--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At root, evangelical anti-intellectualism…" description: "\"At root, evangelical anti-intellectualism is both a scandal and a sin. It is a scandal in the sense of being an offense and a stumbling block that need..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/188/os-guinness-6581_addresses_at-root-evangelical-anti-intellectualism_2419369.jpg" --- # At root, evangelical anti-intellectualism is both a… ![“At root, evangelical anti-intellectualism is both a scandal and a sin. It is a scandal in the sense of being an offense and a stumbling block that needlessly hinders serious people from considering the Christian faith and coming to Christ. It is a sin because it is a refusal, contrary to Jesus'…” quote by Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/188/os-guinness-6581_addresses_at-root-evangelical-anti-intellectualism_2419369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/188/os-guinness-6581_addresses_at-root-evangelical-anti-intellectualism_2419369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/188/os-guinness-6581_addresses_at-root-evangelical-anti-intellectualism_2419369.jpg) > “At root, evangelical anti-intellectualism is both a scandal and a sin. It is a scandal in the sense of being an offense and a stumbling block that needlessly hinders serious people from considering the Christian faith and coming to Christ. It is a sin because it is a refusal, contrary to Jesus' two great commandments, to love the Lord our God with our minds. Anti-intellectualism is quite simply a sin. Evangelicals must address it as such, beyond all excuses, evasions, or rationalizations of false piety.” [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evangelical anti-intellectualism harms both the church’s witness and violates the command to love God with one’s mind. **In simple terms:** Rejecting intellect is a sin that blocks faith. Key Takeaway Address the sin, not excuses. Themes faith intellectual humility church health Mood concerned serious Type theological critical When to use this quote - preaching - education - apologetics - personal study Key Concepts sin scandal commandment Questions to Reflect On - How can churches foster thoughtful faith? - What barriers keep believers from engaging ideas? A Different Perspective Intellectual rigor can clash with emotional faith expressions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christian faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-faith/) [Commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandments/) [Evangelical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelical/) [Intellectualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectualism/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Piety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piety/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Scandal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scandal/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Stumbling block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stumbling-block/) [Stumbling blocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stumbling-blocks/) ## Related quotes > [Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the importance of truth and the life of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to-discount-the-importance-of/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“I believed that what mattered to God was the direction I was facing not how far away I was. Sin it seemed to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-wheeler/i-believed-that-what-mattered-to-god-was-the-direction-i-was-facing/) Sara Wheeler > [The unforgivable sin is the refusal to pardon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-unforgivable-sin-is-the-refusal-to-pardon/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Sin is a refusal to grow, a refusal to love, a refusal to get committed, to be concerned, and to take risks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/sin-is-a-refusal-to-grow-a-refusal-to-love-a-refusal-to-get-committed/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [America's greatest sin is the refusal to delay gratification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/america-s-greatest-sin-is-the-refusal-to-delay-gratification/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Broadly speaking, I learned to recognize sin as the refusal to live up to the enlightenment we possess: to know the right order of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bondfield/broadly-speaking-i-learned-to-recognize-sin-as-the-refusal-to-live-up/) Margaret Bondfield > [“It is not possible to understand original sin without reference to the fullness of givenness – that is, love. Original sin is a refusal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-saint-john-paul-ii/it-is-not-possible-to-understand-original-sin-without-reference-to/) Pope Saint John Paul II > [The displacement of the idea that facts and evidence matter by the idea that everything boils down to subjective interests and perspectives is -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-laudan/the-displacement-of-the-idea-that-facts-and-evidence-matter-by-the/) Larry Laudan > [“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/there-is-a-cult-of-ignorance-in-the-united-states-and-there-always/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [Sadly enough, there is a kind of an anti-intellectualism among many Christians: spirituality is falsely pitted against intellectual comprehension as though they stood in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/sadly-enough-there-is-a-kind-of-an-anti-intellectualism-among-many/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [I asked many friends if Australian anti-intellectualism was still a living force and they all told me it was. If you are above average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/i-asked-many-friends-if-australian-anti-intellectualism-was-still-a/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“above all, intellectual. Anti-intellectualism is one of the grand unifying themes of the backlash, the mutant strain of class war that underpins so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/above-all-intellectual-anti-intellectualism-is-one-of-the-grand/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding-its-way/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I'm going to insist that we've got decent funding, enough teachers, and computers in the classroom, but unless you turn off the television set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-m-going-to-insist-that-we-ve-got-decent-funding-enough-teachers-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More by Os Guinness > [Too often we forget that the great men of faith reached the heights they did only by going through the depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/too-often-we-forget-that-the-great-men-of-faith-reached-the-heights/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [There are lots of people depending on the government who are good, honest citizens who have worked all their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/there-are-lots-of-people-depending-on-the-government-who-are-good/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [American views today are weak, confused, and divided. 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It's the power to do what you ought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/freedom-is-not-the-permission-to-do-what-you-like-it-s-the-power-to/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“It is realistic rather than cynical to observe that in a fallen world there are degrees of virtue in relation to what is right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/it-is-realistic-rather-than-cynical-to-observe-that-in-a-fallen-world/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [For the grand and inescapable tradition of western literary classics confronts us with fundamental choices over our understanding of words, reading and art, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/for-the-grand-and-inescapable-tradition-of-western-literary-classics/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“The story is told of Socrates walking through the market in Athens, with its groaning abundance of options, and saying to himself, "Who would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/the-story-is-told-of-socrates-walking-through-the-market-in-athens/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching committment to faithfulness, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/by-our-uncritical-pursuit-of-relevance-we-have-actually-courted/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Evangelicalism can only remain evangelical if it is passionately serious about truth and theology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/evangelicalism-can-only-remain-evangelical-if-it-is-passionately/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“Sometimes when I listen to people who say they have lost their faith, I am far less surprised than they expect. 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Nor can they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/neither-secular-progress-nor-secular-progressives-have-brought-the/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [This is also why it is wrong to treat God as a grand employment agency, a celestial executive searcher to find perfect fits for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/this-is-also-why-it-is-wrong-to-treat-god-as-a-grand-employment/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [We human beings are never happier than when we are expressing the deepest gifts that are truly us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/we-human-beings-are-never-happier-than-when-we-are-expressing-the/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Christ is the only way to God, but there are as many ways to Christ as there are people who come to Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/christ-is-the-only-way-to-god-but-there-are-as-many-ways-to-christ-as/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) [Explore all 98 Os Guinness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) ## More Addresses quotes > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... 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Do not approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/you-will-find-a-spring-by-the-dwelling-of-the-dead-to-the-left-next/) [Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/) > [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/) [L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/) > [Each email contains an unsubscribe link. 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There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark/senator-obama-will-be-taking-office-at-a-critical-juncture-there-are/) [Helen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark/) Browse all 1,100 Addresses quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At root, evangelical anti-intellectualism is both a scandal and a sin. It is a scandal in the sense of being an offense and a stumbling block that needlessly hinders serious people from considering the Christian faith and coming to Christ. It is a sin because it is a refusal, contrary to Jesus' two great commandments, to love the Lord our God with our minds. Anti-intellectualism is quite simply a sin. 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