I recently read a fascinating book entitled A History of the Jews by Paul Johnson (Harper & Row, 1987). The author commences his sweeping saga with the story of Abraham’s purchase of the cave at Machpelah (Genesis 23) and concludes with the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
Jewish history is littered with pain –– martyrdom at Masada, dispersion to the ends of the world, persecution by Christians, expulsion from Spain, pogroms in Russia, and, of course, the Holocaust. It is also a story of pilgrims in quest of their Lord.
Rationalism and Pietism
Two great spiritual streams flow through the history of the Jews. The first involves a deep love of the mind, an emphasis on the intellectual side of faith. After the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., no central place of worship or priestly class existed. As a result, only the Torah remained as a pillar of the faith. A scholarly class emerged to interpret Scripture, an elite that Johnson labels a “cathedocracy.”To be a biblical scholar was to be the most respected person in the community.
Perhaps the best known such scholar was a twelfth century man named Moses ben Maimon, known to posterity as Maimonides. A medical doctor by training, he also wrote extensive biblical commentaries. He encouraged all Jews to devote only three hours a day to their trade in order to leave nine hours for studying the Torah –– “three in studying the written law, three in the oral law, and three reflecting how to deduce one rule from another.”
The second stream involves a deep pietism. Maimonides’ wife came from a long line of pietists-mystics, and her eldest son emulated her spirituality rather than that of his father. These devotees fasted weekly, sought visions, and regularly prayed through the night. Their emphasis upon heart experience continued through the Middle Ages –– primarily through Jewish communities in Eastern Europe –– and can be found today in pursuit of the “kabbalah” (translated “tradition,” but implies a mystical understanding). Pietism remains a strong theme among Orthodox Jews to this day.
Reflection
As an “heir of Abraham” (Rom 4:16), I feel a strong kinship with my Jewish brothers and sisters. As I reflect upon my own spiritual journey, I can clearly see both streams feeding my spiritual development. When I came to faith via a charismatic Anglican church, a strong emphasis was placed upon experiential aspects of faith such as fasting, prayer, reflection, and prophecy.
But in my mid-twenties, my wife and I visited Francis Schaeffer’s L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. Upon returning home, we became involved in a Reformed Presbyterian church. Great emphasis was placed on rational thought. As a young lawyer, I found that the interplay of reason and faith greatly appealed to me.
As I’ve matured, I have come to value both streams equally. Each is critical to a healthy spiritual walk. Historically, Christian movements have gone astray when they have focused on one to the exclusion of the other. Indeed, to pit the mind against the heart is to create a false dichotomy. Rather, studying Scripture drives us to prayer. Prayer, in turn, creates a hunger for the Word.
Thankfully, both streams are vibrant within InterVarsity. It has always been so. Our founders were both pietistic Plymouth Brethren and high-thinking members of Reformed churches. It is vital that we continue to boldly grasp both elements: systematic theology and prayer; inductive study and fasting; debate and silence; discipleship of the mind and discipleship of the heart.
May the Lord keep us in balance, both individually and as a Fellowship, remembering Jesus’ greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).
