In giving consideration briefly to Christian scholarship, the selection of certain basic qualities by which a scholar might be identified would seem to be of value.
Scholarship is relative. Although directed toward the acquisition of knowledge, this is neither its only goal nor its primary motivating force. Scholarship reflects an attitude of interest; an inward desire by one to participate in progress toward wholesome living. The acquisition of knowledge is a means toward an end. Scholarship is the result of a desire to know facts and to understand their application to life. Fundamentally, it is a reflection of one's desire to know and to understand God. It reflects an interest on the part of the scholar to apply his knowledge for the benefit of his fellow men.
Scholarship Spurns Superficiality and Prejudice
Scholarship assumes the existence of a scholar and the reflection of his character. The qualities of a scholar then begin to become apparent. He is one who is reasonably well informed concerning the attitudes and the experiences of others. Therefore, he must be a student. Not a superficial or an inaccurate student, not one whose study is restricted or prejudiced, but one who excavates deeply into the mountainous storehouse of knowledge; one who learns to separate that which is durable and precious in its application to life from that which is ephemeral and of little value; one who has learned to break through the arbitrary and artificial walls that men throughout the ages have constructed as conveniences, behind which those who are afraid of what they might find on the other side attain a feeling of relative security and protection with their ignorance.
There is always a certain amount of risk in studying with an open mind and with the intent to learn. The danger is that one occasionally might find something new—a new idea, a new concept, or a new natural fact. He might even discover qualities of God with which he had not previously been acquainted. The superficial student might become confused under such circumstances, but not the scholar. He is not "a reed shaken by the wind" (Matt. 11:7, R.S.V.) nor a child "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14). New ideas, newly learned facts, new concepts, strengthen his bridge of understanding in his relationship to God, to himself, to his fellow men, and thereby to life.
A scholar is a student whose knowledge becomes intermingled with understanding. He has reasonably good judgment. He is wise in the application of his knowledge. He is one who not only is well informed concerning the experiences of others but also has had a broad experience himself. He is a wise student of history because in it he has a biography of greatness as exemplified in men; of science because in it he becomes better acquainted with God; and of human relationships because through service to others he is able to use his own God-given qualities and to develop them. Differing from study and memory per se, scholarship, then, is a reflection of one's attitudes and experiences.
Scholarship, a Christian Quality
With these points in mind, I state here my personal opinion that true scholarship is inherently a Christian quality. I believe that, although there are atheistic students, there are no atheistic scholars and that the major differences between the two are motives and objectives. Scholarship has a quality of dignity which knowledge, isolated from its application to life, does not have.
Pursuing this concept further, it now seems reasonable for one to assume that Christians should be scholars. If so, the quality of one's scholarship should be directed toward the attainment of the highest moral, ethical, and intellectual values.
In the Proverbs of Solomon, it is recorded that "it is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out" (Prov. 25:2, R.S.V.). One may interpret this as meaning that God expects men to be investigators and to be scholars. He expects them to be persistent seekers for truth. Solomon indicates that such scholarship can be an experience equivalent to the "glory of kings."
If scholarship is relative, so is knowledge. Quantitatively, its source is as infinitely great as is God. To the one who is interested in its pursuit, it is dynamic always. Usually it is evasive. To the pursuer, there is a reciprocal relationship between the means by which it is sought and the stimulus that generates the impulse to capture. even relatively small quantities of it. Per se, the value of knowledge is limited to the production of a degree of mental satisfaction by the one who has acquired a portion of it.
Acquisition of Knowledge Relative
Also, the acquisition of knowledge by study and investigation is relative, and fortunately or unfortunately, one's latent or potential capacity to study and to learn may not bear a direct relationship to his desire to do so. I. M. McIver comments:
If only we knew! If only we knew enough—if only we knew the right things at the right times, if only we could discern the consequences of action before we act, if only we knew the truth about the situations that perplex and disturb us, if only we knew the answers to our problems—then indeed we could make the most and the best of life. So we think. But it is written that He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow" (Ecclesiastes 1:18).
Knowledge is certainly not wisdom nor are the more knowledgeable by any reckoning the more wise. If knowledge alone would save the world, we would be in a far happier condition than we are now, since knowledge has been vastly extending its range. There is a significant relation between knowledge and wisdom. The question for our times might be: How can we make knowledge the road to wisdom?
Wisdom alone is justified. That has always been true. But today it is also true that wisdom alone can save the children alike of the foolish and of the wise.'
Wisdom in the Application of Knowledge
Certainly there is no quantitative relationship between one's capacity to learn facts and his ability to make good and proper use of what he does know. One may be exceptionally well informed and may even have an encyclopedic mind, and at the same time he may be lacking completely in the qualities that form the essential fiber of a scholar. Contrariwise, if he continues to be a student, if he is a persistent seeker for truth, his relative lack of factual information will not prevent his being a true scholar. When knowledge is applied wisely, immediately it becomes a force that has no limits of effectiveness. If its application is with the spirit of love, God and man will be served and the individual giving such service will have met the essential qualifications of a scholar.
The experiences of man in relation to God and to divine concepts immediately become apparent. Intelligence, study, and knowledge, important as they are, when considered by themselves, become rather selfish and inadequate qualities.
The wise man reminds us that wisdom and not knowledge is the essential thing. Also it is recorded for us in Proverbs 15: 32, 33, R.S.V., that "he who ignores instruction despises himself, but he who heeds admonition gains understanding. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor." Wisdom is the ability to use and to apply one's talents and knowledge with intelligence so that man is served and God is worshiped. That is man's paramount achievement.
