Love Your God With All Your Mind by Dallas Willard, James Porter Moreland (1997, Paperback)

In this book, J.P. Moreland begins by developing a thesis that the church today is suffering form a crisis of worldview. Today’s Christians are showing a growing anti-intellectualism facilitated because we have stopped trying to reason and logically express why we have the faith that we do. This inability to reason has led to an ineffective witness of Christ who cannot affectively answer the questions of a cynical secular world.
As Moreland develops his thesis that the mind is especially valuable and essential to the Christian life, he makes his case rationally and is thoroughly scriptural. He repeatedly appeals to reason and judging by the scriptures presented, it is clear that something has gone desperately wrong with our modern understanding of the value of reason and intellectual development for individual discipleship and corporate Christian life. We are presented logical reasons for the deterioration of intellectual Christianity in western history and how this facilitated the decline of the witness and the potency of the modern church. Moreland accomplishes his thesis by outlining what a biblical, Christian life of the mind should look like. He brings to light the problem of substituting reason with rhetoric in the church today to “fill the seats” but asks the question why hasn’t our impact been proportionate to the growth? This shows that our lives are transformed not by our hearts in an emotional surrender to Christ but by the renewing of our minds through study and mental equipping through God’s word. Readers receive ample suggestions as to how they can pursue a deeper life in Christ by developing their intellectual capacities in different disciplines, as well as exhorting us to develop a more biblical worldview in order to be a more faithful witness of Christ. Finally, Moreland challenges us all to change the way that we do the work of Christ in our local churches in order to reverse the current trends of Christianity today.
I would whole heartedly recommend this book to any and all Christians who want to fully obey Christ and submit to him with their whole person, or to the believer who feels that something is missing in their witness and finds it hard to spread the word of God because there are too many questions inside themselves. Moreland can help answer those questions and assist in changing your own weaknesses into strengths as you apply his suggestions in your life and transform your mind according to the scriptural example. The insights presented in this book not only inform the reader of a need that most Christians have come to believe that the church staff will adequately accomplish, but equip and encourage the “average” Christian in the congregation to correct this deficiency as they follow the command of our Lord. This book is written as much about personal reflection as it is about the issues of Christianity today and used in the correct context can help to reverse the modern trend that is an anti-intellectual, socially impotent Church. This will not start with the church as a whole but with the individual believer willing to fully submit to Christ and his teachings through God’s holy word. As this person learns to apply this critical area in the development of the Christian mind, he will truly make a difference as a modern disciple of Christ with a heart of genuine worship, a spirit in complete submission to him, and a mind that loves God in its entirety.

We are pleased with our purchase. The book came in a timely manner, was reasonably priced and was in the condition the seller described. Thanks.

I had to buy this book for a class I took, and I definitely found this to be the best book my class read. I love how Moreland promotes rationality and healthy faith. There is definitely a case for churches overstressing emotions & experiences, so it's good to see Moreland stating how important it is for faith to be based on logic.

Great seller! The process was very smooth and the book was delivered very quickly. I would recommend this seller to everyone!