We Keep The Intellect (Albert) Chained Up In The Basement.

[Riverwalker]

3 hours ago, Daniel Marsh said:

 

Friend, Jesus to told us to love God with our Mind.

Often when discussing Jesus with cults of the mind science type like Christian Science,  I get that nonsense.

"

Four Reasons to Reject Anti-Intellectualism

1. We don’t live in overly intellectual times.

Some ministries have a tradition of seeing intellectual pursuits as worldly. The attitude is that Christian teaching should act as a corrective influence against this form of worldliness by warning often against intellectualism.

But I often wonder what world they’re looking at. It doesn’t seem to be the one I live in. Twenty-first century society in the West has many problems, but are we suffering from an overabundance of sound reasoning, solid facts, and precise communication? Is our educational system too thorough? Are students spending too much time reading great books or are their critical thinking skills overdeveloped?

In politics and social policy, do our debates often get bogged down in too much detailed analysis? How often do we actually debate at all?

Looking at conservative churches, do we find an excess of biochemists, philosophers, neurosurgeons, astronomers, and physicists? Are churches plagued with too much rigorous thinking about what Scripture means and what it demands in the times we live in?

Intellectualism might have once been a kind of worldiness in our culture in the past, but today, the dominant attitude of “the world,” is one of intellectual laziness, emotion-driven belief, and decision-making based more on group-loyalty (a.k.a. tribalism) than on a diligent quest for truth.

So Christian ministry doesn’t have an intellectualism problem to fix. If there is any reason to emphasize “heart” over intellect in Christian ministry, “the world is too intellectual” can’t be it.

2. The intellect and the “heart” aren’t really alternatives to each other.

There’s a kernel of truth in the old “head belief vs. heart belief” contrast. It’s possible to acknowledge that a conclusion makes sense but not actually embrace it as truth. It’s possible to acknowledge that an idea is true, yet attach no personal importance to it. It’s easy to accept something as true but fail to accept how that truth relates to who we are and how we live, then accept those implications, and act.

But none of these problems are actually failures of elevating intellect over “heart.” They really aren’t “head vs. heart” problems. They can’t be, because Scripture shows us that our emotions, affections, and values (“heart”) are so intertwined with our reasoning, analysis, and gaining of knowledge (“head”) that a good bit of the time we can’t really tell where one ends and the other begins.

The most common word for “heart” in the Old Testament is the Hebrew lev. In Proverbs, the lev feels the whole range of emotions (15:13, 15; 13:12; 14:10) and makes choices (3:1, 5; 5:12). But it also understands (2:2), devises plans (6:18; 16:9), studies (15:28), teaches (16:23), and ponders (23:7). So when Proverbs 4:23 warns us to diligently keep our hearts (lev), it’s calling us to guard (natsar) our entire inner man—including both the intellectual and the nonintellectual.

The most common word for “heart” in the NT (kardia) shows a similar pattern. Along with its connection to a range of emotions and attitudes, the kardia thinks (Matt. 9:4) understands (Matt. 13:15) questions (Mark 2:8, Luke 3:15), ponders (Luke 2:19)—even reasons (dialogismos, Luke 9:47).

Since the Bible reveals that our intellectual and non-intellectual capacities are complementary, trying to pit them against each other to produce a winner is foolish.

3. The Bible doesn’t teach that the heart is trustworthy.

Scripture not only shows us that the intellectual and non-intellectual within us are complementary and intertwined, but it also warns us about both them in roughly equal measure. Whatever we understand the “heart” to be, it’s certainly not more reliable than the brain.

• In Mark 7:20-23, the heart (kardia) is a source of all sorts of defiling behavior.
• In Acts 5:3-4, it’s the heart of Ananias that Satan fills so that he lies to the Spirit.
• In Acts 8:20-22, Simon’s heart is what has evil “intent” (v.22) and drives him to think incorrectly (v.20).
• In 1 Kings 11:4-9, Solomon’s heart (levav—clearly,  his affections) eclipses his wisdom and turns him after false gods.
• In Jeremiah 17:9, the heart (lev) is deceitful and sick.

