A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life

A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life
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I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, –that unless I believed, I should not understand.-- St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)

Monday, October 06, 2014

Discipleship of the Mind

from Alister McGrath at Biologos:
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We are very, very used to the idea of a "discipleship of the hands," where we do things; a "discipleship of the heart," where we try and love God better, but we also need to bring our minds to bear on thinking about the Christian faith and figuring out what its implications might be. You might think of our Lord's summary of the law: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is an area where perhaps some sections of the Christian church are not as good as they ought to be, if I might speak charitably. There's a real sense in some quarters that, in a kind of way, thinking is a dangerous process for Christians. They should simply listen respectfully to their pastors and go do something else. I want to emphasize the importance of ordinary Christians, especially those who are active in the scientific field, thinking about their faith, and beginning to make the connections. The whole transformative vision that underlies the gospel is about the transformation of all our minds, our bodies, our souls; not just transformation in terms of our simple nature being redeemed but transformation in terms of putting on a fresh way of seeing things. I think of Paul in Romans 12, talking about the difference the gospel makes to life: "Don't be conformed to this world [in other words, do not passively reflect what you see around you] but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It's a marvelous vision for the Christian mind, not being content with simply buying into what the world tells but in fact saying that there is a better way of seeing the world.
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The entire post, "Big Picture or Big Gaps? Why Natural Theology is better than Intelligent Design," can be read here.

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