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What it means to think Christianly

February 2, 2010 in Apologetics, Bible, Culture/Trends, Truth | Tags: blog, Christian, Christianly, think, train | Leave a comment

Photo courtesy of Aidan O'Sullivan's flickr photostream

I recently updated the tag line under the Truth-In-Sight blog title. The reason was to make sure the purpose of this blog is plain and clear to its current and future readers. In using the phrase “think Christianly,” I thought I should take a moment to explain that further.

Yourdictionary.com gives this definition of the word “Christian:”

of Jesus Christ or his teachings
of or professing the religion based on these teachings
having the qualities demonstrated and taught by Jesus Christ, as love, kindness, humility, etc.
of or representing Christians or Christianity

For all you grammar freaks out there, “think” is the verb in the phrase and “Christianly” is the adverb. The definition above relates to using the word “Christian” as an adjective, which describes a noun. In our case, the definitions are the same but describe a verb, which is to “think.”

Since all people (who are not in a brain-dead state) think, those who profess to follow Jesus Christ as born-again believers have an extra responsibility. That is to train their minds to think Christianly, “having the qualities demonstrated and taught by Jesus Christ, as love, kindness, humility, etc.” This does not come naturally; we must work at it.

1 Cor. 14:20 states, “Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” (NIV) Just as our minds grow with knowledge as we age in years, so does our spiritual minds grow in faith and maturity the longer we walk with the Lord. We take in His truths, meditate on them, and practice them in our lives. In an ideal world, all Christians would be actively pursuing such a process. However, we all at times tend to get weighed down with the cares of the world and with how busy life seems to get. This is when the world begins to influence Christians much more than Christians are influencing the world.

I hope to use this blog as a positive and informative resource for Christians and truth-seekers. Please engage myself and each other with your helpful comments. I welcome you to join the discussion.

SEE the heart of apologetics

November 8, 2009 in Apologetics, Bible | Tags: Apologetics, motorcycle, safety | 2 comments

When I took up motorcycling, I made sure I was prepared. One of the best ways to do that is to take a course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. I still think every day about the safety principles I learned from that course. I use the safety check and start-up procedure they teach. I feel prepared for every ride, while knowing that unexpected things can still happen.

One of the acronyms I was taught in the beginners course I took is S.E.E. I think if it on every motorcycle ride. It stands for:

Scan - Evaluate - Execute

This acronym makes me think about my life verse, which is 1 Peter 3:15. It reads, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (NIV)

“S” for scan means we need to scan our world, our country, our state, our city, our neighborhood, our schools, and our workplaces for opportunities to make Jesus Christ known. We also need to scan for false teachings and false worldviews that put roadblocks in front of people getting to the “foot of the cross.” This scanning process takes discernment, which is given by the Holy Spirit.

“E” for evaluate means we need to evaluate how to share with people. A couple of key words in the verse is “gentleness” and “respect.” Nobody likes being confronted with the possibility that their worldview is false. They feel like they are “being judged.” A winsome tactical approach is needed. Christians need to prepare for effective conversations with people who need Christ, which takes work and preparation. That’s why the verse says to “always be prepared.”

The final “E” stands for execute. In the end, after the praying and preparing, Christians need to get out and “do.” They need to be people of action. The verse talks giving an answer. That implies taking the knowledge from the scanning and evaluating and executing it. The person who puts all of these elements together is the person who understands the heart of apologetics.

As a student of apologetics, it’s easy to feel good about gaining philosophical knowledge and learning how to defend the Christian faith. But the best student is the one who puts the knowledge into practice. You don’t need an advanced degree for that. You just need (spiritual) eyes with which to SEE and (spiritual) feet to bring the message to those who need it.