A Responsible Christian Intellectual

When I think of an intellectual, I think of someone is enlightened. I think of someone who pushes the envelope. I think of someone who is progressive – always pushing for something greater. Likewise, Christians are called to be “Christ-like.” And no one was more progressive during their life span than Christ Jesus. We as Christians are called to be greater. Life as a Christian is a life-long journey with mountains and valleys. There are burdens and frustrations that come with both Christians and intellectuals. As possible roadblocks occur, it becomes easy to give in and become part of the crowd. It is convenient to be status quo. But both fellow intellectuals and the Bible teach against this. The Bible teaches us to be separate – to not be a part of the world’s mode of thinking, but to have a renewed mind. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”(Romans 12:2)  Even the intellectual Vaclav Havel in The Art of the Impossible, believed that intellectuals should have a broader context of things which leads them to embrace a broader sense of responsibility. The Christian intellectual has to be responsible because we have to answer to God. As James Sire says in Habits of the Mind, “We are primarily responsible to our Creator, our Lord, our Savior – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”(204)

Christian intellectuals have a moral obligation to always search for the truth and tell the truth. Of course, if we are being led by God, then we will ultimately find the truth. However, there are plenty of instances when an intellectual used his intelligence or prominence to oppress people and persecute innocent people. It is called by James Sire “the treason of the intellectuals.” This leads many people to find that Christians and intellectuals can’t mix. A Christian intellectual cannot exist in their minds. But, God wants His people to be intelligent. He wants us to have wisdom and understanding. Proverbs 15:21 says, “Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.” Knowledge is very powerful, especially when it is controlled by responsibility. We are to be accountable in what we do and how we do it.

Christian intellectuals have a responsibility to not become content. God did not call us to be lazy or sloppy. It is not enough to be a church member. It is not enough to simply be a “good person.” We should be able to communicate with others. In order to be Disciples of Christ, as we are commanded to do by Jesus, we have to be able to confidently convey God’s word and live a life that sets an example for others. This is what glorifies God. This is our sole purpose in life – to glorify God. So, the responsibility of a Christian intellectual is to glorify God in all that we do.

What is an Intellectual?

By thinking beyond our own ways, we can develop and grow to even higher heights and better beings. Instead of placing ourselves in a box, we should think beyond the box. To me, that’s what an intellectual is all about. Intellectuals encourage thinking and going further with ideas. According to Aristotle, all men by nature desire to know. (Sire 91) However, it is up to us to seek the truth. The Bible says, in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you…” Intellectuals truly understand this. They push forward and invite new ideas. Or, they may just simply ask. “An intellectual is one who loves ideas, is dedicated to clarifying them, criticizing them, turning them over and over, seeing their implications,…”(Sire 27) James Sire viewed thinking as rock climbing: thinking hard is like mountain climbing. Mountain climbing is rigorous. Sometimes when we are in thought, it takes a huge demand on us mentally. Also, when mountain climbing, you have to consider the fear involved. There is fear of falling to your death at any moment. However, as an intellect, you can’t let the fear of error stop you from the pursuit of truth. This fear can be equated to the fear of being wrong. We must be able to accept the reality that we may be wrong. But, thinking should always be moral and just. And if it is moral, then being wrong should not hurt or harm anyone.

I don’t believe that we should suppress knowledge, but I think we should realize that education and knowledge prepares people to become great. I look at people such as Martin L. King and Mahatma Gandhi, and how they were progressive thinkers. They didn’t conform to thinking of their time. They used the knowledge that they developed and reached the masses through speech and protests. They ultimately were etched in history because of their works. Jesus was a progressive thinker. Jesus taught to ‘love your enemy’, which was unheard of at the time. Ironically, all three of these individuals were eventually killed for their beliefs. The power of being an intellectual cannot be underestimated. We should all appreciate the information that we are given and develop them; grow them. We should even challenge and criticize them. In order to become what we are meant to become we have to be willing to make mistakes. I find great value in making mistakes and ultimately being able to discover them for myself, because that is what a true intellectual does. 

Culture and the Life of the Mind

While I believe that one of our ultimate goals in life is to become a free thinker and learner; I also believe that our culture could greatly decrease our desire to think and learn. One problem with the idea of culture’s influence is that it affects foundational traits of a human being. We take on the values taught to us since birth. This makes it difficult to change our mode of thinking because we tend to inherit the feelings and emotions of our ancestors and the people who have raised us our entire lives. As Williams says, “We take on their values, adopt their unwritten assumptions, acquire their conceptual frameworks, participate in their rituals, and partake in their accepted behavior.”(Williams 73) When you’ve been taught certain things your whole life, it’s hard to just transform into a new person. The idea, to me is to resist the urge to fall into your comfort zone and free yourself from restrictive thinking. Don’t place yourself in a box. Place yourself outside of the box and think freely. This doesn’t mean that you will totally dismiss your culture. It just means that you may want to explore different cultures, because it is important to know what’s out there, besides what you have been taught. 

