I don’t like the term “Anti-Intellectual”. It seems to say that whoever
\nis “anti-intellectual” embraces being dumb. I wonder if the term
\nshould be anti-scholarship…since that seems to be the mindset. Be that
\nas it may, some have raised concerns about Biblical anti-intellectualism…but
\nwhy? What do they want?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I’m a pretty good art director. After inherited talent, four years
\nof actual training to be a designer, and a work internship I got into a
\ndecent design shop. I’ve since come to realize that there are unskilled
\npeople in this field because of whom they know.<\/p>\n
I didn’t become part of the Church by any skill or training or how
\nmuch people have told me about the Church, but I became part of it by
\nwho I knew…Jesus Christ. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t matter
\nhow good I am to God because I’m dead in Christ and living in Him. So
\nsomehow, when God looks at me, He’s really looking at His Son.<\/p>\n
Paul has no problem painting a picture of our standing before God:
\n“Neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female.” ({[Gal 3:28}}) We stand
\nbefore God as sinners who have died and now live in Christ. Peter would
\nlook at every believer and call us living stones being fit together as
\nGod’s house. Better yet, Peter would call every believer a royal priest
\n({{1 Pet 2}})!<\/p>\n
Yet it is an equality with marked differences. Paul would talk about
\nthe body of Christ having many members and many different duties ({[1
\nCor 12 -14}}). Paul would also speak to us of Christ becoming victor
\nand giving gifts to people, each with different roles ({{Eph 4}}). Luke
\nrecords the praise of the Bereans for their studious mindset. These
\npeople devoted their time to Scripture and drew some serious
\nconclusions about what Paul preached. The Bereans reaction was
\nconsidered honorable as the reaction of those in Thessalonica were
\nconsidered…well, not ({{Acts 17}}). The twelve, after one interruption
\ntoo many, wound up having to tell the people to pick men of worth to
\nhelp them…but they personally had to devote their time to doctrine and
\nto prayer. They did their work and those that ministered to the
\npeople’s material need did their work and there was a general consensus
\n({{Acts 6}}).<\/p>\n
After some time, we took all these differences and made more out of
\nit. Titles were created and a strata of study officiated. The “cleric”
\nminimalized and marginalized the “layperson” keeping Scriptures out of
\ntheir reach…that is, until knowledge was disseminated to the masses.
\nProbably the biggest step towards bridging the open gap was the
\ninvention of the Gutenberg press ushering in a veritable Age of
\nEnlightenment. Reading became a requirement and knowledge flourished. <\/p>\n
Pause on that. Real Estate brokers have been selling their own homes
\nfor years while simultaneously warning the masses of the error of
\nentering into such a venture unguided. It was common knowledge that
\nthey got a percentage off sales and as such they would always sell your
\nhome for the best possible price. After all, Agents had the knowledge
\nand the time.<\/p>\n
This is from Freakonomics<\/a>; agents make about 6% off the sale of your People caught on. Information was disseminated and those dealing in I think that Scholars have been looked on as a) trying to recreate Now, some anti-anti-intellectuals fiercely defend themselves using A person may not be a mechanic now, but give them time…they could Careful with what I’m saying here. When we’re dealing with the The Scriptures are supernatural. That being the case any study of I don’t want to sound charismatic…don’t read into what I’m Why then make the ability to devote hours of study to a gift of the So what do anti-Bible-anti-intellectualism-ists want? What do they want to -r-<\/em><\/p>\n Some reading: A letter of discontent<\/a>. Mike<\/a> (here<\/a> too), Blake here<\/a> and his site (a whole bunch), A Discussion Board<\/a>, anti-intellectual charismatic quote’s site<\/a> and an essay<\/a>.<\/p>\n [Update<\/strong>: Awesome! A list of Christian Scholars<\/a> online (HT: Real Clear Theology Blog<\/a>)]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don’t like the term “Anti-Intellectual”. It seems to say that whoever is “anti-intellectual” embraces being dumb. I wonder if the term should be anti-scholarship…since that seems to be the mindset. Be that as it may, some have raised concerns about Biblical anti-intellectualism…but why? What do they want?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apologetics"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n$300,000 home. The buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent divide that 6%.
\nThose agents then have to give half their percentage to their company.
\nIn the end, the Agent makes 1.5%—$4500 in this case. If the agent were
\nto sell your home for $320,000, giving you the best deal, he would only
\nbe making an extra 300 dollars. When the quicker sale verses the longer
\nwait is put on the Agents scale and the difference to his pocket is 300
\nmeasly bucks, what do you think he’s going to focus on?<\/p>\n
\nhoarding knowledge wound up resorting to scare tactics like “the real
\nestate bubble is going to burst!” and the like. Now do we see the Bible
\nas information that has finally gotten into our hands and we don’t want
\nto let it go? Is Scholarship viewing the Bible as information that has
\nleaked? No, I don’t think so.<\/p>\n
\nthat clerical\/lay barrier and b) make the non-scholar’s opinion void.
\nMatters of opinion have been elevated to that of information…kind of
\nlike the blogosphere we have here. Indeed, this fluffiness of opinion
\nmay even be entrenched in places of Scholarship. So the
\nanti-anti-intellectual may
\nhave a valid point. The masses might be free to opinions but are their
\nopinions equal to that of the person who has spent years studying the
\ndika<\/em> family?\n <\/p>\n
\nillustrations that both entrench the masses and rely heavily on the
\nnatural. I’ve heard some say, “if you have a problem, you go to a
\ndoctor…you don’t think up your own treatment. And if you have engine
\ntroubles, you go to a mechanic.” Dangerous illustrations because what
\nthey do is make vulgarize the Bible, which is unique. <\/p>\n
\nbe. Either to make money by faking engine problems or to prove you
\nwrong. A person may not be a doctor, but give them time…they could be
\neither to bolster their own position or to save lives. The reasons vary
\nand the potential is accessible to the common and natural man. If the
\nstudy of the Bible is equivalent to any of those fields then it can be
\nlearned by anyone, rejected at need and refuted in light of better
\nScriptures. <\/p>\n
\nScriptures we are not dealing with the Common. There are people who
\nhave gone to dedicated institutions and have understood the original
\nlanguages while studying the literary structure of the Scriptures…who
\ndon’t believe it. This isn’t to disprove Scholarly pursuits but to
\nstate that because it is done in no way implies that what is being done
\nis proving effective. Just because a man can study to become a good
\ndoctor does not mean he will be a good student of the Word. <\/p>\n
\nthe Word must consist of a person having the Spirit of God that is
\nteaching the mind of God, a regenerated heart and a heart given in
\nprayer. To proclaim the Word to others it would necessitate a willing
\nspirit, a heart given in prayer and the Spirit working as well. There
\nis also the matter of the Spirit’s gifts given to each person and in a
\ndifferent measure. \n<\/p>\n
\nsaying in that sense. I’m saying that there is a huge component of what
\nwe do that is summed up in {{1 Cor 3}} as not relying on men. <\/p>\n
\nSpirit and then illustrate the point by pointing at a natural talent?
\n“I can’t play the piano. Mozart can. You don’t study. I do.” As if Christ gave gifts to men
\nand He made some evangelists and some teachers and some singers and
\nsome piano players and some got the gift of a chance to study and
\nothers did not get that gift.\n<\/p>\n
\nsee differently? Do they want a hierarchy re-established? Do they want
\nrespect? What do they want to see happen in the Church…and what are the plans to get there? <\/p>\n