While it might be true with some Christians that they do not want to use their minds, it is not true of Christians overall. Are Christians “anti-intellectuals”? No, we’re not.
CHRISTIANS APPRECIATE “HIGH CULTURE:”
According to an Arts and Religion Survey, Christians spend more hours a week reading than non-Christians. I’ll not share the actual statistics; I can give them to you if you would like. 27% of Christians who attend worship weekly say they read more than 2 hours a day; 19% of those who never worship read that much.
But, someone might say, “Yes, they read but it’s just the Bible.” Well, no, that’s not true either. Christians (weekly attenders especially) are more likely to have read: the daily newspaper, poetry in the last year, fiction, or a novel.
Do Christians appreciate “high culture?” Well, how do you define “high culture?” Christians are substantially more likely to enjoy classical music than non-Christians.
“Why?” What is it about Christianity specifically or the Bible in general that influences us to appreciate “high culture?” The nature of God, that’s what. When we reflect on the nature of God, and we allow God’s nature to penetrate our lives and our thinking, we reflect that. God made things beautiful. In the beginning, everything God created was “good.” We like to enjoy that; we like to appreciate all that God created that is good.
All of these abilities God has given to mankind reflects in some way the nature of the heavenly Creator. We appreciate that. I think Paul summarizes what I have just said in the words from Philippians 4:8.
CHRISTIANS APPRECIATE THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE:
When it comes to religious history, do we have our heads stuck in the sand? Are we willing to listen to other people who do not agree with us? Contrary to what we are seeing in the media and on college campuses where the “left” is wanting to shut the mouths of Christians, Christians do not feel the same way.
Christians, especially those who attend weekly, are more likely to be interested in religious history in general (79% / 42%), more interested in world religions (55% / 30%), has read about religions in the U. S. (47% / 29%) and are interested in religious art (41% / 20%).
In contrast to the intellectual life, what about believing things that are outside of “normal”? If Christians believe in an invisible God, are we also likely to believe in “other” fantasies? How gullible are Christians?
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In 2005, a major National Religious Survey was conducted by Baylor University to ask similar questions. The survey dealt with these items: dreams that foretold the future, ancient civilizations (like Atlantis) existed, places can be haunted, the mind can influence the physical world, UFOs, communicating with the dead, Big Foot and Loch Ness Monster, astrology can influence your life, and fortune tellers, palm readers, etc.
These nine points were collected together into an “Occult [means “mystical” or “magical” beliefs, practices, etc.] and Paranormal Beliefs” and those who attended worship were far more likely to score low (that is, not believe in those types of beliefs) than those who never attend worship. Incidentally, those who attended “liberal” denominations scored high while those who attend “conservative” churches scored low.
Why? Why do Christians tend not to believe in the “occult and paranormal” activities? Because the Bible emphasizes Christians should pursue truth. One of the most famous verses in the whole Bible, which gave to Harvard University its motto for a very long time (Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae; “Trust for Christ and the Church”) is John 8:32: “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Now “truth” here refers to spiritual truth, religious truth, and men have long abused the passage itself to refer to all truth. Yet, if spiritual truth is important, isn’t all truth important?
CHRISTIANS APPRECIATE SCIENCE:
In a book titled For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery, Dr. Rodney Stark explains why science, as we understand and practice it today, originated in Europe, influenced by Christianity, influenced by the Bible.
Why? Fundamentally, because of the nature of God. Dr. Rodney Stark is a non-believer but he writes: “Christianity depicted God as a rational, responsive, dependable, and omnipotent being and the universe as his personal creation, thus having a rational, lawful, stable structure, awaiting human comprehension” (147).
The Scholastics were influenced by these considerations to believe that the world followed laws created, set in place, and executed by the God of heaven. If the world is governed by laws, then those laws can be studied and learned. That’s what set Christianity apart from other civilizations and other religions: Psalm 19:1-2; 119:89-90; Isaiah 45:18.
Dr. Stark summarizes this point (157):
“[Science] was the natural outgrowth of Christian doctrine: Nature exists because it was created by God. To love and honor God, one must fully appreciate the wonders of his handiwork. Moreover, because God is perfect, his handiwork functions in accord with immutable principles. By the full use of our God-given powers of reason and observation, we ought to be able to discover these principles.”
The Bible has proven to be an asset to our culture. It leads Christians to appreciate “high culture,” including the intellectual life. It has also laid the groundwork for modern science. But, it is still the Bible. It still teaches the same thing and it will continue to lead us to higher ground if we will simply submit ourselves to its teachings.
–Paul Holland
