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Phil Book Report Love Your God Will All Your
Mind
Philosophy and Contemporary Ideas (Liberty University)
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Mary Tschetter
Professor Alex Mason
Philosophy 201
27, February 2022
Love God with All Your Mind
I have read the book in its entirety. Moreland says that people who hold a naturalistic
view look to science for “the measure of all things” (28). However, the naturalistic view is false
because we can know for sure that the universe had a beginning. Moreland explains that we can
know for certain that God exists from the cosmological argument. There had to have been a first
event in time. There is not an infinite number of events in the past. There also had to have been
a first cause to cause the first event. Whatever caused the first event must have been outside of
space and time. This uncaused cause is God. Another argument for the existence of God is the
design argument. Everything that has design points to a designer. Think about the eye for a
moment. Moreland gives the example of an eye. The eye contains a retina, ocular muscles, and a
lens. All these parts were designed by God to work together. Design in creation demands a
designer. This designer is God.
Moreland believes that everyone has a mind, soul, and spirit. One must challenge their
mind by reading intellectual books and meditating on what one had studied. “The mind is like a
muscle. If it is not exercised regularly and strenuously, it loses some of its capacities and
strength” (Moreland 101). If one does not fill their mind with intellectual ideas, they can become
what Moreland refers to as “the empty self” (107). One must have theoretical knowledge to
become wise. Because God is the source of wisdom and knowledge one must diligently seek
him. Moreland explains that the soul is that which fills every part of a person by saying, “I am
my soul and I have a body” (80). The author suggests humans can have a relationship with God
because of their spirit which is “that faculty of the soul through which the person relates to God”
(84).
Moreland explains that when Christians debate non-believers, they must understand their
opponent’s point of view, find common ground, and logically argue their false arguments. Alex
Mason, professor of philosophy at Liberty University states that logic is “our method of
maintaining consistency within our set of knowledge”. Moreland makes it clear that Christians
are to “argue but not be argumentative” (55). One must learn the counterarguments of their
position to better understand the truth they stand on. The author makes it clear that people who
use their minds for God’s glory follow the truth wherever it leads.
This book encourages believers to know what they believe and why. Believers must base
their understanding and knowledge of God on reason. Reason is how one can gain knowledge
and justify truth. When God presents the believer with an opportunity to share the gospel with
someone, they should engage in the conversation whether they feel equipped or not. Believers
must listen and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Moreland encouraged Christians to be
Biblically informed to adequately answer questions that non-believers ask them. I agree with the
author’s statement that when Christians are Biblically informed, they defend the faith as “non-
defensive ambassadors for Christ” (154).
The truthfulness of the characteristics of “the empty self” spurs the believer on to cast out
their bad habits. The empty self is self-centered and goes from one thing to the next without
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stopping to contemplate intellectual ideas and concepts. “The empty self” is evident in the
twenty-first century as people mainly care about their own careers and educations. They
amuse themselves by reading mindless fiction, watching romantic comedies, and going to
parties.
Believers are to be set apart by casting aside their unintelligent habits and changing their routine
for the glory of God.
The author carefully explains how to develop an intellectual mind and the consequences
of not doing so. When one pays close attention to the author’s philosophical content, he can
easily follow what is being said. God reveals the truth to those whom he chooses, and one must
be an intellectual thinker to apply that truth. Moreland provides personal examples as he explains
complex concepts.
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Works Cited
Moreland, James Porter. Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of
the Soul. The Navigators, 2014.
Mason, Alex. “Metaphysics.” Philosophy and Contemporary Ideas, 21 February 2022, Liberty
University.
