Your Mind Matters

Rating:
Summary: A protest against shabby thinking
Review: Albert Einstein once said, "If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies." That idea is fleshed out from a Christian perspective by John Stott. He wrote to address a spirit of anti-intellectualism in Christian circles. Some point to their zeal and spirituality with pride, claiming that zeal is all you need, and knowledge is superfluous. Stott states plainly, "God's purpose is both, zeal directed by knowledge, knowledge fired with zeal." It's ludicrous to believe that Christians can have an impact in the world if they don't use their minds to understand their own faith and to interact effectively in the arena of ideas. Stott's book is very short, an easy read, and his argument is solid and effective. Definitely 5 stars!

Rating:
Summary: Good book on what Christians should not be braindead
Review: Okay, now I've caught your attention. John Stott and others like J. P. Moreland ("Love the Lord Your God with All Your Mind") seek to win back Christianity from its Fundamentalistic (and thus somewhat anti-intellectual) tendencies, and seek to state why the cognitive/intellectual side of faith is important. For the heart does not rejoice with which the mind does not agree upon! Prov. 19:2 "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge..."

Stott wishes to have Christians to be zeal guided by knowledge, both zeal and knowledge, even though sometimes we might set one against the other (e.g., zealous pietists vs. dead logical rationalists). Stott believes in the power of the truth (p.13), and that the rationality of man is sometimes seen as one of the aspects of being created in the image of God, and is basically taken for granted by many. Stott lays out how God's revelation is primarily to our minds, that it is through knowledge of God and God's will that we are to obey, and that we will be judged. Thus, Stott is trying to state how the intellectual sphere is will play an important role within Christian life.

Stott namely names spheres of worship, faith, holiness, guidance, evangelism, and ministry as areas where we will require the intellectual pursuits. For instance, true worship loves God with our minds. Stott then moves on to name what faith isn't: faith is not credulity, it is not blind, it is not optimism, and it isn't placed in oneself, but rather in God. Faith is a trust in the promises of God in His trustworthiness, based on one's walk with Him. Faith thus goes along with knowledge and thinking. Holiness requires that we know what God wants of us, and that the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, humility, self-control) and knowledge of God require that we discipline our minds. Guidance (i.e., knowing God's will) requires that we know what God's will is generally -- in Scripture, guided by Scriptural and theological principles. Evangelism requires that we know the Gospel is and how to explain it (i.e., we must know its content), and sometimes even that we give a defense, or apologia (giving rise to apologetics) for the faith that we have (1Pet. 3:15). We must also not dilute or distort the Gospel, and this requires a discipline of mind. One of the gifts of ministry is that of Christian Education, in edifying the saints. This requires discipline of the mind.

To complete the journey, Stott brings us to the point that knowing is not enough; we must act on our knowledge. For the knowledge of God is not an ends to itself, knowledge of God should bring us to reverence and love for God (worship), faith in God, holiness of character, and love for our neighbor. Knowledge should always lead to love, such that we can speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

Rating:
Summary: Good book on what Christians should not be braindead
Review: Okay, now I've caught your attention. John Stott and others like J. P. Moreland ("Love the Lord Your God with All Your Mind") seek to win back Christianity from its Fundamentalistic (and thus somewhat anti-intellectual) tendencies, and seek to state why the cognitive/intellectual side of faith is important. For the heart does not rejoice with which the mind does not agree upon! Prov. 19:2 "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge..."

Stott wishes to have Christians to be zeal guided by knowledge, both zeal and knowledge, even though sometimes we might set one against the other (e.g., zealous pietists vs. dead logical rationalists). Stott believes in the power of the truth (p.13), and that the rationality of man is sometimes seen as one of the aspects of being created in the image of God, and is basically taken for granted by many. Stott lays out how God's revelation is primarily to our minds, that it is through knowledge of God and God's will that we are to obey, and that we will be judged. Thus, Stott is trying to state how the intellectual sphere is will play an important role within Christian life.

Stott namely names spheres of worship, faith, holiness, guidance, evangelism, and ministry as areas where we will require the intellectual pursuits. For instance, true worship loves God with our minds. Stott then moves on to name what faith isn't: faith is not credulity, it is not blind, it is not optimism, and it isn't placed in oneself, but rather in God. Faith is a trust in the promises of God in His trustworthiness, based on one's walk with Him. Faith thus goes along with knowledge and thinking. Holiness requires that we know what God wants of us, and that the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, humility, self-control) and knowledge of God require that we discipline our minds. Guidance (i.e., knowing God's will) requires that we know what God's will is generally -- in Scripture, guided by Scriptural and theological principles. Evangelism requires that we know the Gospel is and how to explain it (i.e., we must know its content), and sometimes even that we give a defense, or apologia (giving rise to apologetics) for the faith that we have (1Pet. 3:15). We must also not dilute or distort the Gospel, and this requires a discipline of mind. One of the gifts of ministry is that of Christian Education, in edifying the saints. This requires discipline of the mind.

To complete the journey, Stott brings us to the point that knowing is not enough; we must act on our knowledge. For the knowledge of God is not an ends to itself, knowledge of God should bring us to reverence and love for God (worship), faith in God, holiness of character, and love for our neighbor. Knowledge should always lead to love, such that we can speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).