Redemptive epistemology presumes repentance so that we will listen to God’s voice in Scripture and creation. His words provide the only legitimate guidance by which to interpret and engage reality. Listening is also another way to express the fear of the Lord and a mind that understands. (Such a Mind as This, p. 207)

Many of you know that I have lived in Buenos Aires―for fifteen years. For about ten years, informally and now formally, friends and I have functioned as a learning community. We are discovering how to love God with our minds and to engage the culture with the biblical worldview.

These are the vision and mission of the Centro de Estudios Cristianos Kuyper:

Vision: We want to be a community that cultivates thinking about all of reality in light of the biblical worldview and exerts a redemptive and missional influence in the university, the public sphere, and the church.

Mission: We provide a space for community dialogue and learning based on the biblical worldview, offering resources, programs and services to students, academics, leaders, and anyone who wants to participate, with a local and regional focus.

Two members of our leadership team commented:

After years of reflection on how to love God with our minds and how to encourage the local church to do the same, our first conferences at the Kuyper Study Center have given us a very pleasant surprise: the church in Argentina has begun to awaken. Many have expressed with enthusiasm that this is the place they needed to bring their doubts and ideas. (Micaela Ozores)

We perceive a need among Christians associated with the university, such as academics and students, for a study center … where one can learn and openly debate topics that are rarely discussed in local churches or in culture in general. This Center has significant potential in formative, apologetic and evangelistic terms in the context and history of our country. (Alejandro Toja)

We invite you to learn more about us. If you read Spanish, check out our website. Read our recent newsletter in English. To learn about our namesake,  Abraham Kuyper, read this short document.

Please share this blog with your friends!

My email address is comenius1251@gmail.com

According to the prologue of book of Proverbs, two classes of thinkers—the would-be wise and the fool—begin from different starting points. The former presumes the fear of the Lord as the foundation of knowledge, while the other begins from a rebellious stance. One presupposes Yahweh’s rule, but the other negates his relevance. One path leads to deeper knowledge of God, as well as to righteousness, justice, and equity. The other produces disori­entation and destruction. (Such a Mind as This, p. 151)

Since the fall, quite obviously, human beings have continued to use their minds, but quite often in destructive and foolish ways. Mankind continues to worship, but with self-directed and utilitarian motives. Humans continue to work and guard creation, but inconsistently and unjustly. People continue to subdue and rule the world, but often with malicious purposes. Because human beings are created as the image of God, they carry on as vice-regent rulers, architects, economists, and philosophers, but their stewardship is inconsistent and ill-conceived at best. (Such a Mind as This, 63)

Intellectually speaking, Israel possessed a North Star. They knew in which direction they should orient themselves ontologically. They possessed a Global Positioning System by means of the covenant, providing a path to their destination. They also possessed a gyroscope to maintain equilibrium amidst turbulence and uncertainty. The fear of the Lord balanced their minds amidst disorienting messages from the other nations. Most importantly, they perceived the intrinsic value of the epistemological map provided to guide them on their spiritual pilgrimage—Scripture. Yahweh Elohim told them, “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you” (4:2).

God created a world for beings that were fit for thinking and learning in all forms. He made them with intellectual curiosity and a thirst for the transcendent. To carry out their vice-regency, Adam and Eve had to apply their cognitive abilities and religious aspiration in compliance with the God who made them and the real world they lived in—that is, covenantally. The bond between creation and the Creator, between the first couple and God, was a Lord–servant alliance. (Such a Mind as This, 22)

The New Testament scholar, Kenneth Bailey, once remarked quite honestly, “I discovered that I had been unconsciously trained to admire everything about Jesus except his intellectual astuteness.”

I suspect that many Christians view Jesus in much the same way. Of course, he is our savior, protector, and provider. But he is not often seen as a brilliant thinker or intellectual role model. And so, we do not often connect the dots between Jesus’ mental profile and our obligation to love God with the mind, for which he is the paradigm.

Remember that, when Jesus was asked, “Which commandment is the most important of all?,” he cited the famous Shema (Deut 6:4–5), affirming the creedal nucleus and core spirituality of the Old Testament: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28–30).

Jesus loved God with all his mind. We should do likewise and learn to love God with all our minds.