4. Not all knowledge “puffs up.”

Pride of knowledge is a real problem, but so is the pride of any other possession. Whether we’re proud to have more knowledge than others or more land, money, friends, experience, or good looks—it’s all the same.

And some knowledge clearly isn’t pride-inducing at all. Consider knowledge of the gospel, for example (1 Tim. 2:4): knowing that we’ve grievously wronged the God who made us, that all the good we could do in a thousand lifetimes wouldn’t even begin to merit God’s forgiveness, and that only His own righteousness graciously credited to us can make us acceptable to Him is humbling knowledge!

So it’s not surprising that the New Testament often speaks of the importance of knowledge and, therefore, of intellect.

Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24)

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. (Rom. 10:2)

Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering. (Lk 11:52)

[W]e have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (Col. 1:9)

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. (1 Cor. 2:6)

The Bible is anything but anti-intellectual. In the beginning, God created us as thinking beings in His image and gave us work for our minds (Gen. 2:19). Jesus commanded His followers to be mentally sharp (Matt. 10:16), and the apostle Paul urged us to “take every thought captive” to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Drawing our conclusions about truth, error, right and wrong based on intuition and feelings—without disciplined attention to knowledge and clear thinking—isn’t Christian; it’s a worldly capitulation to the lazy sentimentality of our times."

https://sharperiron.org/article/bible-anti-intellectual

 

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"Buddy" I quoted you  scripture, that is God's word, why are you arguing with me?

Edited November 6, 2021 by Riverwalker

[steve morrow]

INTELLECTUALS  ???  MAYBE  THOSE  WHO  ARE  TO  SMART  TO  LISTEN  TO  GOD  AND  JESUS  CHRIST  ---THEIR  CREATOR---

 

LAMENTATIONS 3:37   ---who is he that saith and it cometh to pass------when  THE  LORD  commandeth it not---

PSALM 46:10  be still and ---know that I am GOD--- I will be exalted among the heathen --- I will be exalted in the earth

PSALM 66:7   HE  ruleth by  HIS  power forever  HIS  eyes behold the nations ---let not the rebellious exalt themselves---selah

PSALM 140:8  grant not  O LORD  the desires of the wicked further not his wicked device ---lest they exalt themselves---

 

1 CHRONICLES 29:11   THINE  O LORD  is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine ---thine is the kingdom  O LORD  ---  and thou art exalted as head above all---

 

PSALM 29:4  the voice of  THE  LORD  is powerful ---the voice of  THE  LORD  is full of majesty---

PSALM 145:5  I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty and of thy wondrous works 

 

               **************************************************

2 CORINTHIANS 10:15  not boasting of things without our measure ---that is of other mens labors---but having hope when your faith is increased that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly 

--10:16-- to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you ---and  --not to boast--  in another mans line of things made ready to our hand---

PSALM 86:11  ---teach me  --thy way  O LORD--  I will walk in thy truth unite my heart to fear thy name---

               **************************************************

ISAIAH 58:13  if thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath ---from doing thy pleasure on  MY  holy day and call the sabbath a delight  THE  HOLY  ONE  OF  THE  LORD  honorable and shalt honor  HIM  not ---thine own ways -- nor finding thine own pleasure -- NOR  SPEAKING  THINE  OWN  WORDS---

 

PSALM 99:5  EXALT  YOU  THE  LORD  OUR  GOD  AND  WORSHIP  AT  HIS  FOOTSTOOL  ---FOR  HE  IS  HOLY---

MATTHEW 18:7  WOE  UNTO  THE  WORLD  BECAUSE  OF  OFFENCES  FOR  IT  MUST  NEEDS  BE  THAT  OFFENCES  COME  BUT  WOE  TO  THAT  MAN  BY  WHOM  THE  OFFENCE  COME

 

LOVING  THE  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST

[Daniel Marsh]

On 11/6/2021 at 12:58 PM, Riverwalker said:

"Buddy" I quoted you  scripture, that is God's word, why are you arguing with me?

I forget, maybe I thought you were teaching anti-intellectualism.  sorry