Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul

Our churches are filled with Christians who are idling in intellectual neutral. As Christians, their minds are going to waste. One result of this is an immature, superficial faith. People who simply ride the roller coaster of emotional experience are cheating themselves out of a deeper and richer Christian faith by neglecting the intellectual side of that faith. They know little of the riches of deep understanding of Christian truth, of the confidence inspired by the discovery that one's faith is logical and fits the facts of experience, of the stability brought to one's life by the conviction that one's faith is objectively true. - William Lane Craig in Passionate Conviction.J.P. Moreland's masterful book is an apt antidote to what his distinguished colleague, William Lane Craig laments in the quote above. After reading Love Your God With All Your Mind attentively (with all electronic devices turned off), one will begin to know, by the grace of the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), the "riches of [a] deep understanding of Christian truth."As a long-time Christian philosopher and apologist, when I read the first edition of this book, I was thrilled because the author, one of the most important and astute Christian philosophers of our day, developed a thorough, readable, deeply challenging spirituality of the sanctified intellect. More than that, I have used this modern classic as a textbook in many classes for many years, and I often recommend it as a tonic to the anti-intellectualism and fideism that sadly plagues much of Evangelicalism in the United States.The spirit of the second edition does not differ from the first (published in 1997), and much of the material is repeated. However, Moreland, who is distinguished professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, has added two new chapters that give an apologetic for Christianity from natural theology and the evidence for the deity and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although seasoned readers of Moreland (as I have been, since Scaling the Secular City [1987]), will find much that is familiar here; chapters seven through nine set forth a muscular and articulate defense of essential biblical truths. Despite having read many of the arguments before, I discovered some profound new arguments to add to my apologetic quiver. Especially fascinating was the edition of a three-page argument from natural beauty to the existence of a divine Artist (175-177). This species of natural theology has not been adequately addressed in recent literature, to my knowledge.The book is divided into four parts: (1) Why the Mind Matters in Christianity, (2) How to Develop a Mature Christian Mind, (3) What a Mature Christian Mind Looks Like, (4) Guaranteeing a Future for the Christian Mind. It also includes a long Appendix by Joe Gorra "on recommended resources" and another on "recommended organizations." Rather than summarizing each section, I will highlight some of the many strengths of this volume.First, like the apologist, philosopher, evangelist, and social critic and activist, Francis Schaeffer (1912-84), Moreland has a passion for the living God, for truth, for pertinent communication to our generation, for people, and for the objective truth of the Bible. (On this, see James Sire's noteworthy introduction to the 30th anniversary edition of Schaeffer's landmark book, The God Who is There [1998].) While Moreland, like Schaeffer, has the spiritual gift of evangelism, he is, unlike Schaeffer, a professional philosopher of the highest caliber, having written a voluminous corpus of work in the philosophy of religion, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of science, and more. And unlike some prolific evangelical authors (who shall remain nameless), these works are all impressive and worthwhile. But unlike most philosophers, Moreland has also written articles and books for the popular audience. For example, his book, The God Question: An Invitation to a Life of Meaning (Harvest House, 2009), is a marvelous apologetic aimed at the common thinking person. I could go on by citing The Virtue of Happiness and many more.Second, Love Your God With All Your Mind is peppered with real-life examples from Moreland's impressive ministry experience of over forty years. (In this, it resembles Schaeffer's The God Who is There.) Before becoming a full-time academic, Moreland planted two churches and worked with Campus Crusade. Even after entering the scholarly world full-time, he continues to reach out to the world around him in many creative ways. This challenges the reader to not only develop a Christian mind, but to faithfully apply it to all of culture under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.Third, while intellectually fertile on a theoretical level, the book is replete with specific examples and exhortations on how to cultivate the life of the mind for the cause of Christ. Moreland spends some time on the concept of intellectual virtue, appealing (without addressing the scholarly details) to what is called "virtue epistemology"--a practice Jesus himself defends (see chapter five of my book, On Jesus [Wadsworth, 2003]). I find this practical emphasis (rooted in intellectual wealth) to be rare in books on the Christian mind and cultural engagement. For example, Moreland urges us to pay scrupulous attention to our grammar when we speak, and to hold others linguistically accountable for this as well. This is no curmudgeonly pet peeve for the good professor. As Moreland says to those who resist his advice, "Isn't a developed intellectual love for God worth the price of an initial embarrassment at such correction. After all, the alternative is to continue to allow one another to speak incorrectly and fail to realize the intellectual benefits that come from the correct use of language" (129). Moreland also offers sagacious advice concerning adult education in the church, preaching, and outreach. For example, he rightly advises that Christian education be made intellectually rich by requiring texts, assignments, and a fee for attending. This adds weight to what otherwise is often no more than a Christian coffee and donuts clutch.A short review cannot do justice to a book long on knowledge, reason, wisdom, and passion for the Kingdom of God. Therefore, read it--and reread it. Then apply it for the glory of God.

