J.P. Moreland - Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul

This exploration into the mind of evangelical Christianity is one of the most courageous books of our time. In language that is thoroughly erudite but compassionate, theological but practical, and scriptural but entirely relevant to today, the author presents the deeper significance of Pauls plea to the Christians at Phillipi: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

The late D. JAMES KENNEDY, who for many years served as senior minister, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

J. P. Moreland exemplifies the Christian mind as it ought to be: tough and analytical but also generous and caring. Christians who want to develop their minds in the service of Christ couldnt find a better teacher or book for the task.

PHILLIP E. JOHNSON, author of Darwin On Trial

Perhaps as never before, the church needs to grapple with the issue that J. P. Moreland has so eloquently presented. In a day when experience has become the driving force in our thinking, we must recapture the biblical importance of the mind. Dr. Moreland spells out the issues in a profound yet understandable way so that this book is essential reading for anyone who takes his or her faith seriously.

CLYDE COOK, president, Biola University

In todays climate of increasing secularism, Christians must stop retreating from the arena of ideas and heed the call of this book to retake the ground the church has ceded to the university. More than a call for action, this book provides the historical, biblical, and philosophical groundwork for Christians to actually begin reclaiming their secular world. For many, this will be a whole new paradigm of how to be a Christian in our world. If only 10 percent of todays evangelical Christian leaders study this book and take it to heart, the church will once again transform the world!

EDWARD KANG, JD, MDiv, pastor, Berkland Baptist Church, Berkeley, California; campus minister, U.C. Berkeley with A.B.S.K.

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1997, 2012 by J. P. Moreland

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ISBN: 978-1-61747-900-7

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Other versions used include: the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version (KJV).

Moreland, James Porter, 1948

Love your God with all your mind : the role of reason in the life of the soul / J.P. Moreland. 2nd ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN 978-1-61747-900-7

1. Faith and reasonChristianity. I. Title.

BT50.M62 2012

230.01dc23

2011053526

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 / 16 15 14 13 12

PART ONE:
WHY THE MIND MATTERS IN CHRISTIANITY

PART TWO:
HOW TO DEVELOP A MATURE CHRISTIAN MIND

PART THREE:
WHAT A MATURE CHRISTIAN MIND LOOKS LIKE

PART FOUR:
GUARANTEEING A FUTURE FOR THE CHRISTIAN MIND

There are several people who played an important role in helping this book see the light of day. First, I wish to thank my friend and research assistant, Glenn Cudzilo, to whom this book is dedicated. Glenn gave me helpful feedback on a very rough draft of the manuscript.

Second, the president of Biola University, Clyde Cook; the provost, Sherwood Lingenfelter; and dean of Talbot School of Theology, Dennis Dirks have helped create a stimulating place to teach and study, and they gave me a sabbatical to work on the project. I am grateful to them for their confidence in me and in this book.

Third, my faculty colleagues at Talbot including Alan Gomes, Mike Wilkins, Clint Arnold, Klaus Issler, Scott Rae, and John Mark Reynolds at the Torrey Institute, Biola University are a team of which I feel honored to be a part. They live what this book is all about. Also, my graduate students in the Talbot MA in philosophy and ethics are partly responsible for my own life of study. Their questions in class are so sophisticated that I am frequently sent back to my study to find answers that satisfy them. God bless them for pushing me as they do.

I cannot adequately express my indebtedness to my mentor and friend Dallas Willard. For some time now, he has been my most important role model for combining a rigorous intellectual life with a vital spiritual devotion to Jesus and His kingdom. I also want to thank my friend and editor Steve Webb. His encouragement and excellent editorial suggestions made this book much better than it would have been without his help. Thanks as well to the whole NavPress team, whove worked so hard at excellence in the publishing experience.

Finally, my precious wife, Hope, and my lovely daughters, Ashley and Allison, are simply what make my life possible. I have never met anyone with as gracious and tender a spirit as my wifes, and I love her for who she is. My prayer is that this book will contribute to restoration of the churchs intellectual life because it is the church that is the pillar and support of the truth.

J. P. Moreland, 1997

Since its publication in 1997, Love Your God with All Your Mind has had an impact for the cause of Christ that goes considerably beyond anything I could have imagined. It would be a significant understatement to say that I am grateful to God for this fact. The majority of the first editions content is as relevant today as when it first appeared in print. But some updating was needed and, in my view, the reader could be better served by changing a few of the chapters.

So you hold in your hands a revised and updated version of the book. In chapter 1, I added a brief section about the current three-way worldview struggle in Western culture, and in chapter 2, I have included a new section on the nature of knowledge and its importance to Christianity. No author likes to remove material from his or her writing, and I am no exception to this rule. But, in my opinion, chapters 79 of the original edition, though useful, were not as helpful as the rest of the book. Moreover, I had additional content I wanted in the book. So chapters 79 of the original have been removed and replaced with three new chapters providing an outline of how to present a case for Gods existence and the historicity of the life, teachings, deeds, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.