Saturday, June 30, 2012

Preach to the mind? heart? person?

I have heard that it is said, "to preach to the heart, preach to the mind. We reach the heart through the mind."

Now, it all depends what this means.

In the Bible, the heart seems to be something like the whole person's control centre. We might call this the mind. Indeed, every thought and emotion is a chemical reaction in the brain.

So do we go for the emotions (the heart) via the thoughts (the mind)?

And what of the will?

Or you might want to talk of the affections?

And what role the body and actions?

I am not so sure we can slice it up quite so neatly or quite like that.

My problem is not always that I need better information or even to be persuaded (logically or rationally).

I think my best stab would be to say preach to the heart / mind / person. We certainly do not aim simply for the brian or the emotions or even the emotions via the brian.

It seems to me that this anthropology stuff matters for the sake of ministry.

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