Our society’s ability to think deeply about the things that really matter has seemed to atrophy in our day. Rather than delve deep, we are content to either Google, skim-read, and then move on – or worse, outsource our thinking to ChatGPT or other AI tools. According to Stanford Professor Clifford Nass, the neural circuits used for “reading and thinking deeply, with sustained concentration, are weakening or eroding.”[1] Regardless of the causes, our society’s capacity to wrestle with intellectual tension, important ideas, and to think through the unintended consequences of our concepts is diminishing.
Given this cultural context, Jesus’ command to love the Lord with all our mind, might carry more impact than we expect. In an age where people’s thinking is marked by soundbites and shallow reflection, might someone who loves the Lord whole-mindedly mark them as someone worth listening to? Might it strengthen the claim that we are in fact genuine followers of Jesus and act as a witness to the truth of the gospel?
Before we excuse this part of the command as only applicable to those who have more of an intellectual bent, we need to point out that we don’t argue along similar lines with other parts of that commandment; we do not, for example, argue that loving the Lord with all our strength only applies to those who are physically strong or whole. Loving the Lord with all our mind is not about intelligence, it is about effort. It is about intentionally using our mind in ways that honour God; about sustained reflection on the important matters of Scripture, theology, society, and how the gospel engages with the culture it finds itself in.
What might it look like practically for us to love the Lord whole-mindedly?
Here are several ideas:
- Push back on pace. Our brains don’t operate at capacity when there is insufficient margin to pause and reflect, therefore, we need to push back on the pace of our lives. When we regularly create space in our calendar to sit without distraction, it allows our mind to engage without pressure and therefore we often see things we didn’t notice before. The following reflections on medieval monastaries from the book, How to Think More Effectively is worth quoting in full:
“Monasteries stand as reminders of the fact that if we want to focus our minds on serious and difficult things, we may at points have to take some radical steps – and to do things that will strike some people as odd or even unwarranted. Setting up the conditions for good thinking will itself require thought – which our societies have little interest in, because they have not yet properly admitted to themselves how big a grip distraction actually has on us – and how noble and important it remains to commit ourselves to regular periods of reflection. To think more effectively, we need to build ourselves monasteries of the mind.”[2]
For those who are prone to action this may sound like torture, but my encouragement is to start small; turn off notifications on your phone, shut down your computer, and set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes, and then gradually work your way up. - Discern your intellectual diet wisely. A significant leader told me some years ago that contrary to the old adage that “leaders are readers”, it’s more true that “leaders are learners.” I believe that is sound advice. We live in an age of an (over)abundance of information, and it is easily available through many mediums (Podcasts; Social Media; Books; Academic Journals; etc.). Engaging with this resource can help us think more deeply and with greater breadth about God, our culture, and our leadership practices. Not everyone however, ought to be listened to. Simply because someone has a large platform or reach does not make them an expert or worth embracing. Size of platform isn’t the issue; rather, positions that are carefully and thoroughly thought through and are formed out of rigorous research is. Choose wisely.
- Sign up to a training program. Reaching peak physical conditioning requires outside expert help – think for example of coaches or personal trainers that help you see things you don’t and therefore help boost performance. Similarly, being committed to love the Lord with our whole mind sometimes requires that we rely on the expertise of others who have dedicated their lives to researching the things that are so important for us to understand – the Christian Scriptures, theology, and ministry – and the most comprehensive way to do that, is through formal education. While I’d be among the first to state that formal theological studies is not for everybody, nor necessary to fulfill Jesus’ commandment, I’m convinced that it is one appropriate and worthwhile way to love the Lord with our whole mind. There is little that compares to the formational power of the rigour of academic study. Deliberately carving out space (and money) to delve deep into God’s word and engage with some of the great thinkers of our faith, past and present, can form our characters and our thinking in ways that rarely happen in less formal ways.
Pentecostals have tended to downplay the life of the mind in favour of practical realities. We need to see though, that the life of the mind is not opposed to the practicalities of real life; they feed each other. Thinking deeply allows us to be more strategic and intentional about life, not less, and will lead to a more faithful and effective life. The goal however, is not to simply gain more information, nor to be more fruitful. The goal is that we engage our whole being in loving the Lord – heart, soul, strength, and mind.
[1] Quoted in Chris McChesney, et. al. 2021. The 4 Disciplines of Execution. London: Simon and Schuster. P.33
[2] The School of Life. (2020). How to Think More Effectively. London: The School of Life. P.20
