The Fine Line Between Thinking and Rebellion

The sword is an interesting weapon. It is remarkable in its versatility. It can be used in defense quite effectively, or it can be used in offense with deadly force. I believe higher level thinking can be as dangerous.

Place the sword in the wrong hands and it will most certainly be used for evil purposes. Teaching students to think in higher categories without the proper foundation and guidelines, I believe, can be just as dangerous, leading to rebellion.

For example, the Socratic Method is one method of teaching used to spur students on to higher categorical thought. One of its most effective techniques is the question. Students are given questions designed to lead them to the right answer. By definition, the Socratic Method seeks to eliminate any notion of complete understanding of any topic so as to remove barriers that surround a higher level of knowledge. Socrates said that the only thing he knew was that he knew nothing at all. The method acknowledges that belief in anything beyond a shadow of a doubt can be dangerous, and that clinging to what we thought we knew can trap us, keeping us from truly knowing anything. The theory is that this method opens the floor for a dialogue that seeks to uncover true meaning. However, this assumption is false as it assumes there is no truth, absolute or relative.

Here is where we find the fine line between rebellion and higher categorical thinking. It is true; questions are the pavement on the road to higher thought, but there are dangers along the way. Questions, in isolation, are forms of rebellion, and left without answers or without acknowledgment lead, not to higher thought, but to attitudes and dispositions that move away from what a Believer already knows. Contrary to the world's perception, higher thought is not rebellion, and it is not constant negativity. There are answers and there are questions that end with.... answers. There are many questions that lead, not to more questions, but to answers.

If we have learned one thing from the culture of today it is this: consistency and repetition currently define reality for us. If the message is the same (consistent) and it is said enough times (repetition) then there are many who will start to believe the message, especially if it is said in a period of great development and learning, like a school setting.

As Christians, we have a message to deliver to a watching world. It is a message that has more answers than questions, but by believing its message and its answers, we should not think for one moment we are any less intelligent. We should not fall for this insane notion that Christians are less intelligent or in no way can think in higher categories because their beliefs some how block the way. That is a thought pushed by a culture that is hostile to what we believe, and if you are waiting for that hostility to subside, your wait will never end.

There is a fine line between thinking and rebellion, especially in the lives of students. Once upon a time thinking and belief went hand-in-hand, but in a short period of time, we have been led to believe otherwise. Higher categorical thought developed in the wrong setting, given the wrong fuel and nurtured in the wrong way will certainly lead to rebellion, but it never should. There are questions and answers; to pretend there are only questions is certainly the wrong setting, the wrong fuel and the wrong nurturing. May every thought be captive to Him!