Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul [Paperback]

J. P. Moreland (Author), Dallas Willard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997

Author J. P. Moreland presents a logical case for the role of the mind in spiritual transformation, challenging us to develop a Christian mind and to use our intellect to further God’s kingdom through

• evangelism
• apologetics
• worship
• vocation

Love Your God with All Your Mind explores theology, doctrine, and spiritual growth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"J.P. Moreland exemplifies the Christian mind as it ought to be-tough and analytic, but also generous and caring. Christians who want to develop their minds in the service of Christ couldn't find a better teacher, or a better book for the task." -- -Phillip E. Johnson, author of Darwin on Trial

"This is more than just another Christian book. It is the wake-up call that the church needs today. God gave us minds for a reason. It is crucial that we become like Christ in the way we think. If we heed J.P.'s words, we can counter the culture in which we live, work, think, and minister." -- -Josh McDowell, Josh McDowell Ministries --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From the Publisher

An invaluable book aiding the concerned Christian in the battle for the Christian intellect, Love Your God With All Your Mind offers a no-holds-barred approach to fixing what's gone wrong in the Church. The author brilliantly identifies the reasons for the loss of the Christian intellect and how the Christian mind has been lost to the ever-growing popularity of anti-intellectualism.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: NavPress (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576830160
• ISBN-13: 978-1576830161
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With degrees in philosophy, theology, and chemistry, I have taught theology and philosophy at several schools throughout the U.S. I have authored or co-authored several dozen books including Kingdom Triangle, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview; Christianity and the Nature of Science; Scaling the Secular City; Does God Exist?; Immortality: The Other Side of Death; and The Life and Death Debate: Moral Issues of Our Times. I am a co-editor of Christian Perspectives on Being Human and Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus. My academic work appears in journals and periodicals such as Christianity Today, Philosophia Christi, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and The American Philosophical Quarterly. I served with Campus Crusade for 10 years, planted two churches, and I have spoken on over 200 college campuses. Presently, my wife and I attend the Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Christians, take note: Our mind is our friend, December 23, 2000

By 

E. Johnson (El Cajon, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul (Paperback)

Moreland does the Christian community a favor by writing this book, which could have easily been entitled, "Using Our Christian Mind in a World That Doesn't Want us to Think." Unfortunately, I have seen too many Christians pooh-pooh the concept of "loving God with all your mind" and instead focus on the "heart and soul." I just heard someone say, "The only thing that's important is loving Jesus." What does that mean? For her, it is pretty much forgetting anything intellectual. To reach her goal of worshipping Jesus, she apparently desires to continually sing worship choruses and read fluffy sections of the Bible every day. This is a dangerous trend in our evangelical Christian society today where, for many, nothing but good feelings matter. (And when you don't have "good feelings," does this mean God has stopped loving you? Or that you no longer love God? And how am I supposed to think of these things if my mind really doesn't matter? The problems with shutting down the mind are endless.)

As Moreland points out, all aspects of our heart, soul, and mind play a role in the true worship of an all-holy God. He does a great job giving reasons why we need to make sharpening our intellect a priority. God has given us brains, so why should we not use them? At the same time, this does not put the mind at the top of our priorities and relegate everything else to a secondary status. I think Moreland tries really hard to show that he wants to avoid a Gnostic mentality. (I see some reviewers before me did not see this, but c'mon, give a break here. The entire premise of his book is stressing how the mind has taken a second-class status with too many Christians. What else was Moreland supposed to stress?)

My only complaint is that the book does bog down in several areas. For instance, I don't think it was important in the heart of his book to take five pages and dedicate them to giving a "brief lesson in logic." I've studied logic, but I predict that these five pages would confuse the average layperson. Instead, he should have simplified such a section or else eliminated it and referred the reader to additional resource material. For this and several other "bogged down" areas, I might hesitate giving this book to someone who might be an "average" thinker, even though I might want to convince him that he needs to "love God with all his mind." The book's English is also choppy in several areas and could use a good revision. If we're trying to convince the Christian church, we need to realize that much of the population is currently feeding on sugar-coated eschatalogical "rapture" literature and other fictional nonsense. We don't need to scare them away from thinking--perhaps I'm off track, but I'd love to see a simpler book written for "Joe Christian" at 1st Baptist. Either that or revise this. Except for these minor complaints, I love this book. It proclaims 1 Peter 3:15-16 and says what I've been both thinking and preaching. Thus, every Christian, including church leaders and pastors (yes, even "senior" pastors!--see the last chapter), needs to study Moreland's challenge to the church.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent challenge to Christians and the Body of Christ, December 26, 1998

By 

D. L. Davis (Murrieta, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul (Paperback)

"How is is possible for a person to be an active member of an evangelical church for twenty or thirty years and still know next to nothing about the history and theology of the Christian religion, the methods and tools required for serious Bible study, and the skills and information necessary to preach and defend Christianity in a post-Christian, neopagan culture?"

This question captures the essense of this readable and profound book. In it J. P. Moreland explores the intellectual life of the Church; the history of intellectualism (or lack thereof) in the Church; and the scriptural basis for why it's important for Christians to develop healthy, active, critical-thinking minds. And he offers some challenging and intriguing ideas for renewing the intellectual life of the Church (No senior pastors!!??).

As an active member of an evangelical church for close to twenty years who has much to learn about the history and theology of the Christian religion, J. P. Moreland's book has challenged me to spend more time studying God's Word and mastering the evidences for my faith so that I can be a more effective witness for Jesus Christ. This book has encouraged me to love God with all my mind (Mark 12:30).

This is an important, convicting, and helpful book for any Christian who sincerely desires to grow in their relationship with our Lord and Savior.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still An Intellectual Wannabe!!, May 13, 2001

By 

E. D. Seaman "E2D" (Kettering, OH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul (Paperback)

Often Christians are accused of not engaging their brains, unfortunately this criticism is often deserved. J.P. Moreland does an excellent job of showing the reader how to develop his Christian Mind. If you are an intellectual wannabe and have read James W. Sire's book 'Habits of the Mind', you'll also want to read this book which was written three years prior to Sire's book. I would suggest reading them both as they both compliment each other well.

Moreland takes 10 chapters divided into four sections to develop the concept of the mature Christian mind, a mind that loves God to the utmost. One special chapter of interest covers logic, a discipline that is lost on all but a few Christians, but crucial for developing a reasoned apologetic. In Section Three (chapters six through nine), Moreland describes how the Christian intellect is relevant in evangelism, apologetic reasoning, and worship within the church. I also enjoyed the final chapter which covers a plan for developing the Christian intellect within our churches.

I highly recommend this book and give it an 11 on a scale of 12. As I suggested previously I would also read Sire's book shortly before or after reading Moreland, depending on which you read first. Let us continually strive for the Mind of Christ!

Semper fi & agape--Ed D.