Called to the Life of the Mind: Some Advice for Evangelical Scholars

by Richard Mouw

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2014

Overview

In this wise little book Mouw defends Christian scholarship as an important and legitimate endeavor, responding in particular to those traditions that continue to be suspicious of intellectual pursuits. Writing in an inviting, conversational style, Mouw reflects candidly on the faithful Christian cultivation of the life of the mind and offers gentle advice on how Christians, especially evangelicals, might fruitfully navigate the world of the academy as followers of Jesus.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Presents a fourth imaginary dialogue between Karl Barth and Friedrich Nietzsche on athiesm
• Suggests further reading at the end of each chapter
• Provides an added section on Christians and Muslims

Contents

• The Price
• Accusing Voices
• The Value Question
• The Need for Calisthenics
• Not Too Much Haste
• The Disillusionment
• Humility and Hope
• Navigating the “Square Inches”
• A Communal Task
• Mutual Encouragement
• Safe Spaces for “Playing Around”
• Academic “Body Life”
• Academic “Hopes and Fears”
• Critique as a “Moment”
• Reality Lovers
• Honoring Creation
• Beholders
• Being Like Jesus in the Academy
• A Loom for Weaving

Top Highlights

“Christians must insist that ‘our intellectual life is infused with faith.’ But that does not mean that Christian intellectual activity is an easy thing. We must pay a price if we are to use our minds to glorify God. ‘And the price will not come down. It is nothing less than the discipline of self-restraint and plain hard work.’” (Page 3)

“If ‘liberating the oppressed’ is going to function as our overarching rubric for scholarship, we need to be sure we are operating with a fairly broad sense of ‘oppression.’ People are oppressed by many things. We do the economically deprived and the politically persecuted no favors if we act as if they do not need access to knowledge and beauty. A Christian understanding of human flourishing has to cherish a world in which there is good poetry, proper historical understanding, and the benefits of scientific research.” (Page 18)

“‘It is best to know and to do,’ he affirmed, ‘but it is better to do without knowing than to know without doing.’^{6” (Page 17)}

“And surely one alternative to pursuing a graceless knowing is the cultivation of graceful knowledge.” (Page 8)

“What we must ask is whether God can use the kind of knowing that Newman sees as a ‘good in itself’ for the furtherance of the goals of Christ’s Kingdom, even when only God knows how that furtherance will actually be expedited.” (Page 17)

Praise for the Print Edition

Too many Christian responses to anti-intellectualism end up endorsing what Augustine calls curiositas — the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake. This marvelous little book from one of my heroes, Rich Mouw, is a distinct call for the faithful cultivation of the mind in the service of Christ. It will help a new generation to love God with heart, soul, and mind.

—James K.A. Smith, professor of philosophy, Calvin College

A refreshing reminder that cultivating our thought life and scholarship can only be done when we also keep in touch with the Lord. These musings from an experienced Christian leader will be solid food for Christian scholars everywhere.

—Darrell Bock, senior research professor of New Testament studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Called to the Life of the Mind: Some Advice for Evangelical Scholars
• Author: Richard Mouw
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2014
• Logos Release Date: 2015
• Pages: 80
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Theology › Study and teaching--United States; Evangelicalism › United States; Mouw, Richard J; Theologians
• ISBNs: 9780802867667, 0802867669
• Resource ID: LLS:CALLEDLIFEMIND
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T22:28:50Z

About Richard Mouw

Richard J. Mouw (PhD, University of Chicago) is a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Religion and Politics at Calvin University. He previously served as the president of Fuller Theological Seminary (1993–2013) and directed their Institute of Faith and Public Life (2013–2020). In 2007, Princeton Theological Seminary awarded him the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life. He is the author of over twenty books, including Uncommon Decency, Adventures in Evangelical Civility, Restless Faith, and All That God Cares About.

Sample Pages from Called to the Life of the Mind: Some Advice for Evangelical Scholars