Book Review: Your Mind’s Mission by Greg Jao (Intervarsity Press, 2012, 30 pages)

All of us associated with Augustine College understand that our thinking matters to God and that we are called to serve him with all our minds.  It can be helpful to revisit this idea in depth every few years.  As we grow in the Lord and as our circumstances change, different aspects of this command will stand out to us. Recently, I read through Your Mind’s Mission with a group of Christian faculty and graduate students at a secular university and realized that some Augustine College newsletter readers might enjoy this book as well.  At a mere 30 pages, it can easily fit into busy lifestyles and its potential impact far exceeds its length.

Author Greg Jao is a vice president and the director of campus engagement for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. Jao begins by explaining that Jesus, who created, sustains, and redeems all that exists, designed all parts of our existence to glorify Him. In all that we do, we can and should worship Him.  Our intellectual stewardship can begin to reclaim the contested terrain in all fields of endeavor as we ‘engage in worship through the spiritual discipline of thinking well.’

We need to be shaped by God’s story and in order to do that, we need to understand it.  Jao adapts N. T Wright’s theatre metaphor to our patterns of thinking about our lives and our work. All was created good, including our work.  All was affected by the fall and is redeemed by Christ, and eventually all, including our endeavours, will glorify Him.  And thus, it is in hope we serve God, knowing that in Him our labour is not in vain.

Of course, worldview plays a large part in how we use our minds. In five packed pages the author explains what worldviews are, what questions they discuss, and how we can use them wisely in our own lives.  We must consider them carefully, for offering our allegiance to a non-Christian way of shaping our identity and activity, according to Jao, ‘would be idolatry’.

As an Asian Christian, Jao effectively points out the impact of culture on our understanding of the Bible.  Obviously, we need to be alert to the difference between the voice of our culture and the voice of God.  He claims that immersing ourselves in cultural diversity can open our eyes to that difference.  Immersing ourselves in the story of history, as is done at Augustine College, could have a similar effect, opening our eyes to the assumptions, the limitations, and even the strengths of our times.

‘When we fail to put our knowledge into practice,’ warns Jao in conclusion, ‘we deny the truthfulness of what we know.’  For this reason he has included challenging application activities after each of the four sections.  Worked through thoughtfully, they can help align our minds with the Bible, impact our scholarship, increase our outreach, teach us about ourselves, and strengthen our relationships; dramatically increasing the effectiveness of our mind’s mission.

As our group discussed this book we pushed back occasionally.  Inevitably there were statements, emphases, and concepts that some of us agreed should be broadened or required more nuance.  Even so, the book was a reminder, sometimes jolting, that we are called to love the Lord with our minds as well as our hearts, souls, and strength.

It is valuable to have attended the College, and it is important to support it and so be part of its mission (thank you!).  That is not enough, however. What really matters is that we all diligently apply its motto, ‘faith seeking understanding’, throughout our own lives and in our own fields of work. In this ongoing calling, Your Mind’s Mission by Greg Jao can encourage and guide us.