Love God With All Our Mind
I found out that for many Christians an intellectual understanding of what we believe and why you believe is not important as long as you have an experiential feeling in your heart! The heart is what you used in a relationship with God but the brain is what you used while studying science, computers, economics and history in school. There is a separation of the heart for spiritual stuffs and the mind for secular stuffs like dinosaurs. When that happens, no wonder our faith has so little impact on how we do our work or studies in the world. And no wonder our ‘daily activities’ outside the church has very little to do with God or the gospel.
But the Bible seems to say: “Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewal of your minds”. It doesn’t say “Be transformed by the removal of your minds”! So we don’t need to remove our brains in order to be a Christian. In fact, renewing our mind with God’s truth and kingdom values is crucial to our spiritual growth.
The following is sermon transcript for today's sermon at Klang Presbyterian Church
Love God With All Your Mind
Showing posts with label life of the mind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life of the mind. Show all posts
Monday, January 09, 2012
Monday, December 22, 2008
Have Christians Lost Their Minds? Part I
Kairos magazine latest edition The Church's Neglected Treasure is fresh out of the stove. Here is an unedited draft of my article on the the loss and recovery of the Christian mind in our spirituality and mission.
As an inquisitive new believer in secondary school, I began asking how the Genesis account of creation in seven days explains those fascinating dinosaurs I discovered while watching documentary shows on T.V. Were they safe inside Noah’s ark? Did the flood wipe them out?
So in hope for some answers, I picked up the courage to ask my science teacher who also happened to be a Christian. He gazed at me somewhat quizzically and asked another question in return, “Tell me. Does God answer your prayers?”
I nodded sheepishly, baffled by how the quality of my “devotion time” had anything to do with the extinction of dinosaurs! Perhaps sensing my perplexity, he explained, “If God has answered your prayers, why do you need to ask so many things?”
From that day on, I found out that for many Christians an intellectual understanding of the faith is not important as long as we have an experiential feeling that it works! The heart is what you used in a relationship with God but the brain is what you used while studying science, economics and history in school.
This common suspicion towards the role of the mind in our spiritual life may sometimes be fueled by faulty interpretations of Bible passages: “What’s the use of reason since we should have faith like a child? (Matthew 8:13) Knowledge just puffs up our pride (1 Corinthians 8:1) so we should avoid secular studies. And shouldn’t we beware of hollow and deceptive philosophy? (Colossians 2:8)”
To begin with, we should not confuse the need for a childlike faith (humble, dependent trust in God) with childish thinking. To the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wrote, “Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” (1 Corinthians 14:20) He also warned against a proud attitude that paraded one’s spiritual knowledge for self-glory instead of mutual, loving edification. The real problem is arrogance, not knowledge in itself. Therefore, our proper response is humility, not ignorance.
Indeed, we need to be careful of many deceptive ideas available nowadays. But we cannot beware of bad philosophy if we are not even aware of it in the first place. The cure is truthful, biblical and sound thinking (not the absence of it). C. S. Lewis once wrote, “Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered.” The learned apostle Paul himself was familiar with the ideas of pagan philosophers so that he can discern truth from error. (Colossians 2:8)
Discipleship of the mind is so crucial because we are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength and all our mind. (Luke 10:27) It is obedience to the greatest commandment of our Lord Jesus. Scripture also calls us to be transformed by the renewal (not removal!) of our mind less we be conformed to worldly patterns. (Romans 12:2)
But what practical value is there in developing a ‘Christian mind’? Isn’t it just theoretical, head knowledge that does not help us live properly?
Although there is partial truth to the perception that scholars sometimes split hairs over seemingly irrelevant issues, the best theologians often aid us not merely to gather data but to gain wisdom for life. After all, a good theory is a very practical thing just as having a good map is an immense help to reach unknown destinations. In the same way, an accurate mental map of reality guides our navigation through difficult decisions in the world.
Furthermore, what we believe to be true has a powerful influence over how we should live. For example, if we view human life as merely a biological machine, we won’t be terribly inclined to treat it with much dignity or respect. Or if we truly understand God to be holy and gracious as revealed in Scripture, our spiritual life gradually reflects His own character. Sound theology should flow from the head to the heart and finally to the hands. True knowledge and living experience enrich each other.
