Let’s say you go see a movie. You get to the theater, buy your ticket, and grab a seat, maybe after a quick stop by the concession stand for an $8 bag of popcorn. The previews drag on for about ten minutes, and then the movie finally starts. You sit on the edge of your seat throughout the whole showing, totally engrossed in the story that flashes in front of you on the silver screen. After about an hour and a half the film comes to an end, the credits start rolling, and you make a beeline for the nearest restroom. Then you head home. However, what you may not have realized is that for the entire hour and a half that you sat in a sedentary daze, a philosophy about life was being drilled into your mind. What’s more, it may have been absorbed without even being challenged. That is, unless you were thinking critically.
When a person thinks critically about something, he doesn’t just take it at face value. The goal isn’t to swallow it in one bite, but to break it down and analyze it, making careful judgments about everything that is said and done. For Christians, critical thinking is, well, quite critical to their faith. No matter who says something, no matter where it was seen, every message that is heard must be dissected and carefully examined in order to distinguish truth from lies. According to Scripture, Christians are called to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), as well as being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). How can this be accomplished if we turn our minds off to what we read, watch, and listen to? To be honest, we’re never really immune to the messages. Whether we realize it or not, we absorb them without a challenge when we fail to think critically and take them captive for Christ. When this happens, our worldview is gradually overtaken not by the truth of God’s word, but by the lies we fail to detect and destroy.
Let’s take a second to address the issue of worldview and how it relates to critical thinking. (If you don’t know what a worldview is, check out a previous post on this topic by clicking here.) In essence, your worldview is the lens through which you view all of reality. If your worldview “lens” is blurry, you will likewise view reality in a blurry and misinformed way. The Christian’s job is to always be examining and “touching up” his worldview, feeding himself with the truth of Scripture. As he does so, he will be able to see reality in an increasingly clearer light. This clearer vision will enable him to become more effective at locating messages that are contrary to or in correspondence with reality. As he learns to apply this vision in all areas of his life and carefully examines them, he becomes a better critical thinker.
That’s a quick look at the importance of critical thinking. Critical thinking, like many other worthy pursuits, is not an easy thing to do. However, when it is faithfully and methodically employed in our thoughts and reasoning, our minds — and judgments — will become increasingly stronger and prudent. This post is just a brief overview of the value of critical thinking. If you would like to learn more about critical thinking in general and how to develop and apply it to your life, you can check out this link from Summit Ministries here.
