I love John Stott. A preacher in London for many years, he produced many books, and was recognized by Time magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2005. In Your Mind Matters, Stott lays down a challenge: use the brain God gave you.
"Knowledge is indispensable to Christian life and service," Stott writes. He goes on to explain how every aspect of our lives- faith, worship, discipline, love, and more- is (or should be) rooted in knowledge. He disparages things based solely on emotion, while acknowledging that emotion has a crucial role to play in our lives- it just needs to be in its proper place. Similarly, he warns against hyper-intellectualism- focusing solely on intellect to the detriment of other aspects. He quotes Scripture liberally throughout to back up his arguments, and in the end, his basic point is "don't disregard the brain and cognitive ability God gave you." The Spirit is necessary, emotion is necessary, and the mind is, too.
The book is quite short- only 85 pages- and is based on a talk he gave. It's an easy afternoon read*, and highly recommended.
Rating: A+
*Assuming you don't have two young kids screaming their heads off for hours on end, resting only to summon more energy to continue their respective tirades. But I digress.
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