Read Part Two: Have Christians Lost Their minds?
As an inquisitive new believer in secondary school, I began asking how the Genesis account of creation in seven days explains those fascinating dinosaurs I discovered while watching documentary shows on T.V. Were they safe inside Noah’s ark? Did the flood wipe them out? So in hope for some answers, I picked up the courage to ask my science teacher who also happened to be a Christian. He gazed at me somewhat quizzically and asked another question in return, “Tell me. Does God answer your prayers?”
I nodded sheepishly, baffled by how the quality of my “devotion time” had anything to do with the extinction of dinosaurs! Perhaps sensing my perplexity, he explained, “If God has answered your prayers, why do you need to ask so many things?”
From that day on, I found out that for many Christians an intellectual understanding of the faith is not important as long as we have an experiential feeling that it works! The heart is what you used in a relationship with God but the brain is what you used while studying science, economics and history in school.
This common suspicion towards the role of the mind in our spiritual life may sometimes be fueled by faulty interpretations of Bible passages: “What’s the use of reason since we should have faith like a child? (Matthew 8:13) Knowledge just puffs up our pride (1 Corinthians 8:1) so we should avoid secular studies. And shouldn’t we beware of hollow and deceptive philosophy? (Colossians 2:8)”
To begin with, we should not confuse the need for a childlike faith (humble, dependent trust in God) with childish thinking. To the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wrote, “Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” (1 Corinthians 14:20) He also warned against a proud attitude that paraded one’s spiritual knowledge for self-glory instead of mutual, loving edification. The real problem is arrogance, not knowledge in itself. Therefore, our proper response is humility, not ignorance.
Indeed, we need to be careful of many deceptive ideas available nowadays. But we cannot beware of bad philosophy if we are not even aware of it in the first place. The cure is truthful, biblical and sound thinking (not the absence of it). C. S. Lewis once wrote, “Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered.” The learned apostle Paul himself was familiar with the ideas of pagan philosophers so that he can discern truth from error. (Colossians 2:8)
Discipleship of the mind is so crucial because we are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength and all our mind. (Luke 10:27) It is obedience to the greatest commandment of our Lord Jesus. Scripture also calls us to be transformed by the renewal (not removal!) of our mind less we be conformed to worldly patterns. (Romans 12:2)
But what practical value is there in developing a ‘Christian mind’? Isn’t it just theoretical, head knowledge that does not help us live properly?
Although there is partial truth to the perception that scholars sometimes split hairs over seemingly irrelevant issues, the best theologians often aid us not merely to gather data but to gain wisdom for life. After all, a good theory is a very practical thing just as having a good map is an immense help to reach unknown destinations. In the same way, an accurate mental map of reality guides our navigation through difficult decisions in the world.
Furthermore, what we believe to be true has a powerful influence over how we should live. For example, if we view human life as merely a biological machine, we won’t be terribly inclined to treat it with much dignity or respect. Or if we truly understand God to be holy and gracious as revealed in Scripture, our spiritual life gradually reflects His own character. Sound theology should flow from the head to the heart and finally to the hands. True knowledge and living experience enrich each other.
Read Part Two: Have Christians Lost Their minds?
Have Christians Lost Their Minds? Part II
In this age of digital information, it is also nearly impossible to isolate our loved ones from ideas (even harmful ones!) They are just a Google search away. What we can do, however, is to boost up our spiritual immune system by being informed of these ideas first and equipped to evaluate them from a biblical perspective. The strategy is not retreat into a cultural ghetto, but cultivating a robust Christian worldview that understands and engages culture. When the church provides thinking tools that empower our youths, they will learn how to detect faulty arguments and dismantle irrational assumptions on their own. By training them what and why Christians believe, we intentionally raise up a generation of confident, conversant and winsome ambassadors for the Kingdom. An informed faith prepares us to give a reason for the hope we have in Christ with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:16)
But if we neglect the discipleship of our minds, we easily absorb materialistic values or hedonistic practices from popular movies, songs and novels without even knowing it. Our witness of the gospel would also lack boldness as we succumb to the temptation to either withdraw from or compromise with the world. Since the gospel is public truth (not merely private experiences), Christians have a responsibility to speak sensibly in the public square where crucial issues of life are discussed and decided. Today, there is an urgent and serious need for us to explore how the church as a redeemed community in the world responds to racism, inter-religious harmony, economic disparity, the spread of infectious diseases, ethics in biomedical technology and so on. We cannot address these burning issues in our Malaysian society without faithfully and diligently applying our minds to connect God’s word with God’s world.
