If someone asked you, “who does your hair” or “who built your house” would you be offended? Probably not, but what if the question was, “Who does your thinking for you?” Most people would react with a question. “What?” “You’re joking me?” “Why do you ask such a stupid question?” — “I do my own thinking, thank you.” But do you really think through and examine what you hear and read? The Bible speaks about thinking and thoughts one hundred and thirty-one times—must be important. Jesus said the greatest command was, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ (Matt 22:37 NIV). The word translated mind means thoughts, the thinking faculty, way of thinking, and intelligence. Yet, for too many believers their thinking is reactive to emotions, a dynamic speaker, peer pressure, prejudice, etc. without question.
To understand the importance of our thinking in relation to our spiritual life, we need to examine the process of thinking for the believer. First, ask yourself, why did God create us with the ability to think? Even today some Christians believe that thinking is an act of unbelief. However, Paul instructed Timothy, Think about what I am saying (2 Tim 2:7 NET). He commended the people at Berea for thinking. The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so (Act 17:11 HOL). The Bible warns us about not thinking. Test everything (1 Thes 5:21 NIV). My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God (1 Jn 4:1 MSG). Testing and examining require us to think.
So, what does it mean to think? Thinking is the process of using one’s mind to consider or reason about something. It is using intelligent thought or rational judgment. ‘Using’ is a keyword and indicates we must activate our cognitive processing abilities and not merely deposit information. We can divide thinking into two up to ten types. For simplicity, we’ll examine a two-type division, active and passive, and direct it to Christian living. One essential element of active thinking we call ‘critical thinking’. Ravi Zacharias says critical thinking isn’t a negative aspect but an analytical process of evaluating the truth component of a statement or thought you are processing.
In the broadest definition, passive Christian thinkers are merely receivers. They hear biblical truth and do nothing with it. After church, it becomes a dormant piece of information. For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. (Jas 1:23, 24 NET). In contrast, an active or critical thinker, in the same service, hears, begins analyzing, pondering, and reasoning if this is truth. If it proves true, they consider how they can integrate it into their daily life. The gullible believe anything they’re told; the prudent sift and weigh every word (Prov 14:15 MSG).
Critical thinking is a serious issue today, not only in the world but also in our churches. Studies show that only 1% of our population would be considered critical thinkers. They believe what they are told and never question if it is even true. My wife encountered this teaching nursing at a university. Often, she says, “my students don’t know how to think.” As a professor at the Bible College where I taught, we administered a test for entering students evaluating their ability to critically think. We felt blessed if we had even 1% that could examine, analyze, and determine if a statement was Biblical Truth.
So, how do you become a critical thinker? It starts with God working in our minds. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . (Rom 12:2). Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to show what is hindering you from becoming an active thinker. Note several common barriers: being close-minded; relying on your emotions and feelings; fear of being rejected by your peers and society; you accept what you see and hear from others and the media; you don’t want to take the time; someone trained you to never question your leaders. Hindrances will vary from person to person. Never forget, blind conformity only leads to a lack of God’s blessing, anguish, and regret.
Being a Christian doesn’t mean you stop thinking and just “have faith”. Faith is based on reason. Christians should be people who strive after the truth and think critically. They should not be blind followers. If your faith hasn’t been well thought through, then it will collapse when the challenges of life confront it(Canadian Bible Guy).
Sustaining Word for the Week: Who does your thinking? Are you merely depositing information instead of analyzing and verifying it is true, then integrating it into your daily life?