Stewardship of the Mind - Evidence for Christ Conference
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A Christian Argument for Fostering Intellectual Virtue Short version presented at Evidence for Christ conference in Fresno, CA 6 FEB 2015. Moral confusion pervades our culture and the Church struggles with responding to the culture in a relevant way. With an alarming rate of college student leaving the faith for intellectual reasons, it is time to respond. Scripture teaches that we are stewards for everything God has given us. One of the highest blessings for human beings is our intellect. That intellect should not be left stagnant; we must learn to think well. The church needs to incorporate intellectual discipleship into its educational program to equip Christians to be able to respond to this moral confusion with clarity and compassion. Christians need to understand their responsibility to put their minds to use for His kingdom. As the old hymn states "Take my intellect and use, Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose."
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Stewardship of the Mind - Evidence for Christ Conference
- 1. S Stewardship of the Mind A Christian Argument for Fostering Intellectual Virtue
- 2. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies The Problem
- 3. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “There is no longer a Christian mind.” - Harry Blamires “Christians view humble ignorance as being more noble than a cultivated mind.” Richard Hofstadter Anti- intellectualism in American Life
- 4. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies
- 5. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies The Battlefield “…thought control, as conducted through the agency of the national media and related elements of the elite intellectual culture.” Noam Chomsky, Necessary Illusions, Thought Control in Democratic Societies
- 6. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies "The battle for humankind's future must be waged and won in the public school classroom...between the rotting corpse of Christianity...and the new faith of humanism. Humanism will emerge triumphant." • John Dunphy; The Humanist; January/February, 1983
- 7. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies College is a battlefield of ideas FreeRepublic.com
- 8. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies College is a battlefield of ideas FreeRepublic.com “[Professors] are rightfully unimpressed with the inability of most Christian students to defend their beliefs.” Frank Turek
- 9. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies
- 10. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Recent Studies • Percentage of students leaving the faith while in college 61% Barna Study 2006 66% Assemble of God Study 70% LifeWay Research 2007 88% SBC Family Life 2002 35% Return to faith later
- 11. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies
- 12. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Not Equipped • “…it’s not so much that Christian minds are lost at college —it’s that Christian minds rarely get to college. They rarely get to college because many parents and churches emphasize emotion and ignore the biblical commands to develop the mind, which means that most kids skip off to college equipped with nothing more than feel-good emotionalism.” • Frank Turek • “A tepid Christianity cannot withstand a rabid secularism.” • Ravi Zacharias
- 13. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies How did this come about?
- 14. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 German Higher CriticismHume Kant On the Origin of Species Revivalist movements of the 1730s-1750s and the 1800s Puritans Edwards Mather Harvard
- 15. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27 Heart Mind Soul
- 16. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 German Higher CriticismHume Kant On the Origin of Species Revivalist movements of the 1730s-1750s and the 1800s Puritans Literacy Rate 89%-95% Edwards Mather Harvard Puritans focus on intellect, spiritual and emotional Puritans build some of the finest colleges Newton Jonathan Edwards
- 17. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 German Higher CriticismHume Kant On the Origin of Species Revivalist movements of the 1730s-1750s and the 1800s Puritans Focus on Experience Edwards Mather Harvard Education started to focus on specific disciples – science divorced from theology Theology separated form other disciplines and intellectual pursuits were abandoned Newton Great Awakening George Whitefield
- 18. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Legacy of the 1800’s revivals “But their overall effect was to overemphasize immediate personal conversion to Christ instead of a studied period of reflection and conviction; emotional, simple, popular preaching instead of intellectually careful and doctrinally precise sermons; and personal feelings and relationship to Christ instead of a deep grasp of the nature of Christian teachings and ideas.” J. P. Moreland, Love God With All Your Mind, pg 23 “Anti-intellectualism was a feature of American Revivalism.” George Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture, 1980 pg. 212
- 19. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 German Higher CriticismHume Kant On the Origin of Species Revivalist movements of the 1730s-1750s and the 1800s Puritans Edwards Mather Harvard Secular subculture in academics Science and Religion seen at odds Draper & White A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1869-96) A History of the Conflict between Religion and Science (1874) Newton Draper White Darwin
- 20. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 German Higher CriticismHume Kant On the Origin of Species Revivalist movements of the 1730s-1750s and the 1800s Puritans Focus on Experience Edwards Mather Harvard Draper & White Jehovah's Witnesses Mormonism Newton
- 21. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 German Higher CriticismHume Kant On the Origin of Species Revivalist movements of the 1730s-1750s and the 1800s Puritans Edwards Mather Harvard Draper & White Newton Today ??????????