How then shall we recover the Christian mind? Here are some brief suggestions:
• Help the laity to integrate biblical faith with their vocation. Discipleship classes should also tackle unique opportunities and challenges they face in the marketplace as a lawyer, artist, businessperson, teacher, healthcare workers etc.
• Encourage healthy reading habits by stocking up the church library with solid resources that stimulates the mind and create interest with regular book reviews.
• Preach well-prepared sermons that help the congregation to read the Scriptures themselves, not merely packed with entertaining how-to advice.
• Does our youth ministry educate students to think Christianly about the subjects they learn in school or colleges? More than games and songs, they may need to discern what’s true, beautiful and ethical expressed in these disciplines.
• If we have evangelistic courses like Alpha or Christianity Explored, small group leaders could be trained in apologetics so they can handle frequently asked questions from seekers with humility, confidence and knowledge.
Can you imagine what the transformation of our spirituality and witness in society looks like when our minds are regularly renewed with such practices? It is a lifelong project that requires lots of energy and time, but the effort will be worth our while.
And you’ll never know when a curious young believer may approach you with questions about the book of Genesis and the last dinosaurs!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Losing Our Minds?
Happy to see these exuberant youths so on fire for the Lord. Pastor Malcolm gave an inspiring reminder that our generation yearns to experience God and there is nothing wrong with that (in fact much to be encouraged) yet we need to know that we know what and why and who we believe. The Bible does not call us to be tranformed by the 'removing' of our minds! Instead it calls for the renewing of our minds. Thank you so much for prayer partners and Gary/Alexa for giving a raw speaker much needed practice and trust :)
As a curious teenager, I was disturbed by what I read in Genesis and asked a Christian science teacher,“Is the universe really 6 thousand years old or millions of years old?”
He looked at me and asked back: "Does God answer your prayers?" If it 'works', then why ask questions about whether it's true? The life of the mind is often neglected.
One reason is misunderstanding of Jesus' call to have ‘child-like faith’. It meant having the humility and guile-less dependence of a child, not a toddler's IQ as condition to enter the Kingdom. “In respect to evil be like infants, but in your thinking be mature.” (1 Cor 14)
Another reason is sometimes we confuse thinking/questioning with unbelief. It gives some people the impression that to be a Christian, we must only believe but never ask questions or think through our faith. Thinking is not the enemy of faith. In fact, getting people to think about the big questions of life is a friend of faith. Nowadays the challenge is to creatively point people to realities deeper than our investments, waistlines, holidays, retirement packages. See how Jesus answers questions with questions.
Someone once said: "Faith is not a substitute for knowledge but a response to it". It is not believing what you know ain't true. Sitting on a chair involves faith - knowing that the chair will hold my weight and active trust in committing myself to sit on it. Knowing (scientia), trusting (assensus) and committing (fiducia). Why do we need to develop a Christian mind Or a biblical perspective on life, the world, on our work? Simply put, it is part of loving and following God.
William Temple: "To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God."
In the age of Google and youtube, we cannot isolate people from ideas (even dangerous ones) but we can innoculate them (giving people the tools to think for themselves or introduce these viruses so their bodies can develop an immune system)
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Mengapa Sejarah Penting?
