This "thought" comes
to you from the humble, devout, and godly British minister, statesman and
scholar, John R. W. Stott, PhD. I had the
privilege of hearing him speak in person three times before he passed away in
2011. He was so well-respected at home and abroad that in 2005 Time Magazine
listed him (at 86 years old) as "one of the 100
most influential people on the planet." I have many of his
books sitting on my shelves and can say without reservation that anything
written by him is worth the read (I count his commentary on the New Testament
book of Acts as among the best available).This excerpt is taken from the book, "Faith and Culture - The Guide to a Culture Shaped by Faith." by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington. Enjoy.
The Mind, the Spirit, and Power
"I
believe that anti-intellectualism and fullness of the Holy Spirit are mutually
incompatible. And I dare say it because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
Truth. Jesus our Lord himself referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit
of Truth, and therefore, it is only logical to say that wherever the Holy
Spirit has given his freedom, truth is bound to matter. So I have argued,
and argue still, that a proper and conscientious use of our minds is an
inevitable part and parcel our Christian life.
FIRST, a proper use of our minds
glorifies our Creator. We believe that God is a rational Being who has made us
in his own image and likeness, as rational men and women. And has given us a
rational revelation of himself.
SECOND, a proper use of our mind
enriches our Christian discipleship. There is no aspect of our discipleship
which can be developed without the use of our mind. Whatever part of
discipleship your are reflecting on -- worship, faith, guidance -- the mind has
an indispensable part to play.
THIRD, a proper use of the mind
strengthens our witness in the world. I am convinced that one of the major
reasons people reject the gospel in the West today is not because they perceive
it to be false, but because they perceive it to be trivial. They think it
is inadequate for the complexities and challenges of the world today. We
know, of course, that in evangelism, in conversion, and in regeneration (or the
new birth), the Holy Spirit has an indispensable part to play. Only the Spirit
can lead a sinner to Christ. But when he leads us to Christ, he does not do it
in spite of the evidence, but because of the evidence, when he opens our minds
to attend to it.
To
sum up, anti-intellectualism insults God, impoverishes us, and weakens our
testimony in the world. A proper use of the mind glorifies God, enriches us,
and strengthens our witness in the world."
It
is interesting to me (though I do not have the full manuscript of what he
shared in this address presented to The London Institute of Contemporary
Christianity in 2001) that Stott does not even allude to the primary
biblical imperatives that call us to use all the powers of our God-given
intellect in our worship and service to Him and others -- the Two
Greatest Commandments. As commands which most all Christian
people have memorized at one time or another, it would seem that
anti-intellectualism would be forever banished from the Church of God.
For in those commands we are told (as part of our love and adoration of Him) to
use every part of every human faculty given to us in loving Him and our
neighbor. All our will and emotions and all the powers of our intellect,
strength, energy or actions are to be used in sacred service to the one who
gave them to us for the sake of His glory.
It
is beyond dispute that we are to, "love the Lord our God
with all our heart, and with all our soul, with all
our MIND (emphasis mine), and with all our strength," (Mark 12:30). Or as
Jesus affirms and summarizes it two verses later, "You are right
in saying.that... To love Him with all your heart, with all
your UNDERSTANDING (emphasis again is mine) and with all
your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is
more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Therefore,
it is an unbiblical and unsustainable assertion to suggest that one should
avoid using their mind, reason or intellect in the defense and furtherance of
the faith (as long as the mind is used in the service of God and not to oppose
the purposes of God). Gordon Fee, my professor of N.T. at Gordon-Conwell
was raised in a Pentecostal environment where it was not unusual to hear people
exalt the place of the heart and soul, but put down the place of the mind. He
said that growing up he would hear people in that environment say, "I'd rather be a
heart on fire than a mind on ice." But as he studied the
Scriptures, and the place it gives to the mind, he realized that such an
assertion resulted from an anti-intellectual, false and unbiblical
dichotomy. He came to see that what the Bible actually encourages
is, "not
only a heart on fire for the Lord, but a mind that is also on fire for the
Lord." The
one does not negate the other. They actually compliment each other.
Simple
faith in the Lord Jesus is a gift. But so also is a mind that uses all
it's intellectual powers to love and serve God, as we see in such people as
Blaise Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, C. S. Lewis, Ravi Zacharias, Deithrich
Bonhoeffer, John Piper, Nancy Pearcy, Lee Stobel, Dallas Willard, Tim Keller,
Os Guiness, and slews of other brilliant, God-loving and devout defenders of
the faith. Such people have been blessings beyond description in being used of
God to lead unbelievers to Christ, and encouraging believers to go deeper and
deeper in the faith.
He
died. He rose. He is coming again. Pastor Jeff
