“Think, think, think,” says Winnie-the-Pooh, the famous animated character, as he pauses to solve a problem. This is a simple and quite memorable phrase from the loveable bear, but its simplicity should not be mistaken for superficiality. There is much truth in the act of pausing and thinking.
People have become comfortable with ignorance and fast information. The average time that people spend looking at a news article is about 148 seconds. The average person seems to believe whatever they are told, wherever they heard it, and they trust people who may have a bad worldview that skews certain viewpoints. People, especially Christians, should think, analyze, and contemplate information rather than accept anything as truth. Without a thinking nation, unbiblical people and policies can sneak into power and suddenly control most areas.
Thinking involves ideas. Ideas are like packages, and when we think, it is as if we are perusing through those packages, opening some of them, looking and handling the stuff inside, and keeping or discarding the items. When we think, we ask questions, almost like mining for gold. We shouldn’t believe the first notion, or “rock” we find, but instead dig deeper looking for the golden idea or meaning. Along the way, we may find a fool’s gold idea that should be abandoned.
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (New International Version 1984). A Christian is free to explore ideas, but should also sift through those ideas and “hold on to the good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21b). Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Rather, Christians are to turn their mind towards Christ (Colossians 3:1-2; Romans 12:1-2).
Therefore, it is wonderful to read literature, watch the news, look at social media, listen to music, and have discussions. We can grow in knowledge, and others can grow too as “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17). Creativity and innovation can advance when ideas can be explored. New ideas can bring joy, help, encouragement, comfort, and prosperity. But bad ideas can corrupt, destroy, and bring fear. While there is a balance of knowing an exact answer since there is absolute truth, there is a balance of exploring new ideas while at the same time being careful.
Furthermore, worldviews are basically a set of ideas that explain the world around us. Those ideas or worldviews are the purpose for almost every action of a person. Therefore, we should be careful listening to the news, reading books, and listening to music because the author’s worldview is always infused. We should question the concepts that are presented to see what they are communicating. Are they aligned with Scripture? What worldview is being conveyed? Could this worldview have a destructive impact on the world? For true reflection to work, belief in absolute truth is a must, which ultimately is from God (John 14:6).
When there is no contemplation, bad ideas can seep into our minds because often they are coated in what seems like candy or nice-sounding language that is convincing. Psalm 55:21-22 says, “His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.” We may begin to believe lies about something, which could lead to making wrong decisions. Wrong decisions usually affect other people. These terrible sentiments and decisions can hurt and destroy others and their livelihoods. For example, politics and government are basically a battle of ideas. If the government or politicians decide to implement an immoral idea, then it would hurt the citizens. One can see this with politicians advocating for Marxist and socialistic ideas, such as critical race theory, free college, redistribution of wealth, and gender theory.
This is why Christians should be careful about content mentally absorbed. We might think it tedious to contemplate the information coming into one’s head, but we should just start by pausing, even for a second, after receiving new information. Begin by asking yourself one question: is this true? This will probably help to begin thinking more deeply about topics and asking more questions, such as: should I believe this; what does this mean; or, is this biblical? If we have a thinking nation, people are held more accountable and better ideas are implemented in the world.
Most people have lost this art of thinking, especially in America. However, there is always hope, particularly for Christians. People can change their minds by God’s grace. Therefore, the time is now. Christians can change the world by submitting their minds to Christ in the art of thinking.
Katherine Musgrove serves as a Policy and Biblical Worldview intern at Family Research Council.