Terjemahan dari KeropokLekor dan Hedonese
Dalam surat yang singkat, Yudas (Jude) mengajar kita sedikit sebanyak tentang pentingnya menimba ikhtibar daripada sejarah. Ini bukan isi utama surat tersebut. Akan tetapi, beberapa pemerhatian yang seterusnya agak luar biasa:
Dalam surat kedua terakhir dalam Al-Kitab, Yudas menulis untuk mendorong para pengikut Kristus untuk “mempertahankan dengan bersemangat, iman yang telah diwahyukan Tuhan kepada mereka” (ayat 3). Surat ini adalah amaran supaya berwaspada akan orang tertentu yang telah masuk menyelusup… orang-orang yang fasik, yang menyalahgunakan kasih karunia Allah kita untuk melampiaskan hawa nafsu mereka, dan yang menyangkal satu-satunya Penguasa dan Tuhan kita, Yesus Kristus.” (ayat 4). Yudas menyifatkan orang-orang tersebut dengan jelas. Mereka “mengutuk segala yang mereka tidak fahami” (ayat 10). Mereka “mengadu tentang nasib mereka, mencari salah orang lain, hidup menuruti hawa nafsu mereka, membodek orang untuk menangguk di air keruh” (ayat 16). Mereka “menyebabkan pecah-belah dan berfikiran duniawi, dan hidup tanpa Roh Kudus” (ayat 19).
Penilaian yang dahsyat ini bukanlah ditujukan kepada orang-orang di luar gereja, tetapi kepada orang telah menyelusup tanpa disedari. Yudas mahu umat mengecam mereka supaya gereja tidak ditipu dan dihancurkan oleh ajaran sesat dan perbuatan tidak bermoral mereka.
Salah satu strategi Yudas adalah dengan membandingkan mereka dengan watak dan peristiwa lain dalam sejarah. Contohnya, dia berkata bahawa “Sodom dan Gomorrah… yang dengan cara yang sama melakukan percabulan dan mengejar kepuasan-kepuasan yang tak wajar, telah menanggung siksaan api kekal sebagai peringatan kepada semua orang.” (ayat 7).
Jadi Yudas membandingkan pengajar-pengajar sesat tersebut dengan Sodom and Gomora. Tujuan beliau menjadikan Sodom dan Gomora sebagai “peringatan” kepada apa yang bakal menimpa mereka. Dalam minda Yudas, mengetahui sejarah Sodom dan Gomora itu penting bagi mengecam ajaran sesat dan melindungi umat daripadanya.
Seperti ayat 11, Yudas memberikan 3 rujukan lain kepada peristiwa lampau sebagai perbandingan dengan apa yang sedang berlaku di kalangan orang Kristian. Beliau berkata “Celakalah mereka, kerana mereka mengikuti jejak Kain dan kerana mereka, oleh sebab upah, menceburkan diri ke dalam kesesatan Balaam, dan mereka binasa kerana kederhakaan seperti Korah.”
Menarik sekali. Kenapa Yudas melihat kembali tiga insiden sejarah yang berlaku beribu-ribu tahun dahulu – Kejadian 19 (Sodom), Kejadian 3 (Kain), Bilangan 22-24 (Balaam), Bilangan 16 (Korah)? Apakah tujuan Yudas?
Berikut adalah tiga sebabnya:
1) Yudas menganggap bahawa pembaca sudah mengetahui kisah-kisah sejarah tersebut! Adakah ini tidak menakjubkan? Zaman Yudas adalah abad pertama! Tiada buku-buku cetakan. Tiada Al-Kitab. Tiada kaset atau video. Hanya hafalan dan cerita yang diwarisi. Dan Yudas menganggap mereka akan jelas tentang “jejak Kain”, “kesesatan Balaam” dan “kederhakaan Korah”? Tahukah anda tentang kisah tersebut? Bukankah ini menarik? Ini menyebabkan saya merasakan bahawa tahap pengetahuan Al-Kitab dalam gereja kita hari ini adalah terlalu rendah.
2) Yudas menganggap bahawa dengan mengetahui sejarah, masalah situasi semasa dapat dimudahkan. Orang Kristian akan lebih bersedia menghadapi ajaran sesat pada hari ini jika mereka mengetahui situasi yang sama semalam. Dengan kata lain, sejarah adalah penting untuk kehidupan Kristian. Untuk mengetahui bahawa Kain iri hati dan membenci abangnya dan merosakkan hubungannya dengan Tuhan akan memberi amaran kepada kita agar berjaga-jaga sekiranya perkara yang sama berlaku hari ini. Kesedaran bahawa Balaam menyalahgunakan Firman Tuhan untuk kepentingan diri membolehkan anda kenalpasti perbuatan yang sama hari ini. Mengetahui bahawa Korah memberontak terhadap kepimpinan sah Nabi Musa akan memperlengkapi anda agar berwaspada dengan orang-orang tidak suka dipimpin.
