s pursuit of knowledge and battle against mental laziness are simply part of being who God made us to be. Pursuit of a well developed mind is, in one sense, pursuit of the God who gave us a mind.

Historical theologian Mark A. Noll has suggested a solution to the church’s problem of non- or anti-intellectualism. The solution is for evangelical Christians "to offer up their minds as a sacrifice of praise to the glory of God."3 Of all people, the Christian who understands (or at least begins to grasp) the meaning of the "Imago Dei" can cultivate a flourishing intellectual life.
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Ken Samples joined RTB in June 1997 as publications director. He has taught logic and philosophy at the college level for the past eight years and leads a study-discussion group called "Augustine Fellowship." The author of three apologetics books and numerous articles and the former cohost of the Bible Answerman radio program, Ken is a husband and the father of three children.


References:

1.Mortimer J. Adler, Intellect: Mind Over Matter (New York: Collier Macmillan Publishers, 1990), p.
188.
2.The context of 1 Cor. 8:1 reveals that Paul condemns not the acquisition of knowledge in general
but rather the failure to use knowledge (or liberty) lovingly and humbly, a specific problem
within the Corinthian church. In 1 Cor. 1:20, Paul condemns the "wisdom" that comes from beliefs
systems without Christ as their foundation and focus, not wisdom in general.
3.See Mark A. Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishers, 1994).

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