Below I outline briefly various themes regarding Jesus’ intellectual profile, in accord with the Shema. This is very important and quite relevant because we are commissioned to imitate his thought life, though finite and fallen. And we should train disciples to do the same.

First, Jesus demonstrated the supreme importance of listening to God alone. For this reason, he prayed often, especially in moments of decision. He confessed, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19).

Second, Jesus acknowledged the primacy of scripture. When he was tempted by the devil, he cited passages from Deuteronomy. When he was dying on the cross, he referred to the Psalms. He continually cited the Old Testament and reasoned from its precepts. To put it another way, he presupposed the biblical worldview, and he reasoned covenantally. Everything Jesus thought, spoke, desired, and performed was conditioned by God’s Law.

Third, Jesus modeled the fear of God intellectually and ethically. He embraced Proverbs 1:7a, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” He embodied Proverbs 3:5–7: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”

Fourth, Jesus was supremely wise. He knew what was truly important and what to do about it in the most fruitful manner. He could not be distracted or manipulated by folly. He could not be deterred from his Father’s mission to pursue a fool’s errand.

Fifth, Jesus was supremely knowledgeable. Evidence indicates that he spoke Aramaic and Hebrew. He likely communicated, as well, in Greek and Latin. He could read, as most scribes could. He was well familiar with the ethnic and religious distinctives of Palestine. He possessed a thorough knowledge of Jewish history and scripture, as well as familiarity with the literature of the Second Temple period. He manifested keen situational awareness, and astute theological reasoning.

Sixth, Jesus knew how to communicate with whomever he interacted with. He understood how to keep every interchange on point, how to refute and critique false reasoning, and how to guide each seeker towards the truth. In other words, he thoroughly comprehended human depravity and the intellectual impact of sin.

Seventh, Jesus’ knowing was historically situated. He understood that culture, revelation, sin, and the supernatural impact how and what we think in all its various forms. He discerned the antithetical mindset of the devil and his dominion. He perceived the twisted nature of sinful ideology and oppressive institutions. He recognized the battle of ideas and imagination.

Eighth, Jesus’ knowing was eschatologically conditioned. He defined his earthy existence in terms of God’s redemptive plan from creation, through Israel, to restoration. He knew exactly where he came from, where he was in first century Palestine (with its social, religious, and political complexity), and to where (or to whom) he would return.

Nineth, Jesus’ thinking was ontologically situated. He thought in communion with the Father and Spirit, which is to say his knowledge was Trinitarian. After he died and when he returned to the Father, he sent the divine pedagogue, the Holy Spirit, to guide us until his reappearance, which indicates the significance of the mind from the Trinity’s point of view.

In short, Jesus loved God with all his mind, despite the chaotic, confusing, and demonic context he which he ministered. He embodied the wisdom of the Sons of Issachar, “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron 12:32). In accordance with the Shema, he manifested right thinking, pious motivation, and wise application.

We should do likewise and learn to love God with all our minds.

People often refer to the “simple gospel,” as if the Synoptics and John are clear and easily understood. Others, however, assert that they are overly simplistic, meaning that they overlook deeper truths and imply ready-made solutions. The gospels, they say, claim too much or propose answers to questions that are no longer relevant. Their reasoning and assumptions reflect a worldview that is superseded today.

I argue, on the other hand, that the gospels are neither simple nor simplistic. They demonstrate an intellectuality (all the ways that we think) that is multi-faceted and profound. Intellectually, the worldview depicted in the gospels is just as real today.

The gospels presume a high degree of Old Testament literacy. First-time listeners and readers were expected to know the Old Testament worldview and to reason from the Old Testament. According to Jesus, “every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 13:52a) perceives the suffering Messiah depicted in Israel’s scripture and listens to his teaching (Luke 24:25–27). In this way, a true disciple “brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matt 13:52b).

The gospels utilize argumentation and refutation. Ideas―individual, of groups, and ideologies―were subject to Jesus’ withering critique. Erroneous theological constructs and practices were rejected. Willful ignorance and folly were denounced (John 3:10; Matt 22:29). These encounters show that Jesus was obviously brilliant, but his listeners were often foolish.