3) Tidakkah ianya jelas bahawa Tuhan menentukan arus sejarah dan pastikan ianya direkodkan supaya kita memperoleh ikhtibar dan lebih bijaksana dan berpengetahuan dalam menangani situasi semasa demi Kristus dan gereja-Nya? Janganlah berhenti belajar sejarah. Tambahlah ilmu pengetahuan setiap hari. Dan berilah anak-anak kita salah satu perlindungan bagi cabaran masa depan, iaitu, pengajaran kisah-kisah lampau.
Belajar dengan anda, demi Kristus dan kerajaan-Nya
John Piper
Dalam surat yang singkat, Yudas (Jude) mengajar kita sedikit sebanyak tentang pentingnya menimba ikhtibar daripada sejarah. Ini bukan isi utama surat tersebut. Akan tetapi, beberapa pemerhatian yang seterusnya agak luar biasa:
Dalam surat kedua terakhir dalam Al-Kitab, Yudas menulis untuk mendorong para pengikut Kristus untuk “mempertahankan dengan bersemangat, iman yang telah diwahyukan Tuhan kepada mereka” (ayat 3). Surat ini adalah amaran supaya berwaspada akan orang tertentu yang telah masuk menyelusup… orang-orang yang fasik, yang menyalahgunakan kasih karunia Allah kita untuk melampiaskan hawa nafsu mereka, dan yang menyangkal satu-satunya Penguasa dan Tuhan kita, Yesus Kristus.” (ayat 4). Yudas menyifatkan orang-orang tersebut dengan jelas. Mereka “mengutuk segala yang mereka tidak fahami” (ayat 10). Mereka “mengadu tentang nasib mereka, mencari salah orang lain, hidup menuruti hawa nafsu mereka, membodek orang untuk menangguk di air keruh” (ayat 16). Mereka “menyebabkan pecah-belah dan berfikiran duniawi, dan hidup tanpa Roh Kudus” (ayat 19).Penilaian yang dahsyat ini bukanlah ditujukan kepada orang-orang di luar gereja, tetapi kepada orang telah menyelusup tanpa disedari. Yudas mahu umat mengecam mereka supaya gereja tidak ditipu dan dihancurkan oleh ajaran sesat dan perbuatan tidak bermoral mereka.
Salah satu strategi Yudas adalah dengan membandingkan mereka dengan watak dan peristiwa lain dalam sejarah. Contohnya, dia berkata bahawa “Sodom dan Gomorrah… yang dengan cara yang sama melakukan percabulan dan mengejar kepuasan-kepuasan yang tak wajar, telah menanggung siksaan api kekal sebagai peringatan kepada semua orang.” (ayat 7).
Jadi Yudas membandingkan pengajar-pengajar sesat tersebut dengan Sodom and Gomora. Tujuan beliau menjadikan Sodom dan Gomora sebagai “peringatan” kepada apa yang bakal menimpa mereka. Dalam minda Yudas, mengetahui sejarah Sodom dan Gomora itu penting bagi mengecam ajaran sesat dan melindungi umat daripadanya.
Seperti ayat 11, Yudas memberikan 3 rujukan lain kepada peristiwa lampau sebagai perbandingan dengan apa yang sedang berlaku di kalangan orang Kristian. Beliau berkata “Celakalah mereka, kerana mereka mengikuti jejak Kain dan kerana mereka, oleh sebab upah, menceburkan diri ke dalam kesesatan Balaam, dan mereka binasa kerana kederhakaan seperti Korah.”
Menarik sekali. Kenapa Yudas melihat kembali tiga insiden sejarah yang berlaku beribu-ribu tahun dahulu – Kejadian 19 (Sodom), Kejadian 3 (Kain), Bilangan 22-24 (Balaam), Bilangan 16 (Korah)? Apakah tujuan Yudas?
