The Sunday before I started my Ph.D. program, I went up for prayer after church. I was nervous about this big step and wanted the comfort of having someone stand with me in prayer and bring my first-day jitters before the Lord.

When I told the guy on the prayer team my request, he asked what I was studying. Without hesitation, I told him: “Psychology. Cognitive Science.” He nodded and began to pray. He prayed a very different prayer than I thought I had asked for: His prayer was for my pursuit of psychology and science to not drag me away from my faith, for me to not be brainwashed by false doctrines and theories. We said, “Amen,” and I thanked him and walked away.