Part V: Christian Thinking: The Winnow
To winnow is to examine, to sift out; this is what we must do as Christians when we think. We are commanded to "take every thought captive" and thinking that is Christian is part of that process.
In II Corinthians 13:5, Paul commands us to examine ourselves and to test ourselves. We must learn to constantly examine and sift our thinking in order to ensure that we put Christ first. We also should learn to recognize thinking that is Christian. Here are three actions that put our minds in position to think Christianly.
1. Be consistent: we should live a life that is consistent in deeds, emotions, and thoughts.
2. Avoid pragmatism: we should avoid thinking that is rooted in pragmatism by understanding that process and product are equally important in our thinking.
3. Avoid dualism: we should avoid living a life that separates our world into sacred and secular categories. The entire world is the Lord's!
When we are consistently Christian in our actions we will be in a better position to think Christianly. We are called to serve the kingdom with all of our lives, and that includes our minds. As we think Christianly we do so by avoiding several things.
1. Avoid legalism: we tend to accumulate information then impose our own rules.
2. Avoid ignorance: when we make comments on issues with little or no information we taint the name of our Lord.
3. Avoid fearing education: God is the great answer to all questions; we can comfortably enter the pursuit of education with a calling.
And, we think Christianly by doing several things.
1. Think with a heavenly mindset: Paul in Romans 8:6-8 tells us:
a. that to set our minds on the flesh leads to death
b. that to set our minds on the Spirit leads to life and peace
2. Think with Continuity: James 1:22 tells us:
a. to be doers and hearers of the Word; one leads to the other
b. to do both and not just one
3. Think in terms of growth and maturity: I Peter 1:11-16 tells us:
a. to prepare our minds for action
b. to set our hope on the grace of Christ
c. to accept that our calling is to be holy...even in our thinking
We are called to think Christianly. Here are a few questions to ponder.
1. Is one of the real battles the battle of the Christian worldview with all other worldviews?
2. Samuel Huntington once states that "the world is not so much divided by geographical boundaries, but instead, by worldviews." Do you agree?
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