Word to the Wise
About Fooling Around with Wisdom
There was an article floating around a couple of weeks ago concerning intellectuals being in the faith. It was a good little read with some nice, discussion spurring thoughts in it. I don’t intend to push back on it so much as simply add some more thoughts to the conversation as a whole, and so here we are.
There is an assumption behind the entire issue that we need to get out in the fore, namely that intellectuals should be part of the faith. Now, before you get the chance to mishear me, let me clarify that I want intellectuals in our midst just as much as the other guy. Maybe even more considering the huge lack of them I’ve encountered in my time. So I’m not advocating for a dumbed down, intellectually stifled Christian faith brought about by a dumbed Christian mind. What I do want to suggest, or really remind us of, though, is that there is a level at which this shouldn’t be and even can’t be expected. But only in a sense and we’ll get to that in a bit.
First, let me give a brief defense the Christian idea of education and thought. Throughout history Christianity, while it has its blemishes in this area as it does in other places, has more often than not been on the forefront of expanding the education of individuals and thus leading the way in intellectual endeavors. While some would require a more thorough defense, the history books do the job quite well enough that I don’t feel that I have to chase this rabbit entirely. You’ve got Google, so if you think I’m bluffing then get to work.
I’ll provide one of the most obvious places that this occurred: the printing press of Johanne Gutenberg. He wanted to print Bibles. He brought reading—of all kinds, not just Biblical, and intentionally so—to the masses. Again, while we’ve had our less than exemplary days at times, the whole of the Faith has been and is pro-education. Small pockets of fear mongers amongst our modern American believers don’t get to stand as representatives of our whole story. It was Jesus, after all, who took the Mosaic command to love God with all our mind (along with our heart, soul, and strength) and put it on the pedestal of being the greatest command. Jesus is pleased when we use our brains, so let’s not be the least fuzzy on this point.
Back to the original point as promised: we shouldn’t expect to be brimming with the wisest of the wise. How could I posit such a thing? Easy, God did when he had Paul write 1 Corinthians. Let’s be intellectual for a moment and actually read what it is that God has said:
17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power…Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:17, 21-25
There is a level, Christian, at which this whole wisdom and/or intellectual thing has to be suspended. Actually, suspended isn’t the best word for it. “Eclipsed” is better, I think. There is a level at which this thing has to be eclipsed by something else. It doesn’t go away, but it does bow. We aren’t out to prove that we’re the most intellectual group and thus all the smarty pants should join us. That’s simply not our mission. We’re out to declare a reality about the universe: there is a new King in town so get on board or get out of the way. Even mentioning us saying that will have some nice knee jerk reactions because we know exactly how knee jerk those people will respond to it. But such is life, at least the new life.
The reality of this whole thing is that we are fools. Our message is a folly. The ultimate reason that more intellectuals aren’t a part of the Faith is that it goes against everything they’ve worked so hard to be. Their identity is wrapped inside the warm, cozy shell of ‘intellectual,’ and so to now take on the title of ‘fool’ would seem, well, foolish. It’s academic and intellectual heresy to willingly dive into such an identity.
The Psalmist gives us insight here when he so profoundly states that “the fool in his heart says ‘There is no God.’” (Ps. 14.1). If we are to minister accordingly and have proper expectations concerning our role amidst intellectuals then we don’t dumb ourselves down, we wise up to what’s really going on. We have to own the fact that the ultimate issue isn’t one of intellect, it’s one of depravity, and that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1.7).