I've reviewed this before and read it several times! It is the best book focusing on "the mind" from the Word of God. Many of today's Christians have overlooked what the Scriptures, God's Word, says about the mind and put their own interpretation and definition on 'the mind'. This book brings it all back to what God meant and how we as Christians today need to get back to His usage of "the mind". Reading it more than once instills what God wants us to use our minds for and how to use them. Enjoy!

A well deserved read!Definitely worth purchasing if you want to be well grounded in the foundations of your faith and to use your mind to serve god (rather than passively rely on a pastor to teach you).J.P Moreland clearly and concisely explains:1) The role and place reason (the intellect) has in the life of the soul,2) The basis of spiritual transformation by the renewal of your mind via the application of using your God given reason,3) The application of Apologetics in evangelism,4) The How-to and development of your intellectual resources for serving God via apologetics, reasoning, evidence for God and basic Logic;5) Address the culture of anti-intellectualism in the church and evangelical movement today (especially in the USA).I do have a minor criticism of the book, but will refrain from mentioning as it will not do the book justice (I actually want you to figure that out).

J.P. Moreland addresses the problems of the common anti-intellectual attitude among evangelical Christians, of whom he numbers himself. Several of the chapters address the need to develop the mind, adding biblical passages to show God does not call for `blind' faith. The separation and antinomy of faith and reason is a mistake, according to Moreland. He attributes historical causes -- the legacy of the Pilgrims and Puritans waning, and evangelical withdrawal in face of the philosophy of Hume and Kant, the German higher criticism of the Bible, and Darwinian evolution. He then goes into two prevalent oppositions to Christian evangelicalism today: naturalism and postmodernism. Naturalism, also called materialism by other critics, is the belief that the only truth is that which can be observed in the physical world by the senses. Postmodernism is the belief that "there is no such thing as objective reality, truth, knowledge, value, reason, and so forth. All these are social constructions...." Moreland points out that neither system allows for the truths of ethics or theology, and few would admit there are no ethical truths. He also answers naturalism by writing of the evidence for a divine creator by scientific theory, and the evidence for Christ's divinity from history.I thought the chapter that introduces logic was very useful, and more understandable than most texts on the subject, including Moreland's work with William Craig Lane, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. The chapter on logic is not comprehensive, but very good for identifying what makes for logical arguments and what makes for fallacies.The chapter on possible changes for the contemporary Church will be considered controversial for some, especially his suggestion that a church be led by elders, (as in the early Church), and not one senior pastor. The prescriptions are important because they emphasize the need for the Church to equip its members for ministry. These can be summed up by one of his statements: the Church should consider herself an educational institution.

Wonderful book - lucid, intelligent and thoughtful. Very clearly written and contains essential truths. Would recommend it to all thinking believers and non believers alike.

Excellent book, on how the mind is used in the christian faith, and why some of the greatest thinkers have been men of faith.Reminds me of quote, do not leave your brains at the church door.

I found this book heavy going and too wide in its range of topics - a crash course in syllogisms is a step too far!

This book is stimulating and challenging. It would be an excellent text for a study group or reading circle. Young people about to go up to university should be encouraged to read it and think about it.

The delibery was fast and the price is right! A muss read for every christian and non-christian! A spiritual, but at the same time an intelectual challenging bood that will inspired you to seek, learn from and serve God better!