- 22. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 German Higher CriticismHume Kant On the Origin of Species Revivalist movements of the 1730s-1750s and the 1800s Puritans Edwards Mather Harvard Draper & White Newton Today’s Cultural Perception Science = Fact Religion = Myth People look to science for issues of morality. Example: Darwinism plays a strategic part in rationalizing eugenics, euthanasia, infanticide, abortion, Marxism, relativism, and genocide.
- 23. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Impact • Intellectually shallow, theologically illiterate form of Christianity. (Anti-intellectualism) • Believers grew suspicious of intellectual issues altogether. • Birth of Mormonism (1830). • Birth of Jehovah’s Witnesses (1884). • Philosophies critical of religious thought, especially from Europe (Immanuel Kant & David Hume) went unanswered. • Darwinian Evolution made the world safe for Atheists. • Growth of scientism.
- 24. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Secularization’s Influence On Culture • Darwinism plays a strategic part in rationalizing eugenics, euthanasia, infanticide, abortion, Marxism, relativism, and genocide. • "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
- 25. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Influence on culture • America is secularized politically and intellectually. • Not all the way down to the level of the guy on the street. • Secular subculture in American education system, mass media and upper echelons of legal system. • "they are very influential, as they control the institutions that provide the 'official' definitions of reality.“ Peter Berger
- 26. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Influence in the Church 1. A misunderstanding of faith's relationship to reason. 2. The separation of the secular and the sacred. 3. Weakened world missions. 4. Anti-intellectualism has spawned an irrelevant gospel. 5. A loss of boldness in confronting the idea structures in our culture with effective Christian witness.
- 27. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies
- 28. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Where are we today in the Church? Moralistic Therapeutic Deism • A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. • God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. • The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. • God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. • Good people go to heaven when they die.
- 29. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Where are we today? “…it is not so much that US Christianity is being secularized. Rather more subtly, Christianity is either degenerating into a pathetic version of itself or, more significantly, Christianity is actively being colonized and displaced by a quite different religious faith."
- 30. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies The Double-minded Person
- 31. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “Jesus is God” “Everyone's morals are equally valid” What would follow if Christianity is true? What would follow if Christianity is not true? How does our view of reality influence our decisions and actions?
- 32. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “Jesus is God” “Everyone's morals are equally valid” Private life Public life People try to compartmentalize their lives. We act one way at work, another at school, another at work, and another way at home.
- 33. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “Jesus is God” “Everyone's morals are equally valid” Private life Public life "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today... is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is simply what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable." Lyrics from DC Talk "What if I Stubble"
- 34. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “Jesus is God” “Everyone's morals are equally valid” Private life Public life Moral Confusion
- 35. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “Jesus is God” “Everyone's morals are equally valid” Private life Public life Moral Confusion Psalm 119:113 “I hate double-minded people, but I love your law.” James 1:8 “…he is a double- minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
- 36. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies How do we fix this?