Berikut adalah tiga sebabnya:
1) Yudas menganggap bahawa pembaca sudah mengetahui kisah-kisah sejarah tersebut! Adakah ini tidak menakjubkan? Zaman Yudas adalah abad pertama! Tiada buku-buku cetakan. Tiada Al-Kitab. Tiada kaset atau video. Hanya hafalan dan cerita yang diwarisi. Dan Yudas menganggap mereka akan jelas tentang “jejak Kain”, “kesesatan Balaam” dan “kederhakaan Korah”? Tahukah anda tentang kisah tersebut? Bukankah ini menarik? Ini menyebabkan saya merasakan bahawa tahap pengetahuan Al-Kitab dalam gereja kita hari ini adalah terlalu rendah.
2) Yudas menganggap bahawa dengan mengetahui sejarah, masalah situasi semasa dapat dimudahkan. Orang Kristian akan lebih bersedia menghadapi ajaran sesat pada hari ini jika mereka mengetahui situasi yang sama semalam. Dengan kata lain, sejarah adalah penting untuk kehidupan Kristian. Untuk mengetahui bahawa Kain iri hati dan membenci abangnya dan merosakkan hubungannya dengan Tuhan akan memberi amaran kepada kita agar berjaga-jaga sekiranya perkara yang sama berlaku hari ini. Kesedaran bahawa Balaam menyalahgunakan Firman Tuhan untuk kepentingan diri membolehkan anda kenalpasti perbuatan yang sama hari ini. Mengetahui bahawa Korah memberontak terhadap kepimpinan sah Nabi Musa akan memperlengkapi anda agar berwaspada dengan orang-orang tidak suka dipimpin.3) Tidakkah ianya jelas bahawa Tuhan menentukan arus sejarah dan pastikan ianya direkodkan supaya kita memperoleh ikhtibar dan lebih bijaksana dan berpengetahuan dalam menangani situasi semasa demi Kristus dan gereja-Nya? Janganlah berhenti belajar sejarah. Tambahlah ilmu pengetahuan setiap hari. Dan berilah anak-anak kita salah satu perlindungan bagi cabaran masa depan, iaitu, pengajaran kisah-kisah lampau.
Belajar dengan anda, demi Kristus dan kerajaan-Nya
John Piper
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
A Call To Redeem Culture
Friday, February 23, 2007
Reasonable Faith 2007
Reasonable Faith Training Program
Date: April 13 - 15, 2007
Venue: Hotel Puri Melaka, Malaysia
Contact: iching@rzimap.com.sg (IChing) for more details abt registration
Exciting and Relevant Issue: "Jesus among other lords"
The experienced RZIM team will take you on a discovery exploration on Religion roulette: How can we know for sure?, Interactive Movie Discussions, Worldview thinking, How now shall we live?, Postmodern spirituality, Jesus then and now, Ecclesiastes, Communicating the gospel in a pluralistic society and so much more!
Without a firm foundation in Scripture and the uniqueness of Christ, we would risk being captivated by religious pluralism and postmodern spirituality which reduced the gospel narrative as merely one among many religious options in the supermarket. I highly recommend this camp to everyone!
Date: April 13 - 15, 2007
Venue: Hotel Puri Melaka, Malaysia
Contact: iching@rzimap.com.sg (IChing) for more details abt registration
Exciting and Relevant Issue: "Jesus among other lords"The experienced RZIM team will take you on a discovery exploration on Religion roulette: How can we know for sure?, Interactive Movie Discussions, Worldview thinking, How now shall we live?, Postmodern spirituality, Jesus then and now, Ecclesiastes, Communicating the gospel in a pluralistic society and so much more!
Without a firm foundation in Scripture and the uniqueness of Christ, we would risk being captivated by religious pluralism and postmodern spirituality which reduced the gospel narrative as merely one among many religious options in the supermarket. I highly recommend this camp to everyone!
