In Part III , I shared with you the reservation I have had concerning some man-made doctrines and dogmas that undermine age-old wisdoms and principles. I also lamented that the results and achievements of past revivals shouldn’t be abandoned altogether and individual ministries within the Evangelical denomination should buy into God’s business of building the Body where each and every ministry and individual should have a part to play. The latter takes to genuinely acknowledge and appreciate one another’s gift, calling, and wisdom for the sake of harmonious and healthy functioning of the Body. Most of all, modern Evangelicals shouldn’t desert the legacy of the founding fathers of the faith. One of their heritages was their pro education and learning attitude.

Unfortunately, in the past couple of centuries, Evangelicals have been deviating away from learning. There is a big discrepancy one can easily notice between the reformists- the founding fathers of our faith, and we- the modern evangelicals, when it comes to learning. I was shocked, especially during the first few years of my conversion and as I was trying to fellowship with some Evangelical friends, to learn that there is a deep-seated hatred for innovation, thinking, creativity, and science.

Of course, at first, I felt a déjà vous because this behavior- though mild, was there among some of new convert Orthodox friends who tried to talk me out of pursuing a higher education. Nonetheless, the behavior I observed here among Evangelicals was radical and combatant. So many times, I was rebuked and ridiculed- both directly and indirectly, for my little efforts to innovate and strategize (of course, I am the least among creative and innovative people).

I remember attending a sermon where a Pastor angrily preached against intellectuals and learned people within his congregation. He mockingly declared that “What we need is those with big hearts, not big heads”. This and similar sermons are common to note among some Evangelical churches. Because of poor exegetical analysis of some scriptures, many of them think that God is against the learned, science, creativity, excellence, the mind, thinking, and so on.

Many fanatic religious people think that these and similar activities are the functions of the mind and the things of this world. They forget that the founders of the faith- the reformists like Martin Luther and Calvin were pro education and encouraged the use of the mind. Europe has been enjoying the results of reformation these great leaders initiated. The same with the Puritans- the forefathers of Evangelicals in the US.

The Puritans left their homeland in search of religious freedom and founded the US. They were pro learning. Today’s big universities like Harvard, Preston, and Yale were established to train clergy men. The influence of the Puritans is very visible whether it is on the Bible like Constitution of the US or the culture that favors education, creativity, and innovation. Now, the conservative base- most of whom are Evangelicals, are blamed of leaving learning institutions and of reducing the legacy of the Puritans into two issues- opposition against abortion and gay marriage! I have read some books written by Evangelical authors and also personally encountered with some zealous American Evangelicals who have observed that modern Evangelicals are leaving public arenas and cramming themselves within the four walls of the church. This worries many because, in their new found position, Evangelicals are far from influencing public policies and are becoming less and less influential. Some people express their sadness as they witness the legacy of the Puritans shrinking and at the verge of extinction under the watch of Modern Evangelicals.

Coming back to the poor exegetical analysis of scriptures some Evangelicals are using to promote their anti-intellectual agenda, they use Jesus’ and Paul’s words to undermine learning. They quote Jesus out of context when He said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure” (Luke 10:21, NIV). Someone has to carryout proper exegetical analysis to interpret this statement of Jesus. There should be lots of factors one should consider before making conclusive remarks and use this scripture to attack the learned and wise. The least interpretation I expect; however, God is against the wise and learned. It is a very sarcastic generalization.

When we look back, yes many called wise and learned rejected the simple truth of salivation through Christ. Since the then learned guys despised God’s gift, they were barred from enjoying its benefits while those who had child like faith entered into the Kingdom of God by believing the teachings of Jesus. However, this doesn’t mean that God’s pleasure is always hiding His will and salivation against the learned ones. I cannot picture God vowing not to save and/or use the learned and wise people. I cannot also imagine God erecting a pillar of fire to separate the wise and the learned from knowing His agendas. I am also far from thinking God entering everlasting covenant exclusively with unlearned. By the way, I am not yet learned and this is not self defense at all J lol As far as I am concerned, God loves people regardless of their educational background and I don’t think that there is simple demarcation like “God is for or against this or that group of people” and based on their educational background!

However, we should be reminded that God is not against wisdom or wise or learned people. Jesus Himself, who aired the above remark in Luke 10:21, had been praised not only by the public but also by His foes as a wise teacher. Paul called Jesus the power and wisdom of God. By no means, the above statement of Jesus should lead someone to think that God is against wisdom or wise and learned people. His call for salivation is for all regardless of their education level. Education should not be an issue to become Jesus’ disciple. Jesus had both learned and unlearned disciples. Some of them were laymen while some where accomplished learned men among their peer. Two of the four Gospel writers- Matthew and Luke, were learned individuals. Luke was a physician while Matthew was an accountant.   

They also misquote Paul who said, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise” (1 Corinthians 1: 27, NIV). Mind you, Paul didn’t say God chose foolish people. True men and women of God have astonished their generation by their extraordinary wisdom. For that matter, the Bible says, Moses the law giver “was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7: 22, NIV). Think about the kind of professors assigned to teach the young Moses, who was supposed to become the next Pharaoh of the then super power country! And think about the diverse and intense education he was provided! No wonder why God intentionally sent him to the palace. God was smart; He used the Egyptian, their personnel, and resources to train and enlarge the outlook of His giant servant J  lol

Apostle Paul himself who wrote the above note was taught by Gemalia, who was a celebrity among Jewish scholars. If there was formal education, Paul did his PhD in Philosophy under the supervision of Gamalia. Think about it and without bias: God used two pro learning servants, Moses and Paul, who were pillars of the Old and New Covenants, respectively. Think about the implications of Judaism and Christianity without Moses’ writings? Think about Christianity without Paul who wrote the two-third New Testament books?

Remain tuned for Part V (Final)…