In this episode, we challenge the idea that studying as a student (and throughout the rest of our lives) is a necessary evil. Rather, we discuss why study is to be embraced and how it plays an important role in forming us into Christ’s image as we increasingly learn to love God with our minds. My guest is Dr. Richard Smith, who has just written Such a Mind as This, a study of the role of thinking well in the Old Testament.

In this podcast we discuss:

The role the mind plays in our flourishing
What the Old Testament has to say about the role of thinking in spiritual formation
Why so many churches and ministries see the mind as the enemy of growth in Christ
How the shift in worship music can be harmful to our spiritual life
How the belief that deeper study is harmful to our spiritual life negatively affects students
Examples of students who have flourished by asking good questions and finding good answers

Resources mentioned during our conversation:

Richard Smith, Such a Mind as This
John Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God
Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism
Daniel Strange, Making Faith Magnetic
Richard Smith, The Heart Thinks
Getty Music
Sovereign Grace Music
L’Abri
Suggested book list (left side of home page)
Such a Mind as This YouTube
Lester R. Juarez YouTube
Centro de Estudios Cristianos Kuyper
Cosmovisión Bíblica
College Faith #20: How Christian Study Centers Minister to University Students
College Faith #49: Why Are Students Required to Take General Education (or “Core Curriculum”) Courses?
College Faith Podcast #61: Redeeming Philosophy: How Christian Scholars Changed The Conversation
College Faith Podcast #38: The Pop-Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ
College Faith #1: How University Students Can Love God with Their Minds – Dr. JP Moreland