Life of Faith vs. Life of the Mind

As a Christian, I understand the importance of having faith and using it in every facet of life. However, as a learning student, I realize that having an intellectual understanding of life’s issues is vital to a successful life. Not successful in terms of fame and fortune, but successful as a human being, with characteristics of love and thoughtfulness. I grew up in a church that was predominantly made up of older members. I think it is safe to say that they were stuck in their ways. We were so caught up in tradition and the structure of the service that we missed out on plenty of opportunities. We were located close to a neighborhood of mostly young adults. I feel that we never did anything to reach out to the neighborhood. We stayed within the four walls of the church instead of going out and evangelizing. And even though I loved my fellow church members, I don’t think that God planned for His people to be closed mined and uninvolved in our communities. Therefore, I believe that it is necessary to be an intellectual thinker as well as a faithful human being. 

The Marks of an Educated Person

If I was asked what I thought an educated person was a month ago, I would have come to the conclusion that an educated person was someone who went to a prestige university and had a great career. These factors show accomplishment and carry a great deal of respect. However, being an educated person entails more than just a great job and a prestige university. It requires a person to become one with oneself. It requires people to be open and know themselves. It requires us to cultivate ourselves and become well-rounded. As Aristotle says, “Develop yourself, not just as a farmer or a physician or a businessman, but as a human being…That is the mark of an educated person.”(Holmes 101) As a Christian, it is important for me to be totally committed and dedicated to God. I know that being a Christian calls me to have humility, love, and integrity. But, a quality that is often overlooked is self-knowledge. “Knowing oneself means knowing what has to be learned, knowing how I can go at learning it, and the ability to learn from others.” In my opinion, this may be the single most important quality of a person. If you know yourself, then you know your flaws. You know what needs to be corrected in your life. You won’t get upset when people try to correct you. You won’t have an outburst when people give you advice. You will look at their advice with an open mind and try to find the truth in it. You will recognize that we are never finished learning. However much knowledge we have, there are still things we will never know.

The idea of experience comes from the indication that experience is the best teacher. Some things we experience in life can make us stronger. And sometimes the older we get, the wiser we become. On the other hand, I have seen some old fools. And it seems like some people go through the same things over and over again. It is my opinion that while experience can help grow a person into someone greater, it can also be unbeneficial. Experience without understanding can provide little in terms of person development. As Holmes says in “The Idea of a Christian College, “…if experience alone is not understanding and if education requires understanding, then experience alone is not enough for education.”(Holmes 92)     

The idea of community leaves a huge effect on us as individuals. Community can produce feelings of love or hate, depending on your experiences. Community can teach us to work together to accomplish goals and objectives. “But in working together at their marriage, a couple’s feelings are nourished and grow; in working together in the life of a church, feelings of warmth and togetherness are enhanced.” A community can help shape a person’s values and beliefs. This is why it is so powerful, and it an important influence on a person’s life. So, it is important that communities are formed well – built with love and abounding in grace.

Integrating Faith with Learning

As a believer of God, I realize how important it is to include faith with learning. When I was younger, I never thought about a Christian college vs. a secular college. Now I understand the importance of attending a Christian college. 

Misguided Inferences lead to terrible Assumptions

My wife and I recently got into an argument about yard work. I know it was silly and I hate that it happened. I got home from work and my wife, Delilah cut the whole yard, front and back, by herself. For some reason I was upset. My ego was bruised. My pride was hurt. You see I was taught from an early age that yard work was for men. Boy was I wrong. I made a terrible assumption that women don’t belong in the yard. Since I’m the only one working right now, she figured she would help me by mowing the lawn. Instead of being appreciative, I acted foolish. After realizing what I had done, I immediately apologized. But I
wouldn’t have had to if I only would have thought critically.

Critical Thinking Scenario

Directions: In Europe a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer.
There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of
radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was
expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost
him to make. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of
the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to
borrow the money, but he could only get together $1,000 which is half of what it
cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it
cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, “No, I discovered the drug,
and I am going to make money from it.” So Heinz got desperate and broke into
the man’s store to steal the drug for his wife. (Kohlberg, as cited in Santrock,
2008, pp. 471-472)
Please write a paragraph that defends the actions of one of the men in the
scenario—the druggist or the husband. In your paragraph, include these details:
1) whose decision you are defending (the druggist’s or the husband’s), 2) at
least three reasons why you chose to support that man’s decision and, 3) your
opinion of the other man’s response.

As hard as it is for me to understand, I am defending the druggist. I believe that the druggist didn’t give the medicine away at a discount price for his reasons – which is his right. You have to set standards as a doctor and a businessman. As a store manager there have been instances when I have had to make tough decisions. I have experienced similar situations. If the wrong decision would have been made, I could have lost my job by violating company policies and federal laws. It is nearly impossible for a doctor to compromise in a situation like this. Sometimes when you run a business, the realization that it’s a business, and not a charity is a hard pill to swallow. In Heinz’s case, there should never be a situation that forces you to steal, or commit any crime. I believe in God; and I believe that God will make a way, even when it seems that there is no way. Even though it seemed that he was in a desperate situation, he needed to possess faith. All things happen for a reason. Heinz’s wife having cancer may have happened to bring his family closer together. As in my case, my grandmother had cancer and the doctors didn’t give her long to live. This really forced our family to appreciate how important it is to spend time with one another. After that, the cancer miraculously disappeared. She brought the family together in a great way.  I feel that he should have spent as much time as he could with his wife. As a husband, I feel that above all else, it is our job to support and be there for our partner in every situation.

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