Who Are the Real Hyper-Intellectuals or Rationalist?
"I will pray with my spirit, but I will with my mind also;" - I Corinthians 14:15
It does not take an individual within the ranks of the Pentecostal or Charismatic Networks a long time before one discovers the so called tension that exist between the mind and the Spirit. This tension is highlighted often inside of such movements. As it goes in such teaching whatever is of the mind is normally characterized as bad or doing violence to the Spirit and whatever the Spirit desires to do requires that you switch off your mind. I have listened as speakers exhort followers to literally turn off their minds in order to receive from the Spirit. Is this even possible? Does this even line up with a biblical view of the way God has created humanity? Does there exist such a radical distinction between the mind and the heart, the heart being that which is the center of the Spirit's operation to the exclusion of the mind?
Before we continue let me state clearly that hyper-intellectualism and rationalism are not good. Anytime an individual attempts to handle the things that belong to God through such a grid runs the risk of serious error. Furthermore, the presence of hyper-intellectualism or rationalism used to deny the power of God, as it is expressed in Scripture, can be the sign of and unregenerate mind who at the very heart of such an individual is opposed to God. On the other end of the spectrum irrationality is just as bad and can be a sign that the heart is not interested in submitting to biblical truth. However, the use of good intellectual skills on the part of a person who truly knows God is not opposed to the Spirit of God.
Pentecostals and Charismatics can both be Guilty of Hyper-Intellectualism and Rationalism
First, let me make one point very clear. When stating that Pentecostals and Charismatics can both be guilty of hyper-intellectualism or rationalism, I do not mean they foster this condition when they become theological or use theology. Instead, I would assert that they do this when they are simply being true to their belief system in most cases. In other words, hyper-intellectualism and rationalism is something all Christians can suffer from at various times. No one brings to the work of God only their heart and the Holy Spirit without their mind. Equally, no one brings only the mind without their heart. We have be made whole creatures by God. Both mind and heart must embrace spiritual revelation and truth as it is aided by grace.
The temptation and danger related to hyper-intellectualism and rationalism exist when the following conditions are present.
(1) You approach biblical doctrine in such a way as to shape its meaning to be less offensive. Scripture does contain many doctrines that are offensive to a human centered way of life. One of the most challenging doctrines to self centered approaches to the Christian life is the doctrine of election and predestination. Rationalism shows up when we attempt to define God's choice of us as God really seeing in advance that we choose him and then he makes his choice of us based on this human act of choosing him first. This is simply not taught in Scripture. God's choice of us has nothing do with our works. (See Romans 9:11-13)
(2) You reject other doctrines such as the doctrine of the Trinity because they do not make sense. Mystery in Scripture is difficult to understand. However, if something clearly appears in the Bible over and over again, just because we cannot understand it is no reason to reject it. We must embrace the truth of the Bible and pray for the assistance of the Holy Spirit to aid us. This does not mean we do not try and find good illustrations that help us to understand something as powerful as the mystery of the Trinity, but in the end all illustrations will fall a little short. (I Timothy 3:16).
(3) Maybe the most serious offense of rationalism comes when we embrace the idea that the only thing that we accept as believable is that which we can experience. This is the fundamental principle of the philosophy of the Enlightenment. The philosophical foundation of the modern period and its rationality was based on the idea that if I cannot experience something it does not exist. If I cannot experience something it is unknowable. On the other hand, the work of God must be received by faith. Rationalism does violence to the truth of Scripture when it puts experience in front faith. Biblical faith embraces all biblical truth whether I can experience it of not in the moment. This is not to minimize the importance of experiencing God, but it is to underscore the fact that many things in Scripture I may not experience. This means trusting God by faith even when my life is not fully working out the way I thought it would. In other words, I am forgiven even if I do not feel forgiven. God loves me even if my life currently does not look like he loves me. When I suffer and cannot figure out why God does not change the situation does not mean he is not currently working all things for my ultimate good. (See Romans 8:28)
As a Charismatic, early in my Christian life, I was guilty of many of these things. I prided myself in being "Spirit-filled" while at the same time I exhibited many rationalist traits. In fact the more I progressed along this path the more rationalistic I became. It has been observed by excellent Reformed and biblical scholars that mysticism leads to strong rationalism.
Refreshing change begin to take place when I returned to the authority of Scripture with the help of the Holy Spirit and accepted the biblical idea that some of aspects of the faith are covered in mystery. This does not mean that many of these same things cannot be taught or illustrated, but at the end of the day they must be excepted by faith because they are taught in Scripture. The Holy Spirit will help our understanding to grow.
The Scripture quoted above reinforces that God will work in such a way that both the mind and the spirit are fully equipped to serve God. The word "also" as it appears in I Corinthians 14:15 expresses that both mind and spirit are full employed in our service to God. Persevere in your study of the Scriptures and your learning of the Christian faith.
Gary Finkbeiner
