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Smart Faith: Loving Your God with All Your Mind
Become a more well-rounded, intellectual disciple--someone who can clearly elucidate the finer points of the Christian faith. Learn to embrace the mind's role in spiritual formation and acquire new spiritual disciplines.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2000
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114 people want to read
About the author
J.P. Moreland
91 books257 followersJ.P. Moreland is the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, California. He has four earned degrees: a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Missouri, a Th.M. in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, an M. A. in philosophy from the University of California-Riverside, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Southern California.
He has co-planted three churches, spoken and debated on over 175 college campuses around the country, and served with Campus Crusade for Christ for 10 years. For eight years, he served as a bioethicist for PersonaCare Nursing Homes, Inc. headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.
His ideas have been covered by both popular religious and non-religious outlets, including the New Scientist and PBS’s “Closer to Truth,” Christianity Today and WORLD magazine. He has authored or co-authored 30 books, and published over 70 articles in journals, which include Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, American Philosophical Quarterly, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Metaphilosophy, Philosophia Christi, and Faith and Philosophy.
He has co-planted three churches, spoken and debated on over 175 college campuses around the country, and served with Campus Crusade for Christ for 10 years. For eight years, he served as a bioethicist for PersonaCare Nursing Homes, Inc. headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.
His ideas have been covered by both popular religious and non-religious outlets, including the New Scientist and PBS’s “Closer to Truth,” Christianity Today and WORLD magazine. He has authored or co-authored 30 books, and published over 70 articles in journals, which include Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, American Philosophical Quarterly, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Metaphilosophy, Philosophia Christi, and Faith and Philosophy.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 21, 2012
Deep. Profound. But worth it.
This will help deepen your understanding of Loving God with all your MIND. :)
This will help deepen your understanding of Loving God with all your MIND. :)
April 14, 2020
This book is a must read for every Christian. It deals with importance of intellect in Christian lifestyle, application of reason in interpreting the scriptures, rational aspect of faith etc. This book is a full package dealing with wide array of topics regarding Christian faith. It is a good recommendation for both believer and skeptic. It totally changed the way I view Christianity.
March 17, 2017
“To mature in our faith we need to develop our minds.”
Preparing young, Christian high school seniors or recent graduates for the foreboding realm of higher education is a rather popular genre. Smart Faith is another volume in this genre.
I have read a several books like this one, and I am never really satisfied with their content. I don’t think it is really the fault of the authors, but the fault of my own unrealistic expectations. The question “What is the one thing a young Christian needs to know before going to college?” is rather ambitious and probably unresolvable.
Having said all that, Smart Faith is a decent book. It is short and to the point with not a lot of fluff or filler which is prevalent in the Christian-college-student-preparedness genre. The book is divided into two parts. Part One simply argues that we need to use our minds; faith is central to a Christian but that doesn’t mean stupidity is. Part two felt unnecessary to me. Part Two spends its time detailing the fine points to debate, how not to fall victim to common anti-Christian arguments, how to keep your Bible study, etc. There is not much in Part Two that I wholly disagree with, however I felt like the content wasn't helpful to me and wouldn’t be helpful to a young student.
Preparing young, Christian high school seniors or recent graduates for the foreboding realm of higher education is a rather popular genre. Smart Faith is another volume in this genre.
I have read a several books like this one, and I am never really satisfied with their content. I don’t think it is really the fault of the authors, but the fault of my own unrealistic expectations. The question “What is the one thing a young Christian needs to know before going to college?” is rather ambitious and probably unresolvable.
Having said all that, Smart Faith is a decent book. It is short and to the point with not a lot of fluff or filler which is prevalent in the Christian-college-student-preparedness genre. The book is divided into two parts. Part One simply argues that we need to use our minds; faith is central to a Christian but that doesn’t mean stupidity is. Part two felt unnecessary to me. Part Two spends its time detailing the fine points to debate, how not to fall victim to common anti-Christian arguments, how to keep your Bible study, etc. There is not much in Part Two that I wholly disagree with, however I felt like the content wasn't helpful to me and wouldn’t be helpful to a young student.
February 26, 2025
This book challenged me to think more deeply about my faith and growth as a leader for Christ. It highlights that while passion is important, it's not enough—intellectual engagement is key to a mature faith. I was reminded that ignorance is not a Christian virtue, while
simultaneously encouraged to pursue knowledge and understanding in my walk with Christ.
It's a great intro to developing your intellect around faith and apologetics, offering practical advice without being overwhelming. The author also stresses the importance of humility, reminding us to approach learning with a heart focused on Christ.
Overall, this book inspired and challenged me to study and grow in my faith with both a humble heart and a thoughtful mind.
simultaneously encouraged to pursue knowledge and understanding in my walk with Christ.
