Christians as Thinkers

To the common man, we must speak ordinarily and empathetically. To the intellectual, we must speak critically and convincingly. If Jesus was unafraid of difficult conversations, if the Peters and Pauls were willing to step into the academic arenas, and if the early church fathers were some of the greatest minds in philosophy, literature, art, and science, then what excuses the modern church from the same responsibility?

The Christian Intellectual

In an essay titled Integration and the Christian Scholar, J.P. Moreland wrote, “Both in and out of the church, Jesus has been lost as an intellectual authority and the Christian intellectual should carry out his/her academic vocation in light of this fact”. The unfortunate perspective that the modern world holds toward the church is that Christianity always results in close-minded, unacademic, racist, and misogynistic groups of people. I will concede that some groups of so-called ‘Christians’ indeed live this way, however, the genuine communities of Bible-believing Christians need to divorce from that sect because they are a misrepresentation of the faith and live in a way that is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Furthermore, the lack of teenagers who graduate out of youth group and actually feel equipped in their faith to step into the halls of universities and still have a confident relationship with the Lord is dangerously low. In many ways, the church has not “equipped the saints” (Ephesians 4:12) as they should and has let them down. Hence the wave of ‘ex-vangelicals’ and ‘deconstruction’ plaguing young people in the church. This is a radical disappointment, that cannot whiplash the church, but should grieve her. Not only that, but it displays an obvious need for change. The Christian church must reclaim a compelling, intellectual, and biblical worldview, lest the world lives and dies without considering the reality of God.

Dual Wielding the Gospel

Jesus was able to contend with some of the greatest thinkers of his age. Not only that, but he was able to comfort the blue collar communities with equal ease. We too ought to be able to dual wield, so to speak, in dealing with the full range of culture. On one hand, the gospel is palatable to “uneducated, common men” (Acts 4:13) while on the other, able to shake some of the most rigorous minds, like the Apostle Paul for example. This is the reason why Christians must take their study of the Scriptures seriously. So that we might “become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Moreland warned, “If a culture reaches the point where Christian claims are not even part of its plausibility structure, fewer and fewer people will be able to entertain the possibility that they might be true”. To the common man, we must speak ordinarily and empathetically. To the intellectual, we must speak critically and convincingly. If Jesus was unafraid of difficult conversations, if the Peters and Pauls were willing to step into the academic arenas, and if the early church fathers were some of the greatest minds in philosophy, literature, art, and science, then what excuses the modern church from the same responsibility? I echo the prayer of Moreland during his Loving God With All Your Mind lecture for Apologetics Canada, “I pray that the day will come when the Church feels more and more comfortable in engaging the University, and talk radio, and things of that sort”.

Three Practical Implications

There is an inconsistency in academia regarding religion, Christianity to be specific. While the public university champions inclusivity and open-mindedness, they withhold that same embrace when it comes to men and women who hold to a biblical worldview. I would not go as far to label this persecution, but it is inconsistent at best. Do not be surprised by when your perspective is not welcomed, however still, the Christian should continue to see, study, savor, and share the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), despite the world’s response. Why? Because God is glorious and has revealed Himself in Christ which is preserved through the Scriptures. There are three practical implications of someone who is well acquainted with theology, philosophy, and science. The first will be opposition. Jesus promises his disciples “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19). A natural implication of following and proclaiming the Word of God is being met with opposition. Those who live in the dark hate when the light is shone on them (John 3:20). The second will be a compelled community. When you preach the gospel boldly and with conviction, the world will see and God will draw them closer because of it. This is why Paul says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). The third will be a seat at the table. We need more solid Christians who are submitted to Scripture in higher education, politics, law enforcement, media, and whatever other arena of influence in the public sphere. We read in 1 Peter 2:12, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” When a Christian lives with a devotion toward theological, philosophical, and scientific excellence, their worldview ought to be respected and their opinion welcomed, Lord willing.

War on Truth

The issue that remains, no matter how compelling of an argument Christians can make, is that if the opposition refuses to concede about absolute truth, then no progress will be made. The Scientific Naturalist believes only in things observed by the senses, while the Postmodern Relativist believes that everyone’s belief is true to them. Moreland describes this trichotomy as “a three-way worldview struggle in academic and popular culture among ethical monotheism (especially Christian theism), postmodernism, and scientific naturalism”. This is a war on truth. Is truth a felt assurance? Is it an observed experience? Is it a universal reality? God is the designer of truth, therefore He alone has the authority to define it. He is the measuring rod for all things true. Much of truth is revealed in Scripture, while some truth is observed empirically and logically through the universal order displayed in science. It is utterly incoherent to assert multiple, contradictory statements are true, though they might be felt truths to two individuals. If there are two contradictory truth statements, one is true and the other is false. Yet higher education, which seeps into all other areas of life, will battle this truth-war on the side that truth is whatever the beholder says it is. This is a dangerous doctrine to hold; what ground do you have to stand on if there is no objective moral standard? This is why Christians must be scrupulous in their search and defense of truth. I will leave you with this convicting and courageous call by J.P. Moreland: “Christians need to be involved in political, social, and ethical issues. However, the Christian voice in this regard often sounds tinny and sloganistic because our proclamations do not express a well-developed political, social, or ethical theory. And we do not have the latter because we don’t know the philosophical issues necessary to developing these theories”. Therefore, we must live out 1 Peter 3:15. Engage the world with critical thought, maintain a biblical worldview, and love your neighbor deeply.