Educational institutions have long been breeding grounds for ideas that have been anti-God, among many other things. This is not to say that every professor or every situation is bad, but Christians certainly have reason to be concerned about the types of influences to which their children are subjected at these places. We would be wrong not to be concerned. Sadly, many of those concerns have been actualized in nightmarish realities as the children of Christians have bought into the ideas that have destroyed their souls in the process. Examples of this can be multiplied as many parents have experienced the heartbreak that comes with it. 

Further, seminaries and schools that are supposed to teach the Bible haven’t always been of much help. Children going to these places may indeed keep their faith in God overall, but are then susceptible to various religious errors. Sometimes it seems that our children aren’t safe anywhere. That’s the world for you. We can become easily discouraged and feel helpless against the onslaught that attacks biblical faith. The spiritual battle for the mind is quite real, and we have a serious task on our hands in putting on the armor of God so that we can stand against the schemes of the evil one (Eph 6:10-18). Just remember that if we are going to ward off the lion that seeks to devour, our children must first be educated properly in the home. 

Above all we need to be educated in Scripture itself, and this will be a lifetime pursuit. On the other side of the intellectual coin lies another problem: these above concerns in the past have contributed to an anti-intellectualism among Christians. Some, because of abuses, may see rigorous education as an enemy, and the result of this can also be disastrous. The more that Christians bow out of the intellectual process, the more they come to see religion as based on feelings. They isolate ourselves from society at large and cannot contribute to the knowledge base. They don’t appeal to people intellectually so they focus on feelings and experiences, and feelings are easily dismissed by those who don’t share them. They fail to give their children the tools to find and understand responsible, intelligent answers to difficult questions. Because people can see through this, including children, Christians become ineffective at evangelism. Repudiating the intellect will not save souls. It will only confirm what many have come to believe: religion and faith are contrary to reason, evidence, intelligence, and science. Christians, if we denigrate education, then we must accept our part of the responsibility for these misunderstandings and mischaracterizations. Education in itself is not the enemy. 

Steve Cowan put it this away in an interview (that can be accessed here): 

“I believe that the greatest threat to Christianity is the anti-intellectualism that permeates the church. For about a century now, Christians have largely retreated from the intellectual arena and entrenched themselves in a version of Christianity that emphasizes feelings, experience, and pragmatism, and have ignored the life of the mind. We have adopted a view of faith that sees it as opposed to reason. The result has been the marginalization of the church from the larger culture and our inability to be salt and light, and the increasing secularization of our society.”* 

Ignoring the “life of the mind” is as dangerous as ignoring the heart in service. We can fool ourselves into thinking that if we just stay out of the intellectual arena we will be able to harvest more souls for the Lord and save our children. The result may well be the opposite. Yes, there are grave dangers in the universities, but there are also grave dangers in retreating from intellectual pursuit. Those in christendom seem to have waved the white flag of surrender when it comes to education and intellectual pursuit while secularism wins the day. It’s time to put the white flag down and raise the banner of the cross once again, a banner that supports the proper use of the mind. The challenge is not easy, but it is real. Finding that balance is difficult, to be sure, but it is needed. 

I’m not saying one must have a college degree or attend a particular college to serve the Lord and be faithful. This is not about college degrees (education is more than that), and it is not an either/or scenario (we can recognize dangers and also educate ourselves). I am saying that because part of the greatest commandment is to love God with all the mind, we must develop the mind in such a way that glorifies God no matter how we specifically pursue it. God gave us our intellects. He expects us to learn, to think, to use our minds in the purpose for which they are made. The answer to dealing with the cultural problems is not to retreat from the life of the mind into some “better felt than told” cocoon. The answer is to learn how to think and reason better with God as our foundation. Learn to see through the facades of the bad arguments. Learn to engage the culture intelligently and reasonably. Show that Christianity appeals to both the heart and the head, and it is incumbent upon us as Christians to take this message to the world. 

Let’s also realize that pursuing the intellectual side of our faith is no guarantee that the world will think it is reasonable. The message of the cross is foolish to many and a stumbling block to others (1 Cor 1:18ff). That doesn’t change the fact that we still need to be rigorous in our use of the mind; it just means that we need an understanding of the world in which we live. Above all we need to be educated in Scripture itself, and this will be a lifetime pursuit. Deeply imbibing the sword of the Spirit, as we serve the One from whose mouth comes the sharp two-edged sword that slays the nations, will be our best defense against any onslaught threatening our faith (Eph 6:17; Rev 1:16; 2:12; 19:13-16; Heb 4:12-13; Jas 1:19-25). 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov 1:7). 

Doy Moyer