Jesus should be considered a genius, not merely because a vast number of people today claim to follow him but also because of the cleverness and wisdom of his teaching. The teaching ascribed to him combines impressive factual knowledge with even more impressive depth of insight, coherence, and simplicity. –Peter J. Williams

Jesus interacted with the major theological perspectives of his time. He dialogued with sophisticated intellectuals vested with power and privilege, poised to oppose him. He also engaged the common folk, male and female, Jew and foreigner. Pedagogically, he used various rhetorical devices to probe the minds of interlocutors: questions, puzzles, stories, and assertions. He utilized common logic, story-telling, and scribal reasoning.

In the gospels, therefore, the mind plays a critical role. Why? Because Jesus was the greatest thinker who ever lived. In the gospels, learning, reasoning, and understanding were paramount. Those who sought discernment were revered. Knowledge acquisition and wisdom attained were prized by Jesus. And those at that time, and now,  attempt to follow his example and imitate his mindset, though finite and fallen thinkers.

The gospels chronicle the intellectual journeys of those seeking understanding, but also those seeking to avoid it. Most of the people who heard the Lord’s teaching did not perceive the message or his significance. They could not “connect the dots” between Old Testament testimony, current messianic expectations, and Jesus’ proclamation. His message did not appear simple or within grasp for many; but rather opaque or even farcical. As a result, confusion, denial, and offense were the typical responses. Though the gospels seek to alleviate this knowledge deficit, as John wrote, “The world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (1:10b–11).

According to the Synoptics and John, therefore, our intellectual matrix and the intellectual profiles of belief and unbelief have not changed since the advent of Jesus Christ. The intellectuality of the gospels is just as relevant now as it was in the past. Would-be followers of Jesus Christ today must still learn to “love God with all their mind” (Mark 12:30).

The following extract is from my book Such a Mind as This (xviii-xix)

 This story [referring to the previous blog]  is obviously a fantasy, but it resembles the devil’s intellectual profile provided in the Scriptures. Satan is an incisive thinker and su­premely intelligent. He carefully plans and ponders his every move, like a champion chess player. He thinks strategically, both short- and long-term. He considers every contingency and countermove. He is a master teacher, grooming his demonic horde with a fiendish mindset so that they learn his ways and mimic his priorities. Together they execute his plan for the world under his guidance.

In addition, the devilish agenda the story imagines is in accord with the warnings of Scripture. Tactically, a long-term plan that renders be­lievers stupid and irrelevant is brilliant, from the devil’s point of view. He realigns our thinking with folly and wickedness. He spouts data that misinform and manipulate. He fills our minds with trivia and distraction. He wants us to ignore, misunderstand, and misapply God’s revelation, on both the individual and social levels. He skews our sense of identity as God’s image. He associates our epistemological stewardship with dysto­pian ends.

Satan’s program uses every conceptual machination available against humanity, including syncretism, disorientation, and disinforma­tion. It undermines the intellectual plausibility and existential credibility of biblical faith. It deconstructs the Scriptures. It redefines spirituality to minimize the mind and promotes secularism to delegitimize religion. Intellectual disloyalty, anti-intellectualism, and rank ignorance are its weapons of choice. But above all, the demonic realm strives to still God’s voice so that people will not and cannot hear.

In the Old Testament, the devil seemingly plays a relatively small role. (We need the New Testament to fill out his true epistemic profile.) His presence is often implicit. He shows up, however, at pivotal episte­mological moments. In Genesis 3, he queried Eve seditiously, “Did God actually say?” In Job 1, he insinuated with incredulity, “Does Job fear God for no reason?” In Daniel 10, he hindered the acquisition of knowledge concerning the meaning of prophecy.

The post-edenic, epistemological milieu is very complicated and enigmatic thanks to the influence of sin and Satan. The mental universe is populated by many voices, good and malevolent. There are competing pedagogues, divergent epistemological agendas, and flawed participants. The whole Old Testament is a battlefield between the human mind and God’s revelation. And lurking in the chronological and epistemological background is the diabolical dissembler who questions the veracity of God’s word. The devil plays a role in how and what we think. Without question, Christians require discernment and wisdom to navigate the “present evil age” (Gal 1:4; see also Eph 2:1–3).