One segment of believers seems to simply ignore or devalue intellectual pursuits, acknowledging no connection between intellectual development and Christian spirituality. Another group, sometimes a whole fellowship or denomination, openly opposes intellectual pursuits. They claim that efforts to develop the mind are unspiritual and may even thwart spiritual growth.
Subjective experience takes precedence over knowledge and careful thinking, in their view.
Some within this camp argue that a formal education in college or seminary is destructive to spirituality. And they can usually cite examples of people whose Christianity has been shipwrecked on the rocky shoals of academia. The Bible does not, however, support this dichotomy between reason and relationship, between intellectual and spiritual vitality. Christianity encompasses a worldview and a coherent set of convictions. Indeed, He holds us responsible for our response to what we understand of His revelation.