With Heart, Mind, and Soul

One reflection on religion and politics today.

Why is contemporary Christianity in America so lacking in intellectual rigor?

Yes, "the heart has reasons that reason cannot know," but the ways of God are non-rational, not irrational. The distinction is important. God gave us reason as sound and reliable, as in "faith seeking understanding." The courage to be and the courage to love includes intellectual passion. We are actually commanded to love God with heart and mind and soul. The inability to receive this wisdom is the great vice of modern and post-modern Christianity, whether it be of the left or right. As Paul would say, "They have the zeal of God, but are lacking in wisdom." It's the difference between a Niebuhr and a Falwell.

The anti-intellectual tradition in American religion is a miserable vice. It may be our undoing.