The Philosophy of the Institute for Christian Thought includes the following statements:
Living faithfully as a Christian begins with clarity of belief. As a man thinks, so is he. In the midst of a seemingly strong post-Christian culture, followers of Jesus need to understand the richness and complexity of their heritage and develop a worldview that enables them to live faithfully in all areas of life. [...].
Followers of Jesus Christ are called to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." History shows how a thoughtfully engaged Christianity can be a powerful and essential force for good when it functions under the lordship of Christ. As we review history we are struck by the great minds in the Christian heritage who influenced culture as well as the church. The Apostle Paul, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Wilberforce, Edwards, Kuyper are only a few examples. Today Christian thought is less than rigorous and the collective Christian mind has significantly atrophied in Western culture. It is widely recognized that the result of this is that the church, and Christianity in general, has become marginalized as a cultural influence. [...] Would you agree that it is just as important to love God with one's mind as it is to love Him with one's heart? Why or why not?
The following is a response extracted from an email by Tom Streeter, director, Institute for Christian Thought (ICT):
Dear [...] Daniel [...], thanks for [publishing the statement], and good [question] to go along with [it].
On loving God with our minds as well as our hearts: we find this to be undergird by Jesus statement to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” It is a common approach among Christians in the west to divide between heart and mind and reflects a Greek way of thinking—to dichotomize in order to define. I think the Hebrew way of understanding gets to the heart of the matter. For them, the heart included both heart and mind. For them, the heart was the intersecting of the intellect, emotion, will, conscience, etc., that is, all the inner qualities that make us human. It’s never a question making a choice to love God more with the heart or more with the mind. All are included when all of life is lived under the Lordship of Christ.
Thanks for the note. It makes for good discussion. Warmest to you brothers, Tom
