Clifford Williams, professor of philosophy at Trinity College, has written a helpful book not only for philosophy students, but also for Christians outside the classroom as well. The opening quote from Nathan Hatch summarizes the book by saying, “Our danger has not been too much thinking, but not enough.”

If there is one failure we can point to in discipling this and the previous generation, it is in the area of knowing how to think. The next generation will also suffer unless there is a course correction. Normal people think, but not all are thinkers. The Apostle Paul urged us to “think God’s thoughts after him” which will direct our thinking and point to right conclusions.

We have been influenced by our pragmatic, consumeristic pop culture, and so have not taken the time to develop our Christian minds. We need to know how to think and apply our hearts unto wisdom; as the Proverbs reminds us, “we are what we think…” At least Rene Descartes, one of the fathers of the Enlightment philosophy movement, emphasized thinking and came to the conclusion, “Cogito ergo sum—I think therefore I am.” Despite his focus on the importance of thinking, he wrongfully based everything on man’s ability to think as the main reference point.

Thinking and the development of the Christian mind should not be at odds with Christianity though they are often portrayed as such. Thinking has been wrongly equated with intellectual pursuits, though such is definitely a part of that process. People must think and be trained to do so. Henry Blamires’ book, The Christian Mind, has stood as a challenge to us in that area.

Williams attempts to offer some correctives to misconceptions usually associated with developing the mind. One form of resistance comes from those who believe that faith and reason are incompatible. Christians are to live by faith; hence reason goes beyond what is expected of Christians. Conversely, faith has no reasonable substance so it would be improper to attempt to bring the two together. Others, who have admitted to the validity of reason and thinking as an activity of man, want to keep thinking separate from religion.

While it is true that people like to learn, read, and talk about ideas, it is also true that most do not want to invest the time to do those things in a positive fashion. We then see knee-jerk reactions rather than thoughtful responses. We see people buying into illusions rather than reality.

It would be interesting to advertise an adult Sunday school class or study on the topic of learning how to think. You might be surprised at the response; at least I was when I tried this. We can build on the assumption that people want to know how things work. They want to be able to answer the postmodern question, “so what?” People want their beliefs to be coherent, at least those not yet engulfed in the postmodern idea that coherency is meaningless and unnecessary. But as Williams rightly points out, it is our desire for coherency in our beliefs that leads us to a particular world and life view.

If we know how to think, we can generally avoid so many pitfalls that backfire on us. Williams uses the example of absolutes. He says that while it is important to adhere to absolutes about God (his divinity and his tri-unity, etc.), we must be careful not to make things like a favored form of worship. He writes, “Christians (my word) need to demonstrate that one can believe in the objectivity of truth without being arrogant toward or intolerant of those who differ from them.” He is right, but to do so requires some careful thinking from a Christian perspective.

Finally, Williams highlights the importance of learning to develop the Christian mind in groups. He says that Christians learning in community can encourage the other members to work with them instead of competing to reach helpful conclusions about issues. You see, Christians can work towards the same objective and yet often come to different conclusions. This makes interactions essential if we are to clarify our thoughts and more consistently think God’s thoughts after him.

Pastors, read this and you might add a light zest to your teaching and preaching. Parents read this and you might want to work through it with your teenagers. You might even want a copy for your college sons and daughters. Or you may be challenged, encouraged, and better equipped to take the time to develop your Christian mind.

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