Have We Lost Our Christian Mind?

Have we lost our Christian mind?

Generally speaking, yes.

Our culture has forgotten how to “think Christianly” about most things. We may “think Christianly” about church, and Bible study, but it gets fuzzy beyond that.

Having divorced Christian thought from the study of mathematics, history and language in school, it’s no surprise our culture divorces Christian thought from business, civics, and writing skills after graduation.   

“Thinking Christianly” is a learned skill we can intentionally develop and refine. We must teach our children/students to do the same.  

How?

CAUTION: The following requires more than 60 seconds.

First, understand that “thinking Christianly” requires viewing any topic in the context of a biblically-informed bigger picture.  

Seeing topics in context is the key to understanding anything properly. All topics have a context. Often, the context is as important as the topic itself. Facts are never neutral, because all facts have a context.

If you look at the photo below, it is easy to misinterpret the object because there's not enough context to decipher its meaning:

But if you see the larger context, its meaning becomes clear. Scroll down to view the bigger picture.

It’s the “bigger picture” of Biblical Truth that provides the necessary context for understanding anything rightly. Specifically, the “bigger picture” is the Biblical view of God, Creation, Humanity, Moral Order and Purpose.

Here are 101 Biblical Truths to get started: short form or long form.  

Step 1: Think about which of the 101 biblical Truths given above have a direct relationship to your topic at hand. Think deeply about it. Take your time.

Step 2: After doing Step 1, ask yourself (or your children/students) a few thought-provoking questions to put your topic into the context of a biblically-shaped “bigger picture.”

Here are some questions to consider (not all of these questions will fit every topic, but choose the ones most relevant to your topic): click here.

Step 3: Discuss these questions around the dinner table, or use them as conversation starters in the classroom.

Here is an example of “contextualizing” the topic of plants, putting plants into the larger context of a biblical worldview, through a teaching template called, “The Conversation Stater:” click here.

With tools like this, we can re-cultivate a “Christian mind” in ourselves and the next generation. If we’re willing to carve out the time for it.

Some things are worth carving out time for, aren't they?    

This blog is a service of  RenewaNation www.renewanation.org