Pemodenan, Kebangkitan Agama dan Pertembungan Budaya : Teologi Budaya dan Keterlibatan Sosial (1)
tulisan Dr. Ng Kam Weng, untuk NECF
(terjemahan Keropok Lekor)
A. KESAKSIAN INTELEK KEPADA MASYARAKAT UMUM
Adolf Hernack telah memerhatikan bahawa kebangkitan gereja awal bukan sahaja kerana kasih mereka melebihi kumpulan lain, tapi pemikiran mereka juga menjangkau para pengkritik. Orang Kristian awal yakin tentang kebenaran intelek dan kerasionalan wahyu Kristiani.
J.G. Machen telah menulis, “Kita boleh berkhutbah dengan sepenuh semangat seorang Reformer tetapi hanya boleh memenangi hati seorang dua di sana sini, jika kita membenarkan seluruh pemikiran masyarakat dan dunia keseluruhan dikuasai oleh idea-idea yang secara logiknya menyempitkan Kristianiti sebagai suatu delusi semata-mata”
Kita mesti menghadapi cabaran daripada budaya yang menentang Kristianiti jika kesaksian Kristiani hendak mempunyai kredibiliti.
• Mempunyai pemahaman yang penuh tentang dunia moden.
• Mengenalpasti isu penting untuk dihadapi jika kita ingin mengikut saranan J.H. Bavinck untuk menawan budaya dan pemikiran dalam Kristus.
• Membentuk semula konsep untuk refleksi Kristiani dan meletakkan keutamaan untuk pendidikan teologi. Banyak kali aktivisme telah mengambil tempat refleksi teologi yang serius apabila kita berjuang dalam krisis masa kini. Tetapi dalam ketiadaan dasar intelek yang unik dan ketidakupayaan kita untuk mengeluarkan kritikan terhadap andaian dan paten pemikiran dominan dunia, kita akan berakhir dengan hanya sia-sianya melayan agenda elit bukan Kristian dan akhirnya dipengaruhi kekuasaan masa kini.
• Memastikan bahawa teologi didasarkan terhadap tradisi Alkitabiah dan dihubungkan dengan realiti kontekstual. Ini memerlukan satu pendekatan baru kepada pendidikan teologi dan cara melatih pemikir dan pengembala Kristian.
Teruskan Bacaan Anda Di Sini
(terjemahan Keropok Lekor)
A. KESAKSIAN INTELEK KEPADA MASYARAKAT UMUM
Adolf Hernack telah memerhatikan bahawa kebangkitan gereja awal bukan sahaja kerana kasih mereka melebihi kumpulan lain, tapi pemikiran mereka juga menjangkau para pengkritik. Orang Kristian awal yakin tentang kebenaran intelek dan kerasionalan wahyu Kristiani.
J.G. Machen telah menulis, “Kita boleh berkhutbah dengan sepenuh semangat seorang Reformer tetapi hanya boleh memenangi hati seorang dua di sana sini, jika kita membenarkan seluruh pemikiran masyarakat dan dunia keseluruhan dikuasai oleh idea-idea yang secara logiknya menyempitkan Kristianiti sebagai suatu delusi semata-mata”Kita mesti menghadapi cabaran daripada budaya yang menentang Kristianiti jika kesaksian Kristiani hendak mempunyai kredibiliti.
• Mempunyai pemahaman yang penuh tentang dunia moden.
• Mengenalpasti isu penting untuk dihadapi jika kita ingin mengikut saranan J.H. Bavinck untuk menawan budaya dan pemikiran dalam Kristus.
• Membentuk semula konsep untuk refleksi Kristiani dan meletakkan keutamaan untuk pendidikan teologi. Banyak kali aktivisme telah mengambil tempat refleksi teologi yang serius apabila kita berjuang dalam krisis masa kini. Tetapi dalam ketiadaan dasar intelek yang unik dan ketidakupayaan kita untuk mengeluarkan kritikan terhadap andaian dan paten pemikiran dominan dunia, kita akan berakhir dengan hanya sia-sianya melayan agenda elit bukan Kristian dan akhirnya dipengaruhi kekuasaan masa kini.
• Memastikan bahawa teologi didasarkan terhadap tradisi Alkitabiah dan dihubungkan dengan realiti kontekstual. Ini memerlukan satu pendekatan baru kepada pendidikan teologi dan cara melatih pemikir dan pengembala Kristian.
Teruskan Bacaan Anda Di Sini
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