- 37. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Mind Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds Deuteronomy 11:18 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
- 38. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Mind Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds Deuteronomy 11:18 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
- 39. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Mind Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds Deuteronomy 11:18 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
- 40. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8
- 41. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “The mind, not the Bible, is the very first line of defense God has given us against error.” … “In order to understand the Bible accurately, our mental faculties must be intact and we must use them as God intended.” … “What is the tool we use in our observations of the world that helps us separate fact from Fiction? That tool is reason, the ability to use our minds to sort through observations and draw accurate conclusions about reality. Rationality is one of the tools God has given us to acquire knowledge.” - G. Koukl, Tactics pg. 32
- 42. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Stewardship of the Mind • Is stewardship only related to money? • “The responsible use of resources, esp. money, time, and talents, in the service of God.” (OED) • The Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25:14-30 • Your intellect is one of the greatest gifts from God • How should we use our intellects? • Should we increase it for His kingdom? • Steward = Responsibility And now you know about your responsibility
- 43. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Start with reading • Reading requires interaction. • Media is more passive and does not require interaction. • Media makes fewer demands it breeds passive participation, short attention spans, instant gratification. • All truth is God’s truth. • Must read with discernment. In light of the Christian worldview. • "I knew I had to out-think those who were challenging my faith; and to out-think them, I knew I had to out-read them." - James E. White
- 44. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Reading, it’s your choice • Choosing to read • Available to everyone, it is a matter of choice • May not be easy, difficult to change old habits • What to read • Widely read v. well read • What is better, reading a lot of garbage or few excellent works • Not unlimited time need to be selective • It is like a diet, junk food verses nutritious food • The Bible is foundational for your diet (For the renewing of your mind)
- 45. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Your armory claustrum sine armario est quasi castrum sine armamentario A monastery without a library [sine armario] is like a castle without an armory [sine armamentario] - Norman Monk 1170 AD
- 46. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Discipleship of the Mind • Barna Group Study (David Kinnaman) • More than 50% of the 18- to 29-year- olds in the church aspire to careers in science and technology. • Only 1% of young adult pastors/leaders ever address science in their teaching. • We need to address the typical “apologetics” issues as part of church programs
- 47. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Discipleship of the Mind • “The state, condition, or fact of being a pupil, follower, or adherent of any teacher, leader, doctrine, etc.; the position of a pupil, or follower.” OED • We need to train people to think with a Christian worldview • Classes • Sermons • Small Group Studies • Integrated into all aspects of the local Church • Training people up includes training the intellect
- 48. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies “In their uncompromising determination to proclaim truth, Christians must avoid the intellectual flabbiness of the larger society. They must rally against the prevailing distrust of reason and the exaltation of the irrational. Emotion, self-indulgence and irrationalities have always been the enemies of the gospel, and the apostles warned their followers against them.” - Herbert Schlossberg
- 49. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Resources
- 50. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Recommended Books to Start With More at http://www.thirdcolumnministries.org/Pages/Stewardship-of-the-Mind.aspx
- 51. ©2015 T hird Colum n Ministr ies Thank you for participating! • Question? • Contact us: www.ThirdColumnMinistries.org
Editor's Notes
- What the current state is of the use of the mind among American Christians. The current state of the Christian mind is that it is a neglected part of the Christian life.
- Where are we today?
- Think about it. Where do you get your knowledge from? School, Media, ??? The Battlefield, The Colleges and Universities, A War of Ideas, A War of Worldviews "Harvard yard winter 2009j" by chensiyuan - chensiyuan. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harvard_yard_winter_2009j.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Harvard_yard_winter_2009j.JPG “thought control, as conducted through the agency of the national media and related elements of the elite intellectual culture.” Noam Chomsky, Necessary Illusions, Thought Control in Democratic Societies pg viii
- Happy Human Logo Andres Rojas - Own work utilizando ésta imagen War has been declared.
- Source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1880406/posts “[Professors] are rightfully unimpressed with the inability of most Christian students to defend their beliefs.” Turek, Frank (2014-12-18). Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case . NavPress. Kindle Edition.
