Well, everyone, we are at the end of our journey through the Worship Languages. Here are the other eight we’ve been through already:
Naturalist
Sensate
Traditionalist
Ascetic
Activist
Caregiver
Enthusiast
Contemplative
And today, we are going to explore the brainy bunch: The Intellectuals!
Intellectuals worship God with their minds. They love to learn new things about God and are closest to Him during study or while digging into apologetics or theology.
In church, our Intellectuals are going to be very engaged during a good, thinky sermon. Biblical exegesis, complex theology, or church history may be exactly what they need to connect with God and feel closer to Him. Hymns or worship songs with great theology or scriptural references can also draw the Intellectual in. Hearing a solid philosophical debate can also help the Intellectual to cement their beliefs and feel even closer to God.
Outside of church, a good Bible college can really help the Intellectual. I spent four years at Ambrose University and loved it dearly. Getting concentrated time to sift through Greek texts and the writings of the church fathers and mothers fed my soul in ways that I have not felt since. (Intellectual is one of my top 3 languages, in case you missed that). I still enjoy reading old text and new ideas and hope to go back for my next degree soon.
Intellectual artists (capital I) should allow their study to influence their work. Perhaps a Bible reading can inspire the painter to play with Scriptural themes in their work. A choreographer can try to capture as much of the Trinity that they can in their next piece. A writer can make allusions to older works or church history in their stories. Whatever inspires and draws you closer to God, study it!
Intellectuals need to be aware, however, that there is a difference between knowing ABOUT God and knowing God. We are called into community with our Creator and we need to spend time in prayer with Him to truly get to know Him. Just as it is not enough for me to study my wife’s likes, dislikes, history, and dreams; I also have to spend time with her, journeying together though life. It is the same with God.
Bottom line for Intellectuals: spend time often in study, but also spend time often in prayer.
If you are an Intellectual, how do you best connect to God?
Epic Theology 
April 20, 2018 at 2:01 PM
Interesting series, Brandon! I find I employ a mixture of the various different worship languages, which I suppose is probably healthy. But your warning to intellectuals is quite right; we mustn’t neglect personal relationship with our Creator.
What will you be writing about next?
God bless! Steven
April 20, 2018 at 2:12 PM
Hey Steven! I’m glad you enjoyed the series. I have several main languages, but I connect in almost all of them. Caregiver is the only one I score pretty low in.
Next weekend, I’m presenting a panel at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo on what Disney films teach us about being an adult, so I will likely do a series based on that.
Thanks for reading!
April 20, 2018 at 2:17 PM
Oh, that sounds interesting! And very different to writing about worship languages. Hope you enjoy the Expo!