Education as Pride

Recently for a seminary assignment I had to read The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. Reading Thomas a Kempis was something I had been planning on doing for a very long time. Many years ago, one of my professors in Bible College lent me a copy. I eagerly went to read it but was stymied right away. I did not quite know how to approach it because that copy was divided in to verses, almost like a Bible, and the content varied from chapter to chapter. Thomas writes little snippets of information almost offhandedly as if he is daringly throwing down the gauntlet to his reader to consider what he has written before moving on to the next portion. That approach challenges people to really examine themselves and wrestle with what is being said instead of offering a cursory reading.

The first book reminds me of the book of Ecclesiastes, some of his language reminds me of the arguments in it, the tension between the daily actions of life and futility of it apart from God. On the surface he seems to be anti-learning but upon closer examination something else appears. I didn't get the impression that he was anti-education, but what I did glean from book one was this undercurrent of humility. Thomas puts his finger on a problem very early on; people with education can become arrogant in their knowledge. He claims that it is better to live right before God then to have too much knowledge that it does one no good. I have the propensity for arrogance when I learn or read something new. Often I, consciously or unconsciously, look for opportunities where I can bring up what I have learned in order to appear wise or learned. His comments in book one are an excellent reminder to watch out for pride and to let my pursuit of God be forefront instead of my pursuit of knowledge about God. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." For me, this is the heart of book one and Thomas says it well when he writes, "Well-ordered learning is not to be belittled, for it is good and comes from God, but a clean conscience and a virtuous life are much better and more to be desired."