- Source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1880406/posts “[Professors] are rightfully unimpressed with the inability of most Christian students to defend their beliefs.” Turek, Frank (2014-12-18). Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case . NavPress. Kindle Edition.
- Chick Colson points out that colleges and universities are more concerned with indoctrination. They focus on teaching students their side of the debate and neglect other sides of any debate. Colleges are one sided and Christians are not equipped to deal with attacks.
- 88%: The Southern Baptist Convention's Family Life Council study in 2002 70%: LifeWay Research study in 2007 (LifeWay also found only 35% eventually return) 66%: Assembly of God study 61%: "Barna study in 2006 -- "Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf..." According to Frank Turek •70-75% of Christian youth leave the church after high school (see survey data at Barna and USA Today). •Christian youth in America are not being taught to cross examine the skeptical and atheistic views they encounter when they leave home. •More than half of all college professors view evangelical Christian students unfavorably (see article at Free Republic). •College professors are five times more likely to identify themselves as atheists than the general public. •Christian students are not equipped to resist rabidly anti-Christian college professors who are intent on converting their students to atheism. •The “new atheists” — Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens — are writing books and are growing in popularity. http://crossexamined.org/youth-exodus-problem/
- http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20070807/d_churchdropout07.art.htm
- “it’s not so much that Christian minds are lost at college —it’s that Christian minds rarely get to college. They rarely get to college because many parents and churches emphasize emotion and ignore the biblical commands to develop the mind, which means that most kids skip off to college equipped with nothing more than feel-good emotionalism.” Turek, Frank (2014-12-18). Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case . NavPress. Kindle Edition. “As Ravi Zacharias points out, As Ravi Zacharias points out, a tepid Christianity cannot withstand a rabid secularism. Turek, Frank (2014-12-18). Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case . NavPress. Kindle Edition. .” Turek, Frank (2014-12-18). Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case . NavPress. Kindle Edition.
- Why we lost the Christian mind and why we must recover it Chapter 1, Love Your God With All Your Mind, J. P. Moreland The History of anti-intellectualism How we have neglected the use of our intellects to acquire Biblical knowledge. Historical downslide. How we have failed to engage the pseudo-rationalism of secularism and how that has lead Western society away from it’s Christian foundations. We have failed to answer criticisms rationally and thus we have lost the right to be heard in some people minds. Instead Christian ideas are mocked.
- In the 1600’s the Puritans were highly educated with a 89-95% literacy rate. Children learned how to read and write by age 6. They studies art, science, philosophy and other fields. "Ignorance is not the mother of devotion but of heresy." Puritan, Cotton Mather. Jonathan Edwards (1707-1758) Edwards is widely acknowledged to be: America's most important and original philosophical theologian and one of America's greatest intellectuals Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Jonathan Edwards," First published Tue Jan 15, 2002; substantive revision Tue Nov 7, 2006: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/edwards/ George Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (2003), pg. 498–505. Picture: Engraved by R Babson & J Andrews; Print. by Wilson & Daniels (Public Domain)
- Historical Overview The emergence of anti-intellectualism Focus on getting someone to believe with catchy sales pitches not intellectually careful and doctrinally precise sermons Evangelical withdrawal The Church started to focus on feelings and emotions Critical attacks on religious thought were unchallenged Dawn of anti-intellectualism In the 1800’s there was a shift in the Church. Focus toward meeting felt needs. Focus was placed on getting people ‘in’. Grown out of the First Awakening. George Whitefield’s emotionally directed sermons. Full blown mid 1800’s. The Second Great Awakening (1800-1820). Revivals of Charles Finney (1824-1837). Layman’s Prayer Revival (1856-1858). “Anti-intellectualism was a feature of American Revivalism.” George Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture, 1980 pg. 212 Hume strove to create a total naturalistic "science of man" that examined the psychological basis of human nature. The free and proper exercise of reason by the individual was a theme both of the Age of Enlightenment, and of Kant's approaches to the various problems of philosophy. His ideas influenced many thinkers in Germany during his lifetime, and he moved philosophy beyond the debate between the rationalists and empiricists “The emerging anti-intellectualism in the church created a lack of readiness for the widespread intellectual assault on Christianity that reached full force in the late 1800s. . . . .First, . . . .the views of David Hume . . . .and Immanuel Kant, altered people’s understanding of religion. Hume claimed that the traditional arguments for God’s existence . . . .were quite weak . . . .that since we cannot experience