Thoughts on Primal, part 3

The Mind of Christianity
God has created us with the capacity to keep learning until the day we die. Learning isn’t a luxury; it’s a stewardship issue.
The god who conveniently fits within the confines of your mind will never fill your soul with wonder.
Loving God with all your mind literally means loving God with all your mind. It means managing your mind. It means making the most of your mind. It means loving God logically and creatively, seriously and humorously, intuitively and thoughtfully.

Einstein, on discussing his genius, declared, “I have no special gift. I am only passionately curious.”
This was a sobering note for me as it should be for all educators and pastor/teachers: In one classic study at a top university, summa cum laude graduates were given their same final exams one month after graduation. They all failed. This is because most academic programs revolve around force-feeding knowledge rather than releasing curiosity.
The church should be a safe place where people can ask dangerous questions, but all too often we’re guilty of answering questions that no one is even asking. We ought to be challenging the status quo, but all too often we’re guilty of defending it. But what if? What if we stopped force-feeding answers and learned to unleash the primal curiosity in our congregations?
Einstein again, “Science without religion is lame,” and conversely, “religion without science is blind.”
For Batterson, every –ology is a branch of theology. Why? Because every discovery reveals a new dimension of God’s creativity and personality. Sure, Scripture is in a category all by itself as God’s written revelation. But mathematics reveal a unique dimension of God’s personality too.

Discovering more about God can lead to a great appreciation for God. The more you know, the more you appreciate. It is like an apology, if you don’t know why you are sorry, it is an empty apology. Batterson thinks a lot of us worship God that way.
Batterson cites a book that discusses successful leaders in every field. The common denominator in this study is that they were first class noticers. That allows one to recognize talent, identify opportunities and avoid pitfalls. Prayer turns believers into first class noticers.
Batterson includes a great quote from George Washington Carver, “Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough.”