Can smart people believe in God? The question itself is enough to put people on the defensive. If the answer is “yes,” then it brings up all sorts of questions about the compatibility of science and philosophy with religion and faith. If the answer is “no,” it implies that everyone throughout the history of the world who has ever claimed to believe in God wasn’t smart. The truth is, I know some brilliant people and you do too … some believe in God and some don’t. I also know a few people who are a few fries short of a Happy Meal … some believe in God and others don’t.  So the question cannot often be separated into neat and clear-cut categories. It’s more complex than that. And yet the question remains. Lines are being drawn in the sand. You are either for science or religion … you are either pragmatic or esoteric … you are either logical or superstitious. Culture will say you can’t be one or the other. You must choose. Paul warns a young man named Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:20-21 to turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Unfortunately, there is a lot of mindless chatter going on these days in newspapers, on the internet, and even within the church. The blogosphere has created a venue for anyone and everyone to become critics of everyone else’s perspective without the benefit of a relationship. Legalistic religious groups have created holy huddles for everyone to condemn the world while failing to remember that Jesus died for it. The Body of Christ should lead the way in having this conversation with class and conviction. We can argue without being argumentative. We can defend without being defensive. As a follower of Jesus, I live by faith, but it is a logical faith. It’s a faith that makes sense. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge … (Proverbs 1:7)