God with the five senses, the claim that God exists cannot be taken as an item of knowledge. . . . .Kant asserted that human knowledge is limited to what can be experienced with the five sense, and since God cannot be so experienced, we cannot know He exists. . . . .Confidence was shaken in arguments for the existence of God and the rationality of the Christian faith. . . . fewer and fewer people regarded the Bible as a body of divinely revealed, true propositions about various topics that require a devoted intellect to grasp and study systematically. Instead, the Bible increasingly was sought solely as a practical guide for ethical guidance and spiritual growth.” Moreland P. 23-24 "George Whitefield (head)" by John Russell - http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/largerimage.php?sText=George+Whitefield+&submitSearchTerm.x=9&submitSearchTerm.y=12&page=1&search=ss&OConly=true&firstRun=true&role=sit&LinkID=mp04806&rNo=1. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Whitefield_(head).jpg#mediaviewer/File:George_Whitefield_(head).jpg "Immanuel Kant (painted portrait)" by unspecified - /History/Carnegie/kant/portrait.html. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Immanuel_Kant_(painted_portrait).jpg#mediaviewer/File:Immanuel_Kant_(painted_portrait).jpg "Painting of David Hume" by Allan Ramsay - http://portraitnation.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/ramsay-and-hume/. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Painting_of_David_Hume.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Painting_of_David_Hume.jpg
- Revivalist movements of the 1730s-1750s and the 1800s, although fostering much that was good, also led to anti-intellectualism. What was omitted was a studied period of reflection and conviction, intellectually careful and doctrinally precise sermons, and a deep grasp of the nature of Christian teaching and ideas. An intellectually shallow, theologically illiterate form of Christianity came to be a part of the populist Christian religion that emerged. Moreland P. 23.
- Once the Church retreated from academia the Church became a target of academics. John William Draper (1811−1882) Andrew Dickson White Science and Religion Professor Lawrence M. Principe The Church was: Marginalization Trivialization Isolation from the public arena Church no longer has a voice: The reinterpretation of what the separation of Church and State meant: From protecting the Church from the influence of the state. To protecting the state from the influence of the Church. “Second, German higher criticism of the Bible called its historical reliability into question. . . . . believers grew suspicious of the importance of historical study in understanding the Bible and in defending its truthfulness. An increased emphasis was placed on the Holy Spirit in understanding the Bible as opposed to serious historical and grammatical study.” “Christians must rely on the Holy Spirit in their intellectual pursuits, but this does not mean they should expend no mental sweat of their own in defending the faith.” Moreland P. 24 “Third, Darwinian evolution . . . .”made the world safe for atheists”. Evolution challenged the early chapters of Genesis for some and the very existence of God for others.” Moreland P. 24 "John William Draper" by Edward Bierstadt - Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Archives Center, Draper Family Collection. [1]. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_William_Draper.jpg#mediaviewer/File:John_William_Draper.jpg "Andrew Dickson White 1885" by Unknown - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Andrew_Dickson_White_1885.jpg. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andrew_Dickson_White_1885.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Andrew_Dickson_White_1885.jpg "Charles Darwin seated crop" by Charles_Darwin_seated.jpg: Henry Maull (1829–1914) and John Fox (1832–1907) (Maull & Fox) [1]derivative work: Beao - Charles_Darwin_seated.jpg. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Darwin_seated_crop.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Charles_Darwin_seated_crop.jpg
- “One tragic result of this was what happened in the . . . .”Burned Over District” in the state of New York. Thousands of people were “converted” to Christ by revivalist preaching, but they had no real intellectual grasp of Christian teaching. . . .two of the three major American cults began in the Burned Over District among the unstable, untaught “converts”: Mormonism. . .Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Moreland P. 23
- “Around the turn of the nineteenth century, fundamentalists withdrew from the broader intellectual culture and from the war with liberals that emerged in most mainline denominations at the time. Fundamentalists started their own Bible institutes and concentrated their efforts on lay-oriented Bible and prophecy conferences. This withdrawal from the broader intellectual culture and public discourse contributed to the isolation of the church, the marginalization of Christian ideas from the public arena, and the shallowness and trivialization of Christian living, thought, and activism. . . .the culture became salt less.” Moreland P. 24 “. . . . this modern understanding of Christianity is neither biblical nor consistent with the bulk of church history.” Moreland P. 25 “Christ Himself wants to shape our thinking. . . . .Jesus Himself wishes to transform the mind by renewing it.” Moreland P. 25
- Darwinism assumes naturalism and materialism which also play strategic roles.
