Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling
In some Christian denominations the intellectual life is looked at askance; anything beyond basic literacy is regarded as presumptuous. Sire (lecturer, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship; The Universe Next Door) argues that the intellectual lifeDa life of thinking and thinking wellDcan be a calling for some. Indeed, it is, to a certain extent, a calling for all Christians. "Thinking," he notes, "is integral to our call to be what God wants us to be." The author does a fine job of defending and promoting a Christian intellectual life, one that "does the truth." And the truth for Sire is that revealed in Jesus Christ. Writing in the tradition of John Henry Newman, to whom he devotes a chapter, and A.D. Sertillanges, the author defines the habits required of the Christian intellectual. Recommended for seminary and larger public libraries.DAugustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.