Here’s a great line that has to do with the Christian mind and the joy found in Christianity. It is from Francis Schaeffer’s book, The God Who Is There.
“When we understand our calling, it is not only true, but beautiful – and it should be exciting. It is hard to understand how an orthodox, evangelical, Bible-believing Christian can fail to be excited. The answers in the realm of the intellect should make us overwhelmingly excited. But more than this, we are returned to a personal relationship with the God who is there. If we are unexcited Christians, we should go back and see what is wrong” (p. 190).
Francis Shaeffer, The God Who Is There (Downers Grove: IVP, 1998), 190.
shane lems
One of these days…I will get around to reading his classic trilogy!
This is a fine citation. It reminds me of the words of Karl Barth in Evangelical Theology:
“A quite specific astonishment stands at the beginning of every theological perception, inquiry, and thought, in fact at the root of every theological word. This astonishment is indispensable if theology is to exist and be perpetually renewed as a modest, free, critical and happy science. If such astonishment is lacking, the whole enterprise of even the best theologian would canker at the roots. On the other hand, as long as even a poor theologian is capable of astonishment, he is not lost to the fulfillment of his task. He remains serviceable as long as the possibility is left open that astonishment may seize him like an armed man.”
Anchor paper back edition p. 54