- scientism: A view that exalts the status of science and scientific inquiry (of course, in the modern, current, Western sense of the word) to an absolutely predominant position, capable of solving, explaining, and/or passing judgment on everything. In some cases, it is equivalent to science as religion. Science and Religion Professor Lawrence M. Principe “Anti-intellectualism gives rise to the most extreme, the most morally deplorable, form of sloth. It is to be found in persons whom the ultimate objectives in life are the maximization of pleasure, money, fame, or power and who, thus motivated, express their contempt for those who waste their lives in purely intellectual pursuits. It is almost as if they wished they did not have the burden of having intellects that might distract them from their fanatical devotion to nonintellectual aims.” Mortimer Adler, Intellect: Mind over Matter The claim that science and science alone can give us knowledge is not a scientific fact but rather a philosophical view called scientism. This idea is a widespread belief in our culture today.
- With the Church retreating from academics and reason secularism filled to void in the public square. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Talking about how Holocaust. "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.” Darwinism plays a strategic part in rationalizing eugenics, euthanasia, infanticide, abortion, Marxism, relativism, and genocide. "Child survivors of Auschwitz" by Alexander Voronzow and others in his group, ordered by Mikhael Oschurkow, head of the photography unit - USHMM/Belarusian State Archive of Documentary Film and Photography http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa14532. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Child_survivors_of_Auschwitz.jpeg#mediaviewer/File:Child_survivors_of_Auschwitz.jpeg
- America is secularized politically and intellectually. May not be down to the level of the guy on the street. Secular subculture in American Education System, Mass Media and Upper echelons of legal system - where ideas come into being are reinforced and compelled. Peter Berger "they are very influential, as they control the institutions that provide the 'official' definitions of reality."
