"That this ignores most of the rest of Scripture, and also makes a fine distorted case for tearing all the wisdom books out of the Bible, eludes far too many people. In the end, Christianity never calls anyone to turn off his mind. To insist it does, only results in the kind of brain-dead emotionalism that leads to error. Hoisting godly wisdom by its own petard makes the Church look vacant in the cranium." -Dan Edelen
Not much makes me feel more embarrassed than when a Christian sounds ignorant trying to defend the faith and can only repeat what they have been told. In this, there is no satiation, there are no personal feelings. It is a recorded message played over and over again, and when innocent theological questions arise, the Christian defenses automatically go up and they can get snappy. To accurately handle the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15), you must study it. You must know it, and you must be able to defend it without sounding foolish.
I once heard a pastor say that it is okay to be narrow and closed-minded, although I have a lot of respect for this man, I must humbly decline this idea. The Bible says, "narrow is the way that leads to life, and only