On April 24, 2024, reporter Ted Goodman engaged with pro-Palestine protesters outside NYU. He asked one student from Columbia University what the objective of these protests was, and she responded, “I think the goal is just showing our support for Palestine and demanding that NYU–I honestly don’t know what NYU is doing…”
When Ted inquired further, the student continued, “I really don’t know. I’m pretty sure there’s something about Israel…[turns to another protester] Why are we protesting here?” The other protester said, “I wish I was more educated.” And the first protester replied, “I’m not either…”
Most of us are familiar with the scene I described above — young people passionately participating in political activism and marching on the streets with little to no idea of the cause they are advocating for. When reporters ask them some simple questions, they are unable to articulate why they are there and what they are supporting or protesting. The students at NYU are perfect examples of people who have tremendous zeal but lack knowledge.
In the words of English clergyman Thomas Fuller, “Zeal without knowledge is fire without light.” In Proverbs 19:2 (NLT), King Solomon warns, “Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.” Without proper wisdom and understanding, passion leads to misguided and potentially harmful actions. Case in point: the students at NYU mentioned earlier, along with countless others around the world who have been protesting for Palestine and Hamas. Many of them zealously chant slogans like, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” not knowing that they are voicing their support for radical terrorism and the total extermination of the Jewish state and its people.
Having zeal without knowledge is not new. The Apostle Paul observed this problem concerning the Jewish people of his day in his letter to the Romans,
“For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
Many Jews and religious leaders in the first century did not accept the righteousness of God, Jesus Christ, due to their zeal for achieving their own righteousness. Their preoccupation with man-made religion and regulations caused them to want to crucify the One who came to fulfill the Mosaic Law and establish a new covenant.
While it is easy to point the finger and criticize today’s ignorant protesters or the New Testament Pharisees, it is worthwhile to do a self-evaluation of ourselves. Are there beliefs we zealously hold that are not founded in the truth? When it comes to decision-making and action, are we guided by passion without wisdom? If you and I were marching on the streets for a conservative and righteous cause, such as the pro-life issue, and a reporter came to interview us, would we be able to clearly articulate why we are there and what we stand for?
While zeal without knowledge is unhealthy, so is the other extreme of knowledge without zeal. In pursuing more wisdom and understanding, it is possible to become so deeply submerged in the study of biblical theology or political theories that we fail to live out the knowledge we attain and share it with others.
For example, some Christian groups and churches have been characterized as the “frozen chosen” for overemphasizing intellectualism and doctrine. People in this camp are reserved, emotionally cold, and may even neglect large parts of evangelism. To be clear, this is not a slight against Reformed or Presbyterian theology. It is not sinful for a church to show reverence to God in less emotionally expressive ways.
However, it is an issue when focusing on knowledge inhibits us from fulfilling our duty as believers to love our neighbor. Zeal is absolutely essential, as Paul writes in Romans 12:11 (NIV), “ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Christians have a responsibility to love and serve others, and we ought to employ the wisdom and understanding we gain to be salt and light in a broken and dark world, just as our Lord and Savior commanded us to be.
In 65 Wisdom Principles for Christian Political Activists (2021), author Frank S. Kacer outlines that striving for a biblical balance of zeal and knowledge is crucial. That is the mindset we ought to adopt, and we can look to the Apostle Paul as an excellent model of how to practically live this out. As a former Pharisee, he possessed excellent intellectual capabilities. He was committed to sound doctrine, yet he simultaneously had an unwavering passion for loving others, sharing the Gospel, and evangelizing to the lost.
In our pursuit to be effective witnesses for Christ and influencers in politics and culture we must strive to have zeal and knowledge that work together in a whole.
