Think for Christ

In the last episode I addressed the common concern that deep intellectual engagement leads to doubt and a crisis of faith. Here I consider a second concern often raised by well-meaning Christians. It is sometimes claimed that a focus on the intellectual side of the faith will result in intellectualism. By ‘intellectualism’ I mean a kind of an emotionless, affection-less, or dispassionate pursuit o...

Many people share the general assumption that intellectual pursuit is dangerous to the Christian soul; there is a fear that too much worldly wisdom, or secular learning will lead to doubt; that science and philosophy in particular are antithetical to faith. I understand why people think this way; it seems that today “experts” in every academic discipline are making claims that seem to be at odds w...

Christians are engaged in a spiritual war. This is not a war of bombs and bullets, but of ideas. Since the intellect is the realm of ideas, the spiritual war is, to a large extent, a war that wages on the battleground of the intellect. There is a spiritual clash of ideas happening all around us. False ideas make up the arsenal of the enemy, and to fight back, Christians have been armed with the tr...

The next benefit that comes from pursuing a life of the mind is the learning of intellectual humility. The most arrogant people around are usually the ones who think that they know more than they actually know. Having some knowledge or a little learning can often lead to overconfidence and self-assurance. As Alexander Pope once wrote, "A little learning is a dangerous thing." One of the very best...

Another benefit that comes from pursuing a life of the mind is historical literacy. Anyone committed to broadening his or her thinking for Christ will inevitably encounter the great Christian Classics from the past. These works are some of the best ever written and come from some of the greatest minds the world has ever known. Here we discuss four reasons to become historically literate. First, yo...

In this episode Anthony considers the next benefit of pursuing a life of the mind: the achievement of a well-ordered soul. In the course of this talk, important ideas are reviewed including: realism, essentialism, nominalism, essence, nature, an objective and universal standard of human goodness, human flourishing, and human purpose.

In this video, Anthony Alberino begins a new series titled "The Benefits of a Life of the Mind." There are many blessings that come from developing your intellect for Christ. Over the next several episodes, Anthony will share some of the ones that have been particularly useful in his own life. We begin by noting that when you develop your intellect, you'll improve your ability to reason. This is t...

In the final episode of this series on Evangelical Anti-intellectualism, Anthony Alberino considers some recent developments that are causes for hope that the American Church may be beginning to wake from its intellectual slumber. After decades of suppression, the question of the nature and existence of God became a live option once more for philosophers in Anglo-American universities in the late...

In Part Five of this series on Evangelical Anti-intellectualism Anthony Alberino turns to Scripture to see if there is a case to be made there for anti-intellectualism. A handful of passages from the New Testament are examined which are most often used by well-meaning Christians to discourage other Christians from intellectual pursuits. When considered in context, none of these passages give any s...

In Part Four of this series on Evangelical Anti-intellectualism Anthony Alberino takes a look at the problem from a sociological perspective. In addition to a historical legacy which still influences the evangelical community today, there are societal conditions that are exacerbating and reinforcing anti-intellectual tendencies in the church. As many observers and critics of popular culture have n...

In Part Three of this series on Evangelical Anti-intellectualism, Anthony Alberino explores the historical roots and development of the now-characteristic evangelical neglect of the mind. The Christian heritage is an intellectually rich one. Many of the most gifted thinkers over the last 2000 years have been committed Christians. Both the university and modern science are Christian innovations. Th...

In Part Two of this series on Evangelical Anti-intellectualism, Anthony Alberino considers the disastrous fallout of the church's long neglect of the mind. Several crises now confront the church, at least in part, because of its deep-seated anti-intellectualism. First, the church is losing its young people. between 70-75% of Christian raised youth walk away from the faith by their sophomore year i...

In this episode Anthony Alberino begins a new series titled "Evangelical Anti-intellectualism." Part One in the series considers the problem. Too many believers in the evangelical community neglect the intellect as an essential component of Christian discipleship. Most evangelical believers are suck in "intellectual neutral" and are letting their minds go to waste. Too many evangelical congregatio...

In this introductory episode Anthony Alberino provides a brief biography and shares the purpose behind the Think for Christ project. This channel is designed to be a place where believers can be encouraged to think, and a place where thinking believers can be encouraged. Since the 1800s, the American Evangelical Church has been beholden to a crippling anti-intellectualism. Our evangelical churches...