Gyms are interesting places.  The equipment is interesting, the variety of people — and their workout routines — are interesting, and the music is interesting.  I’ve used my share of the equipment, I’ve observed several very unique workout regimens, but I’ve only recently thought very seriously about the music.  Most gyms play guitar-induced rock anthems that get the adrenaline flowing and keep you focused on your workout via their monotonous rhythm.  The gym I go to is no exception.  It’s odd in that downstairs in the locker rooms one hears all those gushy songs about love, life, and all that good stuff, but when you migrate upstairs to the weight systems, the mood quickly changes.  Guitars start crunching, drums start throbbing, and the occasional scream is elicited from the pulsing speakers.  Even though I can’t understand the words to most of the songs, there are a few that are intelligible enough to grasp something of a meaning from them.  And it just so happens that those few songs are also some of the most catchy.

Some songs are just destined to be catchy.  I don’t know what the formula is, but those exceptionally well-crafted pieces of music that conquer it can be mighty hard to get out of your head.  Sometimes that’s a good thing, but all too often it isn’t.  For a time I never really thought about the potential impact of the songs playing around me as I worked out, but when I would catch myself humming them later, I began to realize just how powerful the influence of a finely made song truly is.  Some songs are so well produced that they can enter your mind and embed themselves to the point that you sing them without realizing it.  However, therein lies a problem: just what are the songs we sing and listen to telling us?  Are we ingesting truth, or are we gulping down lies?  Be that as it may, songs are not the only area where this subconscious ingestion takes place.  What about movies, TV shows, speeches, books, or information taught in a classroom?  Just how often do we step back and take a look at the information that is flying at us and test it against Biblical truth?  Just how often do we, as Christians, choose to think critically about the messages around us?

Critical thinking is not an easy task, but it needs to be a very integral part of every Christian’s life.  2 Corinthians 10:5 instructs us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  While this truly is a tall order, it is of extreme importance if we are to lead our lives as obedient and effective Christians.  If our minds are not in order, we can hardly expect our lives to be any better.  Learning to take control of our thoughts in order to bring them under Christ’s control will drastically improve our focus and set our eyes more fixedly on Him.  Test your thoughts about a particular situation, person, etc.  Do they line up with Biblical truth?  Test the music you listen to, the movies you watch, the literature you read.  Are you allowing it to influence you negatively?  Or, even worse, is it something that should be influencing you in the first place?

I have already written one post that provides a basic definition of critical thinking (LINK).  This one isn’t written as a sequel to it, but more so as an accent mark. Critical thinking is a highly valuable pursuit that everyone — Christian or not — should cultivate in their lives.  However, we will never reap the benefits without first implementing the process.  I will be one of the first to say that I have a great deal of improvement to make in this area.  Disciplining yourself to stop and analyze all the messages that bombard you every day is indeed a challenge, but, like so many other disciplines in the Christian life, it is a challenge worth pursuing.

Romans 12:2 is a key verse that He opened my eyes to:

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

I had read this verse before and understood its meaning on a surface level, but I hadn’t really grasped the deeper meaning.  Same story with verses like 2 Corinthians 10:5 and 1 Peter 3:15.  Eventually, I caught on to the message.  All Christians, regardless of their maturity in the faith, are called to think.  And I don’t mean whimsical daydreaming.  I’m talking about thinking deeply and critically about their faith and how it applies to the world around them.

You might be thinking, “Man, that sounds kind of hard. Do Christians really need to think about their faith?”  Yes, it is hard, and yes, Christians do need to think about their faith.  But we need to realize that we can’t quit on something just because it’s difficult.  When you really hone in on the thinking aspect of Christianity, all kinds of amazing insight into the faith and reality is stunningly revealed!  Christians aren’t just called to a spiritual focus in their faith, but to an intellectual one as well.  Please understand that when I say intellectual, I don’t mean that everyone has to go out and earn a Ph.D. from some prestigious seminary.  On the contrary, a thinking Christian is not measured by how much he knows, but rather by how much he thinks (with a Biblical perspective) about his faith and the world around him.  Knowledge naturally results from analytical thought and research.

So here’s the bottom line: Christians are called to think critically about their faith and the issues that the world constantly throws in their faces.  There is no easy way in when becoming a thinking Christian.  It is hard and it won’t always be fun.  But you’ll be stronger and better equipped by becoming one.  We can’t just ignore the issues and circumstances around us and hide in a safe spiritual bubble.  We need to be willing to roll our sleeves up, get a little dirty, and ring the truth out of all the agendas that challenge our faith.  I think the best way to sum this up is with a quote by Saint Augustine:

“Involuntary ignorance is not charged against you as a fault; but your fault is this – you neglect to inquire into the things you are ignorant of.”

Let’s not be ignorant Christians.  Let’s become thinking ones.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.