Education and Foolishness – bobyoungresources.com

We don’t know what to do with education. I regularly hear comments and read sermon segments that belittle study, academic pursuits, and learning. Of course, most of these are references to advanced learning and collegiate or graduate ministry training. On the surface, it appears the church is still “for” education–we maintain our Bible schools and Bible classes. On the other hand, maybe we as a people are “against” education since barely over 50% of the members in the average congregation participate in Bible education through these Bible classes! Have we come to value ignorance over knowledge? Do we want some truth but not all truth? Does intelligence or knowledge automatically move one away from God? Does education necessarily imply that one ceases to depend on God, substituting one’s personal ability or reasoning? That there are potential dangers in education does not deny its value. If one could choose between education and not being educated, why would one choose to be uneducated?

The Bible never says that the wise man or the educated man cannot see God. Paul says that education is not the basis for one’s calling from God (1 Cor. 1). We read too much into this passage if we conclude that education disqualifies one from being called by God. The man who penned these words was a man educated in the Jewish traditions, at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the most well-known Jewish teachers of the day, prior to God’s calling in his life.

If we don’t value education, do we unwittingly value ignorance? In Romans 3, Paul quotes the Old Testament text, “The fool has said in his heart there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Education and foolishness are not mutually exclusive. Remember the descriptive phrase, “educated fool”. Why does the fool deny God?

Some educated people are fools. Some uneducated people are fools. Our task is to understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:15-17).