Christians CAN Think Deeply...and Should!

Following the Deepest Thinker of All

In the Gospels, Jesus never seems worried about the credentials of those He calls.  Male or female, educated or not so educated, quiet or loud: all types are chosen by Jesus.  Once they are chosen, though, they are challenged.  They are challenged to think and live outside of the cultural and theological norms with which they are comfortable.  The early Jewish followers of Jesus were challenged to welcome and even embrace Gentiles once thought to be unclean.  Wealthy households filled with servants were challenged as Christians to treat those servants as “brothers and sisters” in Christ (see Ephesians 5 and the Book of Philemon, for instance), even though this was contrary to the ideas of the day.  People once seemingly destined to go through life voiceless and uneducated (like Mary, the Mother of Jesus, for instance) rose up to become respected leaders and key influences of Christianity. 

This all flowed from the approach of Jesus Himself, who proved to be one who thinks and loves deeply.

You Have Heard it Said….

The Sermon of the Mount, often called the cornerstone of Jesus’ teaching ministry, contains several instances of this phrase: “You have heard it said….”  This phrase is then followed by some theological, relational, or even political saying of the day.  For instance, Jesus says things like, "You have heard it said, 'You shall not kill'"; or, "You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'" After this, Jesus then goes on to say, “But I tell you….” This is where Jesus challenges his audience to rethink an issue or even to think more deeply than they have before, looking beyond the surface arguments or the popular perceptions, or even the “spin” on an issue and get to the heart of the intent of what they think they know.  For example, Jesus says, "You have heard it said long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.' But I tell you that anyone who is enraged with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement...."      

This characteristic of Jesus to challenge His followers to think deeply encourages me.  It encourages me for two reasons.

Two Reasons Why Deep Thinking Christianity is the Best Kind

When Jesus challenges us to think deeply and to go beyond the surface and spin of our day I am relieved.  

First, I am relieved because Jesus’ challenge is for everyone.  Though I have a Ph.D. in theology, I am particularly encouraged that one does not have to have a Ph.D. in anything in order to think deeply about the things of God and about truth. 

When I recently helped pour and spread concrete on a job site, though I was a bit out of my accustomed element, the professionals who surrounded me and some other volunteers were able to help us get a better grasp of what we were doing and to lead us toward a good finished product.  On the surface, things looked simple: the truck pours, and then we spread it around to cover the ground inside the forms.  But once the concrete started pouring, we novices learned that there is much more to it than that.  Even though what I described was the ultimate goal, getting there involved more technique and more care and time than most of us had imagined.  We were challenged to rethink and to think more deeply about what I now know to be the real art of pouring concrete (and it really is an art!).  

In the same way that someone who does not spend a lot of time pouring concrete can benefit from those who do, so too can anyone interested in following Christ benefit from fellow Christians who can come alongside them and challenge them to think more deeply – and even rethink some items – about their faith.  That is what Christian mentors, pastors, leaders, and Christian friends are called to do, and it is why ministers in particular are often required by the Church to spend more time in study.  Extra time in study does not necessarily make one a better Christian.  Rather, it just helps us (ideally) to be part of longer, deeper, and hopefully thoughtful conversations about the implications of living the Christian life.  Everyone is called to that kind of living, whether we have spent years studying the Bible or not.  We are “iron sharpening iron,” as the Bible says, and that means that in the process, some things are cut away and reshaped.

A second reason I am thankful that Christianity and Christ in particular calls us to think deeply is that we are in a world of sound bites and propaganda.  That second word, propaganda, may sound harsh at first, but that is exactly what happens often in the transfer of information.  Propaganda happens when information is shared selectively and with a specific agenda that leaves out elements of the information that might counter that particular agenda.  With that definition in mind, it becomes clearer that much of what passes for news and balanced commentary is little more than propaganda.  The biggest danger of propaganda is that it insists on simplicity.  Everything is boiled down to simple phrases, answers, and slogans.  Everything is either “for” or “against” the motive or argument behind the propaganda.  For example, immigration reform is often spun as either “protect our jobs” (meaning American jobs) or as “let people do the jobs that most Americans won’t do.”  Both phrases address a little bit of factual information, but neither does the whole argument justice.  And neither phrase comes close to addressing the deeper theological and biblical issues in regard to welcoming strangers, hospitality, care and protection of loved ones, etc.  Every time I hear those kinds of slogans, whether in regard to immigration or some other controversial issue, I tend to be haunted by the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard it said _____, but I tell you __________.”  It makes me want to take a longer look and have a deeper discussion about the issue at hand, so that I do not risk missing the heart of Jesus in the midst of these debates. 

A Long Line of Deep Thinkers

So, the next time Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN presents an issue.  Or the next time your favorite talk radio host – whether from the left or the right – begins to spin and defend a perspective, my prayer is that you will remember that we Christians think otherworldly thoughts about this world.  In other words, we come from a long line a deep thinkers who follow a Savior who alienated BOTH the Left and Right of His day, so much so that they crucified Him.  Some of these deep thinkers were educated: Paul, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, etc.  Some of these were relatively uneducated: Peter and most of the earliest followers of Christ.  But all of those who were truly devoted to having Christ’s Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven challenged themselves and those around them not to settle for the propaganda of their day.  They made decisions with both head and heart.  They questioned and studied with whatever tools they had available so that their answers and their approach clearly distinguished the kingdoms of this world from the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.  Whether we are trained theologians and ministers or not, as followers of Jesus Christ, we owe it to our Lord and to those who came before us to do no less. 

Christians can think deeply…and we should!