Session 3, Albert Mohler — 2012 National Conference
The third message of the 2012 Ligonier Ministries National Conference was from Dr. Albert Mohler and titled, "I've Got Half a Mind Too." Dr. Mohler explored the world's way of thinking due to the fall—a way of thinking that Christians have been set free from by God's grace. He challenged us all to think like Christians.
Here are a few highlights from his session.
Christians need to unapologetically think about thinking
Most human beings never take the time to think about thinking. The Christian, however, is called to be different: we must perpetually and unapologetically think about thinking. This need is essential because how we think affects how we act. A Christian's faithfullness depends upon them thinking faithfully.
In addition, Christians are called to understand not only how they think, but also the mind of the age. As we desperately seek to communicate the gospel to our age, we need to have an understanding of how they think.
The knowledge crisis is ancient
The crisis in how man thinks isn't new. Genesis 3 comes not only with cosmic consequences, but brought about a massive change in human thinking. Dr. Mohler read and spoke on Romans 1:18-32 and commented that all humans are involved in a "conspiracy," a conspiracy to suppress the truth. As Christians, we need to recognize that we are only set free from this conspiracy by the grace of God in the gospel.
14 Noetic Effects of Sin
Dr. Mohler gave fourteen noetic effects of sin, that is, fourteen ways the fall affected our thinking.
- Ignorance
- Distractedness
- Forgetfulness
- Prejudice
- Faulty Perspective
- Intellectual fatigue
- Inconsistency
- Failure to draw right conclusions
- Intellectual apathy
- Dogmatism and closed-mindedness
- Intellectual pride
- Vain imagination
- Miscommunication
- Partial knowledge
Dr. Albert Mohler president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is a prominent voice within evangelicalism and a frequent guest on national news programs. He has also written or contributed to several books including Atheism Remix and Whatever Happened to Truth?