William Cowper placed his comments on the relationship of knowledge to wisdom, in verse:
Knowledge and wisdom, far from being one, Have ofttimes no connection. Knowledge dwells In heads replete with thoughts of other men, Wisdom in minds attentive to their own.
Knowledge is proud that he has learn'd so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more.2
Wisdom can never be defined accurately or adequately. It can only be experienced. Walt Whitman wrote that "wisdom is of the soul." In writing about this, Frederick Mayer asks, "What is the value of knowledge if it creates torment and agony? What is the value of material advancement if it only makes our life more complicated?" And then he comments, "Real progress is of the spirit, it elevates our thoughts; it enchants our heart; it widens our perspective; it overcomes the gulf between us and others. The real drama does not lie in man's domination of nature; ... it lies in his progressive understanding of himself."
Christian Scholarship
The relationship of the acquisition of knowledge to Christian scholarship assumes a process of continuing education. In the book Education, by Ellen G. White, is a comprehensive statement that summarizes this thought very well:
Our ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world, and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.'
Another essential quality of a scholar is faith. In his Proverbs, Solomon tells us that the house of wisdom has seven pillars (Prov. 9:1). Edwin B. Fred selects for these pillars knowledge, integrity, judgment, imagination, courage, tolerance, and faith. I am sure that we would agree with him that "the strongest pillar of wisdom is faith . . . Faith in ourselves and in our fellow men, faith in our country and our way of life, faith in the triumph of good over evil, faith in God and in a glorious future."'
Science and Faith
Does it sound out of place for a man who has devoted much of his life to a scientific search for facts to stress the strength of faith? Science may be built upon fact, but its architect is faith. Without faith, wisdom is unobtainable. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11: 1, R.S.V.). However, let us not forget that "faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17, R.S.V.).
Dr. Robert V. Kleinschmidt, professor of physics and mechanical engineering at Harvard University, reminds us that "scientists are commonly regarded as coldly intellectual, mathematical seekers after a very impersonal truth. Yet," he asks, "who can explain the devotion of a Columbus facing danger, hardship and ridicule for his faith in a spherical earth, or a Curie, Pasteur, Galileo, Agassiz, Newton and the rest, on the basis of either pure intellect or idle curiosity?
"They had a passionate faith that there was a beautiful and orderly plan in the universe and that to understand this plan was worth more than any human ease and comfort."'
Then he reminds us that faith, like hope and love, may be high or low, and that we need not only faith but a complete faith, a high faith, the highest and most complete faith of which we are capable—a living, growing, all-embracing faith in ourselves, in our fellow men, in natural laws, and in the universal God.
Returning to the Proverbs of Solomon, I bring to your attention two positive statements which, when applied, emphasize essential qualities of a scholar and contribute toward the production of a satisfactory way of living. Both of them are in the third chapter and include the fifth, sixth, and twenty-seventh verses.
Proverbs 3:5, 6, R.S.V.: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Not only does this statement recommend a relationship that one should have toward God, but also an attitude that one should have toward himself, and when verse 27 is added, namely, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it," life becomes interesting and purposeful.
A modern beloved physician, Sir William Osler, always reminded students and physicians that—
the practice of medicine is an art and not a trade; a calling and not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head. Often the best part of your work will have nothing to do with potions and powders, but with the exercise of an influence of the strong upon the weak, of the righteous upon the wicked, of the wise upon the foolish....
"The physician needs a clear head and a kind heart; his work is arduous and complex, requiring the exercise of the very highest faculties of the mind, while constantly appealing to the emotions and finer feelings.7
The personal standards for which we strive should be of a quality not lower than these few I have described as being essential to Christian scholarship. If we approach their attainment, then we will "trust in the Lord with all [our hearts]" and we will "not rely on [our] own [insights]." "In all [our] ways" we will "acknowledge him," and we will have the faith, based upon experience, to know that "he will make straight [our] paths."
Applying Knowledge for the Benefit of Others
One additional concept, or motive, or purpose for living, must be added in order for one to complete a satisfactory plan of life. This is the practical and wise application of knowledge for the benefit of others. This is not just something that might be done. It is not even something that should be done. In the true Christian scholar service to mankind reaches its highest quality when it occurs naturally and spontaneously as part of one's way of life, as a reflection of one's attitudes, as evidence of one's basic character.
When they were told of their good deeds that classified them and placed them on the right hand of God, those to whom it was said, "Come, 0 blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you," asked the question, "'Lord when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' " (Matt. 25:34-39, R.S.V.).
It is obvious that those who were called "blessed of my Father" had no selfish motive in what they did. I seriously doubt whether these good deeds per se merited such a blessing. The fact that such deeds are the reflections or evidences of the qualities or character of a person, seems to me to be a fact of major importance. God's attitude toward me is not so important to me as is my attitude toward Him. What others may do to me or for me is of relatively small consequence when compared with what I do to or for them.
If we have these concepts and these qualities of character, and if, by precept and example, we might be able to influence others to have similar beliefs and understandings, then I think it will not be possible for one to withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in one's power to do it (see Prov. 3:27).
REFERENCES
I. M. McIver, The Faith of Great Scientists (a collection of articles from The American Weekly, 1950), Hearst Publishing Company, Inc.
2 William Cowper, The Task, Book VI, "The Winter Walk at Noon."
3 Frederick Mayer, Wisdom, vol. 1, no. 8, August, 1956.
4 Ellen G. White, Education, page 13.
5 Edwin B. Fred, Wisdom, vol. 1, no. 1, January, 1956.
6 McIver, op. cit.
7 Sir William Osler, Aequanimitas With Other Addresses, Blakiston, 1932.