- Moreland “Five characteristics capture the essence of the impact of anti-intellectualism on today’s evangelicalism. P. 25 1. “A misunderstanding of faith’s relationship to reason. . . . .faith is now understood as a blind act of will, a decision to believe something that is either independent of reason or that is a simple choice to believe while ignoring the paltry lack of evidence of what is believed. . . . .biblically, faith is a power or skill to act in accordance with the nature of the kingdom of God. . . .faith is built on reason. We should have good reasons for thinking that Christianity is true before we dedicate ourselves completely to it. We should have solid evidence that our understanding of a biblical passage is correct before we go on to apply it. . . . .sermons should target people’s thinking as much as their wills and feelings. . . . .Training in apologetics should be a regular part of discipleship. Apologetics is a New Testament ministry of helping people overcome intellectual obstacles that block them from coming to or growing in the faith.” “Our contemporary understanding of these important concepts treats faith and reason as polar opposites.” For instance, does good evidence for the existence of God mean that we have left no room for faith? If that were true, we should pray that currently available evidence for God would evaporate and be refuted so there would be even more room for faith! Further, with the secular culture we have a tendency in group Bible study to bypass the work of study and go directly to ‘What does this passage say to me?’ We identify our faith with subjective feelings and blind faith. We test our Christianity by our private experiences.” P. 25-27 2. “Christian teaching and practice are privatized and placed in a separate compartment from the public or . . . .secular activities of life.” We are encouraged to use our intellects in how we approach vocation, house buying, or learning to use technology. But in the spiritual life of faith, it is our hearts alone that operate. The mind is compartmentalized as a function of the “secular” life. Instead we could be dividing our church people by vocations who “spell out issues and resources for integrating ideas in those vocations (or college majors) with Christian theology?” P. 27 (Don, This might work as a class-time activity during a class period.) 3. “One . . .consequence of our . . . .anti-intellectual trends is the combined effect of weakening world missions. When we produce new believers who don’t understand theology, they can be taken over by false theologies, such as liberation theologians in Central America have done with Christian converts there. Whoever controls the thinking leadership of the church in a culture will eventually control the church itself.” P. 29 4. “When we share the gospel primarily as a means of addressing felt needs, it may well be seen as irrelevant by people who are not into feelings and by people who don’t have felt needs. Paul based his preaching on the fact that the gospel is true and reasonable to believe. (Acts 17-20) He reasoned with and tried to persuade people intelligently to accept Christ.” P. 30 5. There is “A loss of boldness in confronting the idea structures in our culture with effective Christian witness. . . . . anti-intellectualism has drained the church of its boldness in witnessing and speaking out about import-ant issues. . . . . We have to know what we are talking about in order to have the courage to speak up.” P. 30-31
- Where are we today? The National Study of Youth and Religion 2001-2005 Christian Smith (principle Investigator) "it is not so much that US Christianity is being secularized. Rather more subtly, Christianity is either degenerating into a pathetic version of itself or, more significantly, Christianity is actively being colonized and displaced by a quite different religious faith." "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism“ The authors find that many young people believed in several moral statutes not exclusive to any of the major world religions. It is this combination of beliefs that they label Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: 1.A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. 2.God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. 3.The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. 4.God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. 5.Good people go to heaven when they die.
- Where are we today? The authors find that many young people believed in several moral statutes not exclusive to any of the major world religions. It is this combination of beliefs that they label Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: 1.A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. 2.God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. 3.The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. 4.God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. 5.Good people go to heaven when they die.
- Where are we today? The National Study of Youth and Religion 2001-2005 Christian Smith (principle Investigator) "it is not so much that US Christianity is being secularized. Rather more subtly, Christianity is either degenerating into a pathetic version of itself or, more significantly, Christianity is actively being colonized and displaced by a quite different religious faith." "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism“
- The split mind double minded - Confessing Christ living practically as an atheist We are being corrupted by wrong ideas. We are not thinking Christianly (As if Christianity is true and applying the implications to our thinking) which leads us to live in a manner opposed to a Christian worldview. Alignment with what we think is true and our actions
- The split mind double minded - Confessing Christ living practically as an atheist Compartmentalize our lives. We act one way at work, another at school, another at work, another at home.
- The split mind or double minded - Confessing Christ living practically as an atheist "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today... is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is simply what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable." Lyrics from DC Talk "What if I Stubble“ In this situation our hypocrisy creates a stubbing block for unbelievers. We are then poor ambassadors for Christ, our actions discredit our Savior.
- The split mind double minded - Confessing Christ living practically as an atheist This compartmentalization leads to moral confusion.
- Many people claim to be devout Jews or Christians but have a secular mindset. The split mind double minded - Confessing Christ living practically as an atheist Atheists often barrow morality from Western Cultures which has Christianity embedded in it, even in the post Christian culture. If you misidentify (intellect) what is true, good or beautiful, you will have an appetite (will) for the wrong thing
- What the Bible teaches regarding the use of the intellect.
