The Christian Mind: The Key to Relevance

A tyrant once said, "It is the luck of rulers when men do not think" and Proverbs 2:12 underscores this truth by saying, "Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse." This begs the questions; what role, if any, does the intellect have in our faith? What role does scholarship have in our sanctification and finally, what role does intellectual discourse play in renewing the culture?

Beginning where we should, in scripture, it is clear that God places a high value on knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Proverbs 4:4-7 says "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom and understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." The Lord says, "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding" (Proverbs 3:13). The Bible prescribes understanding as a protection against sin: "The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. She sits at the door of her house, ...calling out to those who pass by, 'Let all who are simple come in here!' she says to those who lack judgment. 'Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!'" Proverbs 9:6 admonishes us, "Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding."

The prophet Hosea delivered this charge against apostate Israel, "...my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests..." (Hosea 4:6) Hosea later issues a general warning that, "a people without understanding will come to ruin!" (Hosea 4:14)

In 1 Peter 1:13 we are told "Therefore prepare your minds for action..." James 1:5 states directly that, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise..." (Eph 5:15). In his letter to the church at Philippi Paul prays, "That their love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight" (Phil 1:9).

Lastly, Romans 12:2 tells us, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then [emphasis mine] you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will."

God has made mankind in His image, meaning that we are endowed with certain attributes that are indicative of God. For example, we are created with an emotional aspect, which translates thoughts into feelings and makes us capable of expressing and experiencing love, empathy, anger and grief to name a few. Unfortunately this is often the only aspect with which many today relate to God. But God has also endowed us with intellect, the ability to analyze information, facts, experience and even feelings. In other words, God has given us the ability to reason and to think. In fact, it is the mind that is designed to rule the flesh - reason should guide our passions.

It is this aspect in particular that the apostle Paul is referring to in Romans 12:2. He is speaking to the fact that we, being saved, must no longer conform to the ways of this world - meaning the way the world acts and thinks. Paul emphasizes that it is our thinking that should determine our actions. Earlier in verse 1, Paul challenges Christians to "present their bodies as living sacrifices," meaning the total surrender of our life and activities as expressed through our physical form - the entirety of our being. Paul then explains that the key to being a living sacrifice is our mind - this is the control center of our attitudes, thoughts, feelings and actions. However, our minds were born corrupt and are therefore also in need of redemption or renewal.

I fear this is an aspect of our redemption we often overlook. Many may invite Christ into their hearts on an emotional level but never surrender their minds; never "working out their salvation." In doing so we may embrace a "little" Christianity but never come to develop deep convictions in our faith that are based upon critical inquiry, which affirm the objective truth claims of Christianity and provide us with a more thorough knowledge of God and His character. I am convinced it is only through such "convictions" working in concert with the Holy Spirit that men and women are then compelled to literally give their lives to the cause of Christ. It is precisely this level of commitment that is desperately needed in a culture so committed to radical secularization and the destruction of Christianity.

In the absence of rational convictions, we may tend to think of our faith in purely emotional and abstract terms or assume that it only applies to our unseen soul, our "spiritual side," when in fact salvation is offered to the whole person - an entirely redeemed creation - emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally.

There are also many who believe the intellect has no place in matters of faith. This is anti-intellectualism and unfortunately it has plagued the American church since the late 19th century. I argue it is perhaps this condition more so than any other that has contributed to the growing irrelevance of Christianity in American life and culture.

The culture is shaped by ideas, philosophies and values - what we refer to as a belief system or worldview. In particular the culture is shaped by the belief systems of those who control key cultural institutions such as the media, government, education, the arts, business and so on. Control will always go to the most educated among any society. These belief systems or worldviews form the basis for our approach to life and reality beginning with explaining where we come from, the problem of suffering and evil, and the solution. How a person thinks about these questions will influence every area of their life and actions. Thus, those who hold that brute naturalistic causes account for "creation" and that the problem of suffering and evil are merely the result of ignorance will deny the biblical concepts of sin and subsequently the need for a Savior. This worldview contrasts radically with the biblical worldview and when those who hold to anti-biblical assumptions control society's cultural institutions they will naturally integrate these assumptions into every facet of that institution's thinking and actions. Such has been the progression of ideas throughout the 20th century in the Western world.

Part 1 of 5, to be continued...

This essay is available in the 27-page booklet, The Christian Mind: The Key to Cultural Relevance and Renewal by S. Michael Craven by calling the National Coalition at 513-521-6227

Copyright 2006 S. Michael Craven, All rights reserved. For reprint permission contact Philip Barnett at philip@nationalcoalition.org.