I've been asked many times how to balance Christian study with secular subject matter, if at all, and by what means to prevent all this knowledge from going to one's head. How much it has gone to mine is for the Lord to judge, but here are my thoughts. I hope they help you find a balance between precision and piety...
Because of my interest in vocational Christian ministry, most of my reading is related to doctrinal concerns. Probably one-third, however, is general. I study world history, philosophy, politics, art, poetry and literature; whatever comes under my nose. My aim is to be rounded enough to understand how various ideas relate to one another, and familiar enough to point others to genuine specialists. The mind has more than one muscle group and all of them should be exercised.
Of course we are called to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. One friend of mine conjectured our propensity to over-emphasize mental devotions stems from the fact that, "the mind is the easiest to discipline of the four." I do not think everyone agrees! Within Calvary Chapel circles, from which I hail, this certainly was not the case. Heart-love was the focus and deeply overshadowed all intellectual commitments, though loving God with one's heart was often misconstrued as some sort of subjective devotion to sensing the Lord's presence, a far cry from what it means to love the Lord regardless of His felt proximity.
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Because of my interest in vocational Christian ministry, most of my reading is related to doctrinal concerns. Probably one-third, however, is general. I study world history, philosophy, politics, art, poetry and literature; whatever comes under my nose. My aim is to be rounded enough to understand how various ideas relate to one another, and familiar enough to point others to genuine specialists. The mind has more than one muscle group and all of them should be exercised.
Of course we are called to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. One friend of mine conjectured our propensity to over-emphasize mental devotions stems from the fact that, "the mind is the easiest to discipline of the four." I do not think everyone agrees! Within Calvary Chapel circles, from which I hail, this certainly was not the case. Heart-love was the focus and deeply overshadowed all intellectual commitments, though loving God with one's heart was often misconstrued as some sort of subjective devotion to sensing the Lord's presence, a far cry from what it means to love the Lord regardless of His felt proximity.
Naturally one assumes the weight shifts in the Reformed camp to major on mental efforts. I think this is somewhat of a caricature of our group, though I agree one will not have to seek long to find it among younger male adherents. I believe this owes to the sad state of fallen humanity rather than to any facet of Reformed theology, itself. Within any doctrinally developed community some will expect (and find) a degree of acceptance from others for knowing the system; this can be mistaken or accepted in place of growth in grace. What's more, for those coming from mushy Evangelical backgrounds, knowledge is discovered to be very objective. Learning systems has the allure of definite progress, something illusive to those who honestly seek subjective experience and rarely find it.
You and I
understand nothing in the Calvinistic view of grace suggests any
basis for pride, quite the opposite. From where does the mind come, but
the unmerited goodness of God? Still, the devil will poke wherever he
thinks there is a hole . In young men of all stripes there is usually
a gap waiting to be filled by approbation. Intellectual achievements can become the avenue of their hunt for place in the community. But if pride can be swollen
through knowing doctrines in-and-out, so it can be inflated through
learning just what vacuous, mystical phrases indicate devotional depth. "Brother, I had a sweet
time of fellowship with God this morning. The Lord is really doing a work in my
heart! He just came and ministered so much to me," etc. Whatever any of
that jargon means, it is nothing without humility and sincerity.
One might wonder how the Reformed should reform their approach to study, to avoid the arrogance and elitism of which they are sometimes charged. With what should Christian education be combined to ensure heart, soul, and strength are not overlooked in devotion to the Lord? I appreciate B.B. Warfield's comments on this issue,
"Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. What! Than ten hours over your books on your knees?”
Christian
education ought to be more than memorization of facts madly abstracted
from the God to whom they relate and derive being. All intellectual
endeavors should be conducted with an eye to knowing God in His holiness and
mercy, and for communicating those harmonious attributes back to others. Whereas holiness
should prostrate us in grief and shame, grace should right us with
humble joy and impart sweetness to both our minds and dispositions. There is no place for pride in true knowledge of God, any more than there is room for Satan to dwell in heaven. Both are cast down to the earth by the light of Christ's goodness and our depravity.
I
know for a certainty that I have acquired much information since my
conversion in 2006, and my introduction to the Reformed perspective in
2007. Yet I am much more aware of my shortcomings,
stupidity, and sin nowadays than I was before. I suppose this is because my
studies have largely revolved around the gospel as the relationship of our
Holy God to sinful men.
My advice to those who would avoid pride is exactly that by which Calvin introduces the Institutes,
Knowledge of God begins with knowledge of self. The two cannot be separated. We must conduct our studies with an awareness of personal sin, weakness, and of grace received. Only then will we avoid the pitfalls of an imbalanced education.
My advice to those who would avoid pride is exactly that by which Calvin introduces the Institutes,
"Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other."
Knowledge of God begins with knowledge of self. The two cannot be separated. We must conduct our studies with an awareness of personal sin, weakness, and of grace received. Only then will we avoid the pitfalls of an imbalanced education.
Was this helpful to you? Please share. Thanks!
© Michael Spotts:. 2011
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You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this article in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and that you do not charge any fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For printed copies, as well as web posting, please include the following statement:
By M. Benjamin Spotts:.
Copyright © The Open Life
www.theopenlife.com
Titus 3:3-8
© Michael Spotts:. 2011
———————
You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this article in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and that you do not charge any fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For printed copies, as well as web posting, please include the following statement:
By M. Benjamin Spotts:.
Copyright © The Open Life
www.theopenlife.com
Titus 3:3-8
1 comments:
I am thankful that I grew up in a deeply religous home that focused much time on scriptures, however, the heart was rarely addressed. The struggle I have faced over the years combining the two has been immense. Thank you so much for addressing this issue...
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