We are a storytelling people. Or rather, we are a storytelling species. Every people group on earth tells stories. We tell them to children. We tell them to adults. The only time we stop telling stories is when someone is telling stories to us! Look at the popularity of movies and television. Before TV thereContinue reading “Stories We Tell Ourselves. Deuteronomy 26.”
Category Archives: anti-intellectualism
PROUD TO BE IGNORANT. Acts 7:22.
Have you noticed the way some Christians are proud to be uneducated? Preachers will say things like “well, I’m just a poor country preacher, but …” and you can tell they wear that badge with pride. Pride in your own ignorance is a classic example of anti-intellectualism, and it has deep roots in the AmericanContinue reading “PROUD TO BE IGNORANT. Acts 7:22.”
DO THE HEAVY LIFTING. 2 Peter 3:15-16; 2 Timothy 2:15.
Do you agree with these principles? –Yet, most Christians prefer sermons that skim the surface and never get deep. We get nervous when we hear words like “doctrine,” or “eschatology.” We want preachers to tell good stories and make us feel inspired, but we don’t want to think too much. We want to sing songsContinue reading “DO THE HEAVY LIFTING. 2 Peter 3:15-16; 2 Timothy 2:15.”
ARE WE LAZY? Hebrews 5:11-12.
Americans work so hard. But are we spiritually lazy? “We have a great deal to say about this [doctrine] but it’s difficult to explain, since YOU HAVE BECOME TOO LAZY TO UNDERSTAND. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. YouContinue reading “ARE WE LAZY? Hebrews 5:11-12.”
ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM in the United States. Hebrews 5:11-12,14.
–The following is from an article by Michael W. Austin, published by the Christian Research Institute: “Anti-intellectualism is rampant in the United States. For quite some time now, our culture has exalted feelings above reason, pragmatism over wisdom, entertainment over intellectual engagement, and we’re now seeing the fruit of these choices. The criticisms are now clichés,Continue reading “ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM in the United States. Hebrews 5:11-12,14.”
ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH. Hebrews 5:11-12
We evangelicals have been accused of being anti-intellectual—and it seems a fair assessment. Things that require concentration are often dismissed as “not of God.” We reject complexity and nuance. Some of us won’t read anything that requires us to turn off our music. Preachers have to hold our hands for challenging topics. I have heardContinue reading “ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH. Hebrews 5:11-12”
DO NOT BE WISE… Romans 12:16.
Children are amazingly TEACHABLE. Every day they stare outward, soaking up everything and memorizing new things without trying. Babies watch people and figure out faces and expressions and gestures and words. It’s an incredible, lightning-fast process. And reading! Imagine beginning first grade in August and knowing almost nothing about reading, and by Christmas you areContinue reading “DO NOT BE WISE… Romans 12:16.”
DO YOU LOVE GOD WITH ‘ALL YOUR MIND,’ MARK 12:30?
God called me to a life of the mind while in high school. I was a cheating, failing student when He arrested my attention, calling me to exercise perfect integrity in my classes. That was the most difficult challenge I had ever faced, a weight I did not think I could lift, but I maxedContinue reading “DO YOU LOVE GOD WITH ‘ALL YOUR MIND,’ MARK 12:30?”
Household Words: 