- How do we start the process of thinking Christianly. As if Christianity is true and applied to questions of morality etc… There is a process where we go from being opposed to God and to move to alignment with God and His way. (Sanctification) Sanctification is a process and not an instantaneous conversion. However, many in the Church have stagnated and don’t focus on intellectual growth. Sanctification Fancy words: Substantive Theological Psychology Intellect, Will, Emotions Why do you still sin? Sanctification not just salvation Renewal of our minds or sanctification of our minds Greg Koukl says the mind is the first line of defense, not the Bible as the mind is necessary for the proper interpretation.
- How do we start the process of thinking Christianly. As if Christianity is true and applied to questions of morality etc… There is a process where we go from being opposed to God and to move to alignment with God and His way. (Sanctification) Sanctification is a process and not an instantaneous conversion. However, many in the Church have stagnated and don’t focus on intellectual growth.
- How do we start the process of thinking Christianly. As if Christianity is true and applied to questions of morality etc… There is a process where we go from being opposed to God and to move to alignment with God and His way. (Sanctification) Sanctification is a process and not an instantaneous conversion. However, many in the Church have stagnated and don’t focus on intellectual growth. The process of give Jesus lordship over your mind (heart, will, soul, mind.)
- Important to know and desire God. Starts with a proper understanding of sin (Intellect). Only if you know that you hate (Emotions) your sin and want to get rid of it (Will). As opposed to escape the penalty of sin and being comfortable with your sin. Retrain the mind. Truth telling is a prime ministry of the Church for this reason.
- How to upgrade one’s own intellect. What capacities God has given us, including intellect. Is stewardship only related to money? Ecclesiastical. The responsible use of resources, esp. money, time, and talents, in the service of God (OED) http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/190092?redirectedFrom=stewardship#eid The Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-30 Your intellect is one of the greatest gifts from God How should we use our intellects? Should we increase it for His kingdom? Steward = Responsibility “The possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility.” Everything we have is a gift of God. We are stewards of all that we have been given. We are to take what we have been given and use it to further the Kingdom of Christ and bring glory to God. Furthering the kingdom and bring Glory to God are not separate. We have been given a gift the no other creator on Earth has been given. Intellect.
- "I knew I had to out-think those who were challenging my faith; and to out-think them, I knew I had to out-read them." pg 36 A Mind for God by James Emery White
- Choosing to read Available to everyone, it is a matter of choice May not be easy, difficult to change old habits What to read Widely read v. well read What is better, reading a lot of garbage or few excellent works Not unlimited time need to be selective It is like a diet, junk food verses nutritious food The Bible is foundational for your diet (For the renewing of your mind) What have you read over the last year? How has what you read help further Christ’s kingdom? Intellectual diet You are what you consume
- The state, condition, or fact of being a pupil, follower, or adherent of any teacher, leader, doctrine, etc.; the position of a pupil, or follower. OED http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/53732?redirectedFrom=Discipleship#eid “My personal feeling is that citizens of the democratic societies should undertake a course of intellectual self-defense to protect themselves from manipulation and control, and to lay the basis for more meaningful democracy.” Noam Chomsky, Necessary Illusions, Thought Control in Democratic Societies pg viii “We need the mind disciplined in Christ, enlightened by faith, passionate for God and His creation, to be let loose in the world.” - David Hazard
- “It should be abundantly clear that the passion for holiness is so inextricably bound up with the passion for truth that while we can distinguish between them in theory, we cannot do so in practice. The passion for truth requires a passion for holiness, for the truth is that God is holy and wishes us to desire to be so and, with his presence, to be so. The passion for holiness incudes being truthful, knowing and doing the truth.” (Sire, Habits of the Mind, Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling 2000, 117)
- A Mind for God by James Emery White Love God With All Your Mind by J. P. Moreland Renaissance by Os Guinness More at http://www.thirdcolumnministries.org/Pages/Stewardship-of-the-Mind.aspx