It's a great intro to developing your intellect around faith and apologetics, offering practical advice without being overwhelming. The author also stresses the importance of humility, reminding us to approach learning with a heart focused on Christ.
Overall, this book inspired and challenged me to study and grow in my faith with both a humble heart and a thoughtful mind.
February 19, 2017
Today's Church is facing a growing epidemic. Our young people are leaving Christianity by the droves. They survive through high school, but often hit the eject button at some point during their college years. What's wrong?
J.P. Moreland and Mark Matlock think they have an answer to this crisis. In their recent book "Smart Faith: Loving Your God with All Your Mind" published by NavPress, they expose part of the problem: "We now live in a Christian culture so deeply committed to a nonintellectual way of understanding the Christian faith that this perspective is now embedded within us at a subconscious level." They continue: "Faith is now understood as a blind act of the will -- a decision to believe something independent of reason..." The gospel we share has been reduced to "primarily... a means of addressing felt needs." "We give testimonies of our changed life and tell people that Christ is the answer to troubles." But this lacks true transforming power. "Religion has... become personal, private, and too often simply a matter of how we feel about things." (pg. 24-26). In sharp contrast stands the rest of life which demands the use of our intellect in today's ever-secular world.
The 58 percent of church-attending teenagers which Barna researchers tell us "won't be attending church by their thirtieth birthday", were likely "missing the intellectual aspects of faith." (pg. 25). Moreland and Matlock aim to cultivate a robust, Christian intellect through their book. Along the way, they hope to fortify their readers against the siren call of our world's increasingly anti-Christian culture.
The book describes the problem and how we got here. It explores faith and knowledge, and aims to elevate the importance of the mind. It then goes on to apply Christian intellect to evangelism and apologetical persuasion, personal devotion and study, worship, and more. The book provides case studies of complex real world scenarios that young people face that could present a problem. In the end, these case studies are fleshed out with an intellectually honest and faithful approach to integrating our Christianity with all of life.
The authors are irenic and patient, not to mention painfully honest. Slowly and surely the attentive reader is prodded and nudged in the right direction. The book is not a heady read. It's written in a light and straight-forward manner, and at 175 pages, it isn't too long. Still, it covers some important ground. More important, the authors achieve their goal: they offer a book which will ground the faith of young people and encourage a deep-rooted faith in Christ.
This book would make a great gift for a high school graduate. Youth ministers will want a copy of this book both for their own benefit and to recommend to others. "Smart Faith" earns a high recommendation.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by NavPress. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
J.P. Moreland and Mark Matlock think they have an answer to this crisis. In their recent book "Smart Faith: Loving Your God with All Your Mind" published by NavPress, they expose part of the problem: "We now live in a Christian culture so deeply committed to a nonintellectual way of understanding the Christian faith that this perspective is now embedded within us at a subconscious level." They continue: "Faith is now understood as a blind act of the will -- a decision to believe something independent of reason..." The gospel we share has been reduced to "primarily... a means of addressing felt needs." "We give testimonies of our changed life and tell people that Christ is the answer to troubles." But this lacks true transforming power. "Religion has... become personal, private, and too often simply a matter of how we feel about things." (pg. 24-26). In sharp contrast stands the rest of life which demands the use of our intellect in today's ever-secular world.
The 58 percent of church-attending teenagers which Barna researchers tell us "won't be attending church by their thirtieth birthday", were likely "missing the intellectual aspects of faith." (pg. 25). Moreland and Matlock aim to cultivate a robust, Christian intellect through their book. Along the way, they hope to fortify their readers against the siren call of our world's increasingly anti-Christian culture.
The book describes the problem and how we got here. It explores faith and knowledge, and aims to elevate the importance of the mind. It then goes on to apply Christian intellect to evangelism and apologetical persuasion, personal devotion and study, worship, and more. The book provides case studies of complex real world scenarios that young people face that could present a problem. In the end, these case studies are fleshed out with an intellectually honest and faithful approach to integrating our Christianity with all of life.
The authors are irenic and patient, not to mention painfully honest. Slowly and surely the attentive reader is prodded and nudged in the right direction. The book is not a heady read. It's written in a light and straight-forward manner, and at 175 pages, it isn't too long. Still, it covers some important ground. More important, the authors achieve their goal: they offer a book which will ground the faith of young people and encourage a deep-rooted faith in Christ.
This book would make a great gift for a high school graduate. Youth ministers will want a copy of this book both for their own benefit and to recommend to others. "Smart Faith" earns a high recommendation.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by NavPress. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
August 7, 2011
One of my all time favorite books.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews