Is OPism anti-intellectual?

Titus2woman · #1 07-07-2012, 11:57 AM

I have found that a lot of my OP friends are horrified that my oldest son chose to get a Ph.D and has delayed marriage in order to be able to do that.

My youngest graduated from the church school, which had terrible academics... (fortunately he was saved by the local community college dual credit program and got in to TAMU)... When I asked why they did not improve their program I was told that most the kids are either getting married or going to Bible College (which evidently has no standards either)...

Do others find that the church seems anti-education? Or is this just something in our locality?

Amanah · #2 07-07-2012, 12:28 PM

The Christians I know value education and encourage their kids to continue their education.
Some encourage their children to go to Bible College.
Some are business people, and teach their children their trade.

scotty · #3 07-07-2012, 12:33 PM

Our church runs a school. Some have went on in their parents business, some to Bible College. One of the pastors daughters got a Ph.D in Psychology. She is a hoot to be around, lol.

MissBrattified · #4 07-07-2012, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amanah

The Christians I know value education and encourage their kids to continue their education.
Some encourage their children to go to Bible College.
Some are business people, and teach their children their trade.

My experience has been the same, for the most part. However, I do feel there is a legitimate fear that a secular education can put a wedge between a person and God. Sometimes that does happen, especially if a young person's faith is already shaky or they are too ignorant to strongly oppose humanistic philosophy and reasoning. Colossians 2:8-10 comes to mind.

Some fields are more difficult than others for a Christian to pursue and still stand their ground. My oldest sister was a psych. major, and she recommends against the field for Christians. If you aren't persistent at filtering all human logic and philosophy through a biblical filter, you can get bogged down in confusion very quickly. Not only that, but post-graduate studies in particular often involve professors that are intolerant of Christian-based lines of thought because they view them as ignorant, damaging or both. To send a child into higher education unprepared for these obstacles is a dangerous thing indeed.

My take on it is that we should prepare our children for what they will face in the world; not stick our heads in the sand and hope they survive it all. I can certainly see, though, how many parents or pastors would feel intimidated by the prospect and choose to take a different course altogether.

Bottom line: I don't believe OPism is anti-intellectual. I do believe many OP's fear what they don't know or understand--like people tend to do in a variety of situations--and many of them respond by avoiding the situation completely.

Michael The Disciple · #5 07-07-2012, 01:28 PM

Almost all the Christians I have known since the 70's (mostly Charismatic/Pentecostals) who have went to College have fell away from Christ including my Daughter.

RandyWayne · #6 07-07-2012, 02:37 PM

There are many exceptions to the rule but overall I believe OP's are anti-intellectual and many do fall away whilst attending institutes of higher learning. I believe over riding reason is the ultra-shielding from society that many endured growing up as well as find that things may just be the way that pastor said they were. Imagine the shock of a older teen attending his first science class and learning that perhaps Ken Ham ISN'T the be-all and end-all of science and physics. Then their thinking goes "If my pastor and Ken Ham were wrong about the way chemistry and radiation work then what ELSE did pastor lie about?"

Michael The Disciple · #7 07-07-2012, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

There are many exceptions to the rule but overall I believe OP's are anti-intellectual and many do fall away whilst attending institutes of higher learning. I believe over riding reason is the ultra-shielding from society that many endured growing up as well as find that things may just be the way that pastor said they were. Imagine the shock of a older teen attending his first science class and learning that perhaps Ken Ham ISN'T the be-all and end-all of science and physics. Then their thinking goes "If my pastor and Ken Ham were wrong about the way chemistry and radiation work then what ELSE did pastor lie about?"

And yet all the believers I know that attended College have fallen away from Christ. Most of them were not Oneness Pentecostal.

RandyWayne · #8 07-07-2012, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

And yet all the believers I know that attended College have fallen away from Christ. Most of them were not Oneness Pentecostal.

That is funny because I know many Christians who obtained advanced degrees. Even my former pastor before moving to Arizona got his Masters in Counseling and education and now teaches (when he's not pastoring). Just like my last post though I can imagine a church where the young people are so sheltered and their only experience with science is what they hear on Christian radio on Sat morning that they are completely unprepared for the real world. I CAN imagine 'everyone' from a such a church falling away when they hit college.