Abstract
Saint Augustine said that a Christian "believes in thinking and thinks in believing." John Stott, noted evangelical theologian, tells us that at a most primary level "God has revealed himself in words to minds".1 That is, we are created to think and communicate intelligently with God, unlike "a horse or mule without understanding" (Psalm 32:9). Bearing the image of God (imago dei) involves using our intellectual capability to exercise dominion aver creation (Genesis 1:26). Part of man's uniqueness and distinctiveness is his ability to reason, to respond humanly to all that concerns him, through analysis, reflection, and consideration. Reason cannot be artificially abstracted from the fullness of God's created reality, as if it stood isolated and independent of other aspects of experience. Neither is reason sufficient for all truth; it must be purified and directed by God's revelation through His Spirit, Yet it is vital to our humanness and integral to our selfhood. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encouraged his hearers to think on his words: "Consider the lilies of the field" (Matthew 6:28). The point of his preaching required intellectual - spiritual digestion, interpretation, and integration.