Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter

Several books have appeared on the shelves of Christian bookstores within the last 20 years which focus on nurturing the Christian's thought life. Here comes another.

Bishop Noel Jones, the senior pastor at City of Refuge Church in Los Angeles, California, along with Dr. Georgianna A. Land, an ordained minister and retired college professor, have teamed up to produce The Battle for the Mind: How you can think the thoughts of God.

The 189-page volume published by Destiny Image argued that, "The mind is the seat of all spiritual and carnal conflict." (page 24). The book is a theological exploration of what it means to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind" according to Romans 12 verse 2.

Bishop Jones, who hails from Spanish Town, is the diocesan cleric with responsibility for the Jamaican churches which form part of the global network of communions that make up the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW). This group is non-mainstream Pentecostal. It is know as Oneness Pentecostal or as the Jesus-Only Church.

Dr. Land has been actively involved in religious, civic and political activities at both the local and national levels in the United States. She has a master's in theology from Nyack Theological Institute and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in policy, planning, and higher educational administration. Dr. Land has held a variety of administrative positions and experiences in educational administration, congressional and governmental relations.

Word studies of 'mind'

Featuring prominently in the book are word studies of 'mind' and its synonyms (such as heart, spirit, soul) and cognates. The authors evince a strong grasp of church history and the history of doctrines as they argue their point. Much of their arguments have an auditable trail, as each chapter has end notes for which most of the sources are to be found on the Internet. The authors cite and explain Hebraic and Greek understandings of the concept of mind, stressing that it is the care of the soul, the inner being, that will determine one's success in life and ministry. They also point out spiritual obstacles to renewing one's mind, and propose strategies for inner transformation aided by the Holy Ghost.

The book is divided in four sections. These are as follows: Out of the Box, Finding Your Original Self, A New Mind, Finding Peace Through Praise. At the end of each of these four sections, the authors offer a comparative annotative glossary of key words as defined in two categories - the theological and the philosophical. At the end of each section there is a chapter called Practical Applications, which is essentially a list of things for readers to do, to make what they have read come alive in their souls.

The book is likely to be a useful addition to the growing body of literature with evangelical perspectives on spiritual formation.

The authors make the claim, "The onl on which you can lay your troubles is th within you. If God is in you, then He is the one who introduces the conflict in order that when you meet God at the place of surrender (th He can begin to replace those things that have always caused conflict between your carnal or sinful desires and the will of the spirit. It is important to understand that your struggle is not with the devil; it is with God, for God has set you up, through the introduction of conflict into your life, in order to bring you to place of maturity. It is God who initiates conflict in our lives except for that self-induced conflict that comes from our own immaturity."

The writers in their volume, which is evidently geared for born-again Christians, said, "Since God is in man, when we meet Him at the interna it is in our own minds with and in our heart where God begins to replace the sinful desires that are inherent in us. How does He do that? He must replace the old mind with a new mind that will now desire spiritual things. In seeking Christ, one eventually discovers the freedom he has always longed for." (page 25)

The five senses

Dr. Land and Bishop Jones make the point that it is the five senses that feed information to the mind, one's relationship with the Lord must be through faith because of the intrinsic limitations of the senses.

The writers stressed "You cannot remain a positive person while thinking negatively." Hence, they argued strongly, "You are your thoughts." In this vein they continued, "You can't afford to let your mind turn and work against you. You need your mind to fight the environmental battles, to stave off the evil spirits, to be a conduit for the power of God, to bring out your creativity and to offset the negativity of your environment. You can't afford to think negatively in a negative situation.You are not to think yourself into sickness, poverty, non-productivity and non-creativity. You have to think your way out of it."

Effective antidotes

A lifestyle of regular and genuine praise and prayer to God are highlighted as effective antidotes to unshackle the mind from self-imposed bondage and that wrought by Satan. Prayer, the book states, is the true antidote to worry as it purges the inner being of tensions, unhealthy emotions, stress and creates the climate for expressions of praise, thanksgiving and joy.

As they prescribe praise and prayer for the inner being, the authors emphasise the place of faith and the Bible in the life of a Christian. For them, "Faith is not something that we produce; it is what God's word produces in us."

The book cites familiar scriptures which promote careful stewardship of the mind. For the uninitiated, the volume could prove to be encyclopaedic. For seasoned Christians, it is likely to be seen as old truths clothed with refreshing sartorial elegance.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more on Bishop Noel Jones read http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20041120/ mind/mind1.html. Send feedback to mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com