Critical Thinking and Faith

Critical thinking is one of those buzz words of the home schooling community. Several people have even told me that I am a critical thinker, but I’m not sure where they get that idea. To be honest, I’m not even sure of the scientific, dictionary definition of critical thinking. If it means being wary of taking everything at face value and always asking questions, then I stand guilty as charged. If it has something to do with super intelligence and higher brain functions, then they’ve got the wrong person.
There doesn’t seem to be any place for critical thinking when it comes to the Bible and understanding God though. At least not at first. At first, it looks like there are contradictions, inaccuracies, and just plain ridiculousness with no possible explanation. That is because God asks us to come first in faith, as a child would. One answer that always seems to satisfy my children is “Because that is the way God wanted it.” They might not understand any better (and apparently, neither do I if that is the only answer that I can give them), but they grasp that God knows best and they can let it go at that. That is what God wants of me as well. “I don’t understand, Lord, but you know best and I trust you.” Then as we accept in faith and just believe what He says, over time the pieces fall together and the picture becomes clear. What seemed to be an error now makes perfect sense. There will be things that we may not understand while we are here on Earth, but God gives us enough answers to enable us to trust him with the rest. But Faith must come first.
It is then that the critical thinking gets fun. When we believe His Word to be true, then we can begin to ask questions and scrutinize and dig for the nuggets that he has left for us. For instance, have you ever read a passage of Scripture and then put it on and wore it like a garment for the rest of the day? Imagine what it was like to be the people, absorb the flavor of the culture and see how it affects the meaning and application of the passage. What were the smells and sounds and sights of the Garden as Adam walked in the evening with the Creator? What was the physical presence of God like? How much fun was it to name all of the animals? Did it surprise Him when Eve said that the serpent spoke to her, or was that a common occurrence before the Fall? Did Adam stand witness when God slew the first animal to make clothing for him because of his sin, an animal that he had named and perhaps talked to? Did he see that first bloodshed later in his dreams? Did it help him to understand what his redemption would one day cost Jesus?
One small portion of scripture can often yield an entire day’s worth of thought. It can stand up to the most intense scrutiny and bear the most amazing results. And I am no longer surprised when I come away with more questions then when I started.

*originally posted Feb 5th, 2006