Think Deeply...

Years ago I took one of those snorkeling charters and headed out to the coral reef on the edge of the Florida keys.  During the 45 minute ride to the reef I sat next to a bright young man who was on break from an Ivy League college.  Half way through our ride the conversation turned to the topic of faith. I was amazed by what he thought. He had no idea that faith and thought could compliment one another. Both of his parents were college professors and so he had grown up in a home that valued thinking.  Unfortunately they dismissed the importance of believing.  The idea that someone could both think and believe had somehow alluded them.  Amazing!

It is surprising how many seemingly bright people subscribe to the belief that faith is usually "blind" while thought is invariably "insightful."  Many blindly accept that myth as an important twentieth century truth.  Heartbreaking! Faith and thought are not enemies, they belong together.  Through the centuries many great thinkers have also been persons of great faith.

An entire section of the Bible is devoted to wisdom literature.  One of the books in this section is the Book of Proverbs, a collection of sayings and teachings that provide wisdom and insight.  Proverbs begins with this introduction:

These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David’s son, Israel’s king—Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it’s going; A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair; To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. There’s something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women. (The Message)

In his book Think Like Jesus, George Barna says 2 out of 10 Christians in America do whatever feels right or comfortable in a given situation.  And 1 out of 10 do whatever they believe will make the most people happy or create the least amount of conflict with other people.

Jesus, on the other hand, chose to think before acting.  When a group of religious leaders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery and asked what Jesus thought about stoning her, he refused to rush to judgement. Instead, Jesus knelt down and began to write on the ground with his finger, deep in thought.  After some moments he said, "Let anyone who is without sin be the first to throw a stone."  Brilliant!

Throughout history, faithful followers of Jesus have found that great faith and deep thought belong together.