The Skill of Thinking Well

During my time in seminary, I was asked the question, “Why is it important for Christians to develop the skill of thinking well or thinking properly?” It was a simple question and one I had not thought about. I never even thought there was a way to think well or properly. I believe we need to think about this question, given today’s cultural and religious climate. In addition, how does the skill of thinking well or properly apply to our individual discipleship? This idea goes beyond the idea of just defending our faith. This is also about growing closer to God. I mean, if we truly believe the Bible matters in our lives, then shouldn’t we want to dig deeper into its contents to really understand what God is telling us through it?

Let’s face it — Christians today are bombarded by new and conflicting ideas constantly. Every time we open Facebook, turn on the TV, or chat with friends, we run into views that challenge our faith. Without good thinking skills, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. It is of utmost importance that Christians develop skills to think well and think properly so that, as Peter commands, to be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:15-16 English Standard Version). This verse is telling us that it is not just about knowing what we believe and why we believe it, but it is also about knowing how to share our beliefs in a way that actually connects and resonates with people. Christians can no longer sit idly by as these ideas permeate our society. Christians today must be students of philosophy. As Moreland and Craig point out, philosophy “comes from two Greek words, phileō, ‘to love,’ and sophia, ‘wisdom.’ Thus a philosopher is a lover of wisdom.”^[1] While I am not saying that everyone should be a philosopher, as Christians, we should strive and long for wisdom in all that we do, and we should use that wisdom to guide us throughout our lives.

You have probably seen the social media comments, just as I have, that call Christians stupid people or say that we cling to a fairy-tale religion. What is extremely disheartening is how Christianity used to be a bastion of intellect and was seen as such. As Moreland and Craig stated, “The first universities in Europe were, of course, Christian, and the study of philosophy was considered of central importance to the health and vitality of the university and the Christian life.”^[2]

Back then, thinking deeply about faith wasn't just encouraged – it was essential! But somewhere along the way, something changed. Today, we see this anti-intellectual thinking in many of today’s popular preachers, who focus less on what the Bible actually says and more on making people feel good about themselves. Not only have they watered down or distorted Scripture, but they have also led many people astray with their teachings. Many of us think about Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses, but today we can add the Word of Faith Movement and Progressive Christianity to that list.

So what can we do about it? Well, in order to combat these false “Christian” religions, we must again exercise our minds by studying the Word to know what it really says, not just what we want it to say. We must also learn how to grow closer to the Lord and His people. I think a few of the virtues lacking today in many people are truth-seeking, honesty, and wisdom. Postmodernist thinking has gripped our world through the idea that there is no absolute truth, and it is up to Christians to spread the correct message. People say they seek the truth, but they seek “their” truth, not “The Truth” in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13 English Standard Version). I fear that many Christians have lost their saltiness, and the only way to restore it is by learning how to think properly once again.

The thing about wisdom is that it should drive us to want to know God better through individual discipleship. Think about how God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through nature, the cosmos, through His Son, and through the Bible. If we are serious about growing in our Christian walk and pursuing Godly wisdom, it only makes sense that we focus on in-depth study of the Scriptures. As Moreland states, “The Lord’s Word is not only practically useful, it is also theoretically true (John 17:17). God has revealed truth to us and not just Himself. This truth is addressed to our minds and requires an intellectual grasp to understand and then apply.”^[3] The Bible gives us wisdom on how to live our lives and how to know God Himself. This truth is being challenged today with postmodern and relativistic thought claiming there is no absolute truth. This is why it is more important than ever to engage in Christian apologetics.

Let me share something personal. Even though I grew up and was raised in a Bible believing and Bible preaching church, I realized I wasn't really prepared to explain or defend my faith. That's actually why I decided to study Christian apologetics at Liberty – I wanted to learn how to better understand my faith and help others do the same. I believe Moreland hits the nail on the head when he states, “We need local churches dedicated to the task of training believers to think theologically and biblically.”^[4] I have seen throughout most of my life in church that discipleship courses offered within the church seem to be along the lines of “self-help” issues, such as having a great marriage or how to manage finances. There will occasionally be some in-depth studies on books of the Bible, but I can count on one hand the number of apologetics discipleship courses I have seen in the churches of which I have been a part. The number is two. One was an eight-week course on the book Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace, and the other was a six-month-long introduction to Apologetics. In my opinion, defending the Christian worldview is going to be one of the foremost challenges facing our children in the near future.

One thing I've heard a lot growing up is "Just have faith." But here's the thing. Our Christian faith isn't a blind faith. There's a solid reason and a truth behind what we believe. I have met plenty of Christians who have purely relied on their faith and don’t think they need to think deeply about their beliefs, and I think this is the wrong mentality. I read about and have spoken with several people who have been Christians for many years and who did not think it was necessary to move much beyond merely having faith. Here's a question that often gets people thinking. What do you do when doubts about your faith creep in? Let's be honest, most of us have questioned our faith at some point in our lives. That's normal. But this is where good thinking skills come in handy. When we understand not just what we believe, but why we believe it, those doubts become easier to handle and to answer.

Let's be honest with ourselves. For those of us who have grown up in church, do you ever feel like you're hearing the same stories over and over? Sure, pastors and small group leaders try to keep things fresh, but there's so much more to discover when we take the initiative to dig deeper ourselves. I am a strong proponent of studying the Old Testament as I believe it adds so much depth to our study of Scripture, but a deeper study of Scripture also equips us to share the Gospel with others better. By understanding why we believe what we believe, we are better prepared to answer questions from different views. We must be knowledgeable to present our faith truthfully and through love so we can exemplify Christ.

So, how can we apply this to our lives? One way we can start thinking deeper is to start a "Think Deeper" Journal. This can be a regular type of journal that you do every day when you're studying your Bible. Or you can use online tools such as Sublime or Readwise to help you come up with questions and thoughts as you read stuff on the internet. You can keep track of questions that arise during your Bible reading. You can write down challenging ideas that you encounter on a daily basis. Document how you work through your doubts. And then also note connections between different Bible passages. You can do this with knowledge management tools such as Heptabase or Obsidian.

Another idea to help you is to create a personal study plan. Now, you can choose one book of the Bible to study in depth. You can research its historical context. You can read commentaries from trusted scholars. If you need help with that, you can go to bestcommentaries.com, and then you can use what you've read and the notes you have taken to connect messages from scripture to modern challenges that you may face. And again, those might come through the first part and your Thinking Deeper journal. As you read and learn, you'll see these ideas start to connect.

If you want to build your critical thinking skills, you can do something like taking an online course in logic or critical thinking. You can join a Bible study or small group that encourages questions. I would hope most small groups and bible studies encourage questions, but never be afraid to ask questions about scripture. You never know who has the same question and how the discussion can benefit not only you, but others as well. I would also suggest that you read books that challenge your understanding. Now, I'm not saying read heretical books, but read books on a particular subject from a different perspective than yours. For example, if you are not a Calvinist leaning person, read some books on Calvinism and see how those ideas interact with your own. Then, finally, practice articulating your beliefs to others. There's no better way to sharpen what you believe than to have to teach it to others.

If you really want to sharpen your skills, then you can expand on that last part and really begin to engage with different perspectives. Read apologetic materials. Learn how people are defending their faith. Listen to debates between Christians and non-believers. Learn some of the common objections to Christianity and how to answer these. And then practice responding to people with both truth and grace. Now that's very difficult to do. As we know from watching people, people like to argue and they like to be right. So arguing the truth with grace is a great way to sharpen your skills and learn how to better engage with others.

Unfortunately, gone are the days when Christianity was well respected, not to mention even tolerated, but today, Christians face insults on a daily basis for just holding fast to their beliefs. While Christianity may no longer command the cultural respect it once did, this challenges us to be even better thinkers and more gracious communicators. By pursuing knowledge, wisdom, and reason, we not only strengthen our own faith but we also prepare ourselves to engage meaningfully with others. When we combine deep thinking with genuine love for others, we don't just defend our faith – we demonstrate it. The skills of thinking well and speaking truth in love with grace aren't just academic exercises limited to seminaries and Bible colleges – they're essential tools for sharing the hope we have in Christ with a world that desperately needs it.