See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
On its face, these words of Paul to the church at Colossae appear to denigrate philosophy. For that reason, this verse has been one of the favorite verses by anti-intellectuals and those opposed to the study of philosophy. Philosophy, they say, is the not just worthless, but dangerous to the Christian faith. This would be a gross misreading of the text, however. We must pay attention to the qualifications Paul made concerning his indictment of philosophy. (more…)
Thinking to Believe 