Your Mind Matters: The Place of the Mind in the Christian Life

The picture is clear and so are the expectations of those following Christ. Stott does a beautiful job at offering Scriptural support for the need and use of our minds as humans created in the image of God and, as Christians who are both submitting and using this rational mind. Stott highlights 5 or 6 different areas of our Christian life where the mind has been absent and must be reinstated as it is essential. Read it, allow your mind to return to its rightful place and now use this God-given mind!

There are large segments of 'Christendom' where experience is emphasized over doctrine and some denominations where the importance of Christian doctrine is either neglected or set in opposition to experience.This is perhaps,in part,a response to years of being exposed to a type of Christianity that is no more than cold intellectualism. Thus the importance of a book that Biblically addresses the relevance of the Christian mind should be clear to many. In chapter 2 'Why use our minds'Mr.Stott rightly points to creation,and man being made in his Creators image( thus part of being created in the image of God is the ability to think and reason).The basic rationality of man is assumed both throughout the Scriptures and in society as well. Even though man is fallen,God's revelation of Himself is with words to minds,again showing the importance of the mind. The proclamation of 'The Gospel'(the Lord's chief means in bringing redemption to fallen man)is with words to minds.The manner in which the gospel is often brought is(as the apostle Paul writes in the book of Acts "we persuade men"). John Stott writes on p.47 "Now persuading is an intellectual excercise.To persuade is to martial arguments in order to prevail on people to change their mind about something." In the third chapter entitled 'The Mind In The Christian Life' there is some helpful discussion on Faith and reason. Some,perhaps many,in our day think that faith and reason are in opposition to one another.They are not. To quote a well known preacher A.N.Martin 'Faith is reason at rest in God'.Faith and Sight(not reason)are in opposition to one another in the Word of God. The concluding chapter highlight where knowledge(attained under God's blessing by the right usage of 'the mind')should lead us: to worship,to faith,to holiness and to love. Your Mind Matters is an important book for this generation which seems to be largely influenced by a feelings driven perspective of 'the christian life'.

In the same genre as J. P. Moreland's "Love God with Your Mind," Stott writes a much more pithy, brief overview of why Christian living must entail not only the emotions, but also the mind. In fact, as he writes, he rightly balances loving God with our soul (relationality), mind (rationality), will (volitionality), and emotions (emotionality). His work is a solid reminder of our need for a holistic approach to our walk with our God. Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," "Biblical Psychology," "Martin Luther's Counseling," and "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

Albert Einstein once said, "If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies." That idea is fleshed out from a Christian perspective by John Stott. He wrote to address a spirit of anti-intellectualism in Christian circles. Some point to their zeal and spirituality with pride, claiming that zeal is all you need, and knowledge is superfluous. Stott states plainly, "God's purpose is both, zeal directed by knowledge, knowledge fired with zeal." It's ludicrous to believe that Christians can have an impact in the world if they don't use their minds to understand their own faith and to interact effectively in the arena of ideas. Stott's book is very short, an easy read, and his argument is solid and effective. Definitely 5 stars!

Okay, now I've caught your attention. John Stott and others like J. P. Moreland ("Love the Lord Your God with All Your Mind") seek to win back Christianity from its Fundamentalistic (and thus somewhat anti-intellectual) tendencies, and seek to state why the cognitive/intellectual side of faith is important. For the heart does not rejoice with which the mind does not agree upon! Prov. 19:2 "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge..."Stott wishes to have Christians to be zeal guided by knowledge, both zeal and knowledge, even though sometimes we might set one against the other (e.g., zealous pietists vs. dead logical rationalists). Stott believes in the power of the truth (p.13), and that the rationality of man is sometimes seen as one of the aspects of being created in the image of God, and is basically taken for granted by many. Stott lays out how God's revelation is primarily to our minds, that it is through knowledge of God and God's will that we are to obey, and that we will be judged. Thus, Stott is trying to state how the intellectual sphere is will play an important role within Christian life.Stott namely names spheres of worship, faith, holiness, guidance, evangelism, and ministry as areas where we will require the intellectual pursuits. For instance, true worship loves God with our minds. Stott then moves on to name what faith isn't: faith is not credulity, it is not blind, it is not optimism, and it isn't placed in oneself, but rather in God. Faith is a trust in the promises of God in His trustworthiness, based on one's walk with Him. Faith thus goes along with knowledge and thinking. Holiness requires that we know what God wants of us, and that the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, humility, self-control) and knowledge of God require that we discipline our minds. Guidance (i.e., knowing God's will) requires that we know what God's will is generally -- in Scripture, guided by Scriptural and theological principles. Evangelism requires that we know the Gospel is and how to explain it (i.e., we must know its content), and sometimes even that we give a defense, or apologia (giving rise to apologetics) for the faith that we have (1Pet. 3:15). We must also not dilute or distort the Gospel, and this requires a discipline of mind. One of the gifts of ministry is that of Christian Education, in edifying the saints. This requires discipline of the mind.To complete the journey, Stott brings us to the point that knowing is not enough; we must act on our knowledge. For the knowledge of God is not an ends to itself, knowledge of God should bring us to reverence and love for God (worship), faith in God, holiness of character, and love for our neighbor. Knowledge should always lead to love, such that we can speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).