What do you think?
Rate this book
Knowledge for the Love of God: Why Your Heart Needs Your Mind
What is the role of the intellect in the life of faith? Jesus commanded us to love God with our minds—but why? Isn’t simply believing enough? Confused on this point, many Christians choose to focus only on the role of their hearts in shaping their faith and consider that adequate. Some Christians go even further, arguing that knowledge exists in opposition to faith—that one must choose either the truth of science or the truth of the Bible. The reality is that our formation into Christlikeness relies heavily on our minds and that Christian belief is about thinking more, not less. Far from being a threat, the intellect is central to faith—so long as it is treated as an instrument of worship rather than as the object of worship. Knowledge for the Love of God is for followers of Jesus needing to better understand the crucial connection between faith and rationality. Timothy Pickavance shows how learning about who God is and what he has done, is doing, and will do draws us closer to him—just as in any relationship. With stories from his own experiences wrestling with this aspect of faith, Pickavance relates a compelling vision of how cultivating the intellect strengthens our Christian worldview, helps us gain freedom in Christ, and enables us to love God with our whole being. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter make this a book to be fruitfully shared among fellow believers desiring a deeper faith—one of heart, soul, strength, and mind .
179 pages, Paperback
Published August 25, 2022
5 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 22, 2025
Pickavance makes philosophy enjoyable, not just tolerable (quite the feat), by making it personal. And I appreciate how it made me want to pick up my Bible and read and, in doing so, love God more!
“My warped desire that the truths of Christianity ‘work’ in a certain way, where what that means is that it will help me get what I want, dovetails with the idea that science is the only path to knowledge” (115).
“My warped desire that the truths of Christianity ‘work’ in a certain way, where what that means is that it will help me get what I want, dovetails with the idea that science is the only path to knowledge” (115).
July 13, 2023
The author is a philosopher, and you can tell, as this book is very philosophical although still accessible.
I really wanted to like it, and I liked aspects of it. It challenged me to think deeply about philosophical issues and how they affect the Christian life, specifically the question of what does it mean to KNOW something, and how do we KNOW that Christianity is true. While I appreciated thinking about these things, I found that the book didn’t really provide the answers that I wanted. And maybe that’s because it’s philosophy and there are no simple answers. However, I found it frustrating because there were so many things that he just assumed, or there were times when I felt like he was trying to answer an important question, but the answer didn’t make logical sense.
The biggest example of this is when considering the question of whether we know God is real. He defined knowledge as reasonable, true, belief. The “reasonable” part makes sense. It’s the “true” part that gets me. So basically if something isn’t true, you don’t know it. No matter how strongly you believe the earth is flat, and no matter how reasonable it seems, you can’t know it because it’s not true. But that presented a problem to me—I absolutely believe that God is real, and I certainly think it is reasonable. I think all the evidence points to God being real, and faith helps me believe. But how do I know that this belief is true? And if I don’t know if my belief is true, then can I say that I KNOW that God is real? Do I know it, or do I just believe it?
This book also sparked an intense discussion between my boyfriend and I about the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge, and whether that dichotomy actually exists. If we had read on to chapter two, we would have found our answer and had less of a need to argue. Pickavance discusses the difference between propositional knowledge and knowledge by acquaintance, which I think was one of the most helpful parts of the book. Propositional knowledge is knowledge about facts or states of the world from a third-personal standpoint. Knowledge by acquaintance is knowledge of a thing that is direct and unmediated.
Finally, I did find the chapter on faith helpful. As I wrestled with the philosophical question of can I actually KNOW anything?! The logic doesn’t make sense… but the chapter on faith brought me back to the fact that we primarily know God by faith. And faith is mysterious. It’s spiritual. It DOESN’T completely make sense. But through faith you can know.
Overall I enjoyed the experience of reading the book and discussing it with my boyfriend. However, I can’t necessarily recommend because I don’t feel like it provided any real answers.
I really wanted to like it, and I liked aspects of it. It challenged me to think deeply about philosophical issues and how they affect the Christian life, specifically the question of what does it mean to KNOW something, and how do we KNOW that Christianity is true. While I appreciated thinking about these things, I found that the book didn’t really provide the answers that I wanted. And maybe that’s because it’s philosophy and there are no simple answers. However, I found it frustrating because there were so many things that he just assumed, or there were times when I felt like he was trying to answer an important question, but the answer didn’t make logical sense.
The biggest example of this is when considering the question of whether we know God is real. He defined knowledge as reasonable, true, belief. The “reasonable” part makes sense. It’s the “true” part that gets me. So basically if something isn’t true, you don’t know it. No matter how strongly you believe the earth is flat, and no matter how reasonable it seems, you can’t know it because it’s not true. But that presented a problem to me—I absolutely believe that God is real, and I certainly think it is reasonable. I think all the evidence points to God being real, and faith helps me believe. But how do I know that this belief is true? And if I don’t know if my belief is true, then can I say that I KNOW that God is real? Do I know it, or do I just believe it?
