Part VII: The Wonder and the Wise
Christian thinking begins with Christian education because, according to Gene Veith, "beneath the mere discussions of thoughts and opinions lies the very real issue of life and death." We begin with Christian education because that is where all of us learned, first, the lessons of truth. For the Christian, truth is not truth per se, but instead, truth is Truth or better stated, Jesus Christ.
We run into Truth every where we turn; truth in life, truth in education, truth in knowledge and truth in thinking. We can not escape Truth, nor can we escape the importance of education in the process of thinking. G.K. Chesterton states that "education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." Another addition to our collection of great quotes.
How we think of Truth or better yet, how we are taught of Truth, will dictate how we live life. The wonder and the wise are collected in Truth. A belief in absolute Truth will manifest differently than a belief in relative truth. For the Christian who desires to think Christianly, Truth is defined as God's truth. When we define Truth as God we see it as the Covenant raising up a people. We also see it as the Law and God's mandate for holiness, and finally, we see it as it is - Jesus.
If we believe in the Truth then it will affect the way we live and think. We are image bearers of a God who is a critical thinker. We have a responsibility to others before ourselves. We have a mandate to live, according to this Truth, in all areas of life, especially, when we think, as this is how we live.
Gene Veith writes of a Christian style of thinking. He covers five areas; the sixth area is my contribution.
1. Tolerance of the paradox: the Christian life is a paradox in the world in which we live.
2. Loving God with all your mind means thinking about God every day and every moment.
3. All your mind - whatever your calling is God demands it to be done for His glory.
4. Praise Him for everything learned.
5. Gird up your mind as I Peter 1:13-15, 17 implies. Be ready for the battles even of the mind.
6. Pray, Pray and Pray! I believe prayer puts God on the mind...connects the mind to Him...and focuses the mind on eternal perspectives.
If we are to think Christianly, we must, first, understand Truth and what it means to live according to that Truth. It is now time for our application questions.
1. In what ways do we engage in thought that is not Christian?
2. How important is education in all of this?
Enjoy!
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