The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17) has poisoned the human mind. Even as humans are capable of astounding scientific discovery and ingenious feats of engineering, darkness clouds the mind and evil is an ever present reality. Reflecting upon the human condition, the Apostle John declared that humans “loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Jesus Christ is the Light that seeks to enlighten the human mind (John 1:9). However, as humanity rejects the light of Christ, their minds are darkened. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:21-22). So, when we speak of the salvation of humankind through the person of Christ, we must acknowledge that salvation includes the regeneration of the human mind.
In fact, the Apostle Paul expressed deep concern for the state of the human mind. Humans have “a depraved mind” (Romans 1:28; Colossians 1:21; Titus 1:15). The mind of the flesh is “hostile towards God” and the result is death; “but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:5-7). The mind must be transformed and renewed so that we can discern the will of God (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23). We are to “let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 NRSV). Just as Paul encourages believers to sanctify their bodies (Romans 6:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:3), he also encourages the sanctification of the mind. The sanctification of the mind is the work of the Holy Spirit as the believer engages in prayer and the study of the word of God (John 14:26; 1 Timothy 4:5). A mind that is sanctified by the Holy Spirit will be informed and disciplined so that the sanctified disciple may be engaged in the mission of God (2 Timothy 2:15). In other words, Pentecostal believers must embrace the concept of the anointed mind – thinking in the Spirit.
Pentecostalism has been accused as being anti-intellectual, with good reason. Pentecostals traditionally hold to a high view of inspiration of Scripture, but a low view of formal study. Pentecostals have been suspicious of educated preachers. In a recent General Assembly of the Church of God one speaker passionately declared that educated preachers were “educated idiots.” Even though most in attendance would not repeat those words, they share his sentiments as is demonstrated by their lack of formal study. It is ironic that even as Pentecostals tend to be suspicious of formal education, they nonetheless embrace fraudulent degrees and titles. Non-accredited degrees and diploma-mill certificates abound in many Pentecostal circles.
It should be noted that not all Pentecostals have been anti-intellectual. Early leaders of the Church of God encouraged ministers to be formally educated. General Overseer F. J. Lee understood the passion of Pentecostals preachers to go into the harvest, but enjoined, “Study! Study! Beloved brethren, we can’t afford to be in ignorance any longer… Go ye, but wait…” (Church of God Evangel, April 23, 1921). A later General Overseer, the Reverend John C. Jernigan wrote, “There are many people who do not believe in going to school to study for the ministry. They say, “Open your mouth and let the Lord fill it.” …I notice, however, that a good many of these people who depend altogether on the Lord to fill their mouths, generally tell the same old thing over and over. If the Lord were filling their mouths all the time, He would sometimes put new things in their mouths.” He continued, “I believe it is God’s plan to have a Bible School where a teacher can instruct and help young men and women in their preparation for the work of the Lord (Church of God Evangel, August 5, 1922).
The ancient prophets of Israel lamented the ignorance of God’s people. Isaiah declared, “Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge…” (Isaiah 5:13). As Western culture descends into the abyss of secular atheism, the church will find itself exiled because we have failed to hold to our theological traditions (1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6). Hosea cried out, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6). These words should haunt every minister who resists formal training. We are now facing a biblically illiterate generation. Why? Because we have embraced a model of ministerial development that has been woefully inadequate to face the challenge. Jerald Daffe, professor of pastoral ministries at Lee University, has written that “it is vital for believers to have answers for legitimate questions… When we aren’t ready to give answers, more and more people in our emerging culture are getting the impression that Christians aren’t too smart…” (Crosses, Coffee, Couches, and Community, 2013). We proclaim deep concern that the millennial generation is forsaking the faith, but we are unwilling to be intellectually prepared for the challenge of engaging them. The millennials are smart and if we are going to reach them we must offer intelligent and informed answers to their questions. Malachi reminds us of the purpose of the divine call: “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 2:7).
Jesus proclaimed that the most important of all commandments is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). God must be known. The mysteries of God must be proclaimed. We must do more than memorize scripture and prepare sermons. We must develop a theological imagination, a way of thinking about the Gospel that inspires millennials. The antagonists of the Christian faith are highly educated in the secular universities. If we are to straightforwardly meet the challenge they present the soldiers of the cross must have the best trained minds.
I have little confidence that Pentecostal denominations and churches will embrace higher standards and qualifications for ministerial development and leadership. It appears that Pentecostals are satisfied with establishing minimal standards, rather than embracing excellence in ministerial development. However, if we are serious about raising the bar then I offer a few suggestions.
- Leaders should encourage new ministerial candidates to pursue formal education. This begins with Senior Pastors and Student Pastors. Encourage academic excellence while our prospective leaders are in high school. Encourage them to think and pray about a university education. Visit university campuses with our students. Help them negotiate the challenges.
- Local churches and denominational offices must invest in the development of our leaders. Education is expensive. Local churches should financially support the educational endeavors of our young people who seek to enter the ministry.
- Denominational leaders and offices should offer greater financial support to educational institutions so that endowments can be established and generously funded with the goal of providing reduced tuition for qualified students who pledge to serve the church.
- Denominational leaders should give priority to formal education as criteria when making leadership appointments; and leaders should discourage the use of fraudulent titles and unaccredited degrees.
This is not a call to forsake the empowerment of the Spirit and the spiritual discipline of prayer. It is a call to emphasize discipleship, being a student of the Word. It is a call to sanctify the mind, to train soldiers of the cross who do “not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