This book also sparked an intense discussion between my boyfriend and I about the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge, and whether that dichotomy actually exists. If we had read on to chapter two, we would have found our answer and had less of a need to argue. Pickavance discusses the difference between propositional knowledge and knowledge by acquaintance, which I think was one of the most helpful parts of the book. Propositional knowledge is knowledge about facts or states of the world from a third-personal standpoint. Knowledge by acquaintance is knowledge of a thing that is direct and unmediated.
Finally, I did find the chapter on faith helpful. As I wrestled with the philosophical question of can I actually KNOW anything?! The logic doesn’t make sense… but the chapter on faith brought me back to the fact that we primarily know God by faith. And faith is mysterious. It’s spiritual. It DOESN’T completely make sense. But through faith you can know.
Overall I enjoyed the experience of reading the book and discussing it with my boyfriend. However, I can’t necessarily recommend because I don’t feel like it provided any real answers.
February 1, 2026
3.5 out of 5 stars
In Knowledge for the Love of God: Why Your Heart Needs Your Mind, Timothy Pickavance, professor of philosophy, argues that knowing Christ isn’t a one-time “before/after” switch; it’s something we’re meant to grow in over a lifetime.
One of his strongest examples in the book that stuck with me was his commentary on 2 Peter 3:18 which says we are to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (emphasis mine). Not simply knowledge about Christ, but knowledge of Him; knowledge by acquaintance (personal, intimate connection) rather than only propositional knowledge (facts). Pickavance’s point isn’t that facts don’t matter, but that they serve the relationship. He says: “Deepening acquaintance ... requires extending propositional knowledge.” The two work hand-in-hand.
I also connected with his thoughts on widespread problems within the church where knowledge of God is subtly discouraged (typically unintentional). Yes, most churches will tell congregants that they should read their Bibles, but does their actual preaching create an environment where questioning one's faith is encouraged? Or are churches simply telling people what they want to hear (see 2 Tim. 4:3-4)? He says:
"It can be tempting to think that our beliefs about religion are less about truth and more about producing certain feelings of purpose or contentment or satisfaction, or whatever it is we want deep down."
This is a real danger, and I appreciate that he chose to emphasize it.
Despite all the talk about improving one's knowledge of God throughout the book, my favorite part was the ending, where he discussed how human understanding has its limits. A child who believes the Gospel and is able to profess "Jesus loves me, this I know", has all they need for salvation. Faith doesn't have to be complicated.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. At times Pickavance's thoughts felt a little disjointed and off-topic, but the overall picture was clear, so I can't fault it for that.
In Knowledge for the Love of God: Why Your Heart Needs Your Mind, Timothy Pickavance, professor of philosophy, argues that knowing Christ isn’t a one-time “before/after” switch; it’s something we’re meant to grow in over a lifetime.
One of his strongest examples in the book that stuck with me was his commentary on 2 Peter 3:18 which says we are to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (emphasis mine). Not simply knowledge about Christ, but knowledge of Him; knowledge by acquaintance (personal, intimate connection) rather than only propositional knowledge (facts). Pickavance’s point isn’t that facts don’t matter, but that they serve the relationship. He says: “Deepening acquaintance ... requires extending propositional knowledge.” The two work hand-in-hand.
I also connected with his thoughts on widespread problems within the church where knowledge of God is subtly discouraged (typically unintentional). Yes, most churches will tell congregants that they should read their Bibles, but does their actual preaching create an environment where questioning one's faith is encouraged? Or are churches simply telling people what they want to hear (see 2 Tim. 4:3-4)? He says:
"It can be tempting to think that our beliefs about religion are less about truth and more about producing certain feelings of purpose or contentment or satisfaction, or whatever it is we want deep down."
This is a real danger, and I appreciate that he chose to emphasize it.
Despite all the talk about improving one's knowledge of God throughout the book, my favorite part was the ending, where he discussed how human understanding has its limits. A child who believes the Gospel and is able to profess "Jesus loves me, this I know", has all they need for salvation. Faith doesn't have to be complicated.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. At times Pickavance's thoughts felt a little disjointed and off-topic, but the overall picture was clear, so I can't fault it for that.
January 12, 2025
Parts of this were really good, parts I didn’t totally understand😆…the parts that spoke to me the most were towards the end-his writing on the role of the fear of God as a foundation with religious pluralism, and the fullness piece. The fullness piece/section, as a believer, was really worth thinking through, and I thought he gave great insight to the simplicity of the gospel being enough, but we seek the fullness of it through pursuing knowledge. And that’s a worthy quest. I also appreciated the role of story and emotions that he speaks to in different places and how these play a part in the gospel truth as well and point us to Jesus. I loved his story on running into Moreland. God is good and big, and is always working. Beautiful story as evidence of this.
November 13, 2025
I read this for my Christian Philosophy class in seminary. It was a very good book, particularly at giving a reasonable defense for both faith and knowledge in the Christian life. Pickavance writes at an easy to read level that can equip readers to pursue both a understanding of who God is and a faith in what He has promised. I would suggest this book for anyone who has wrestled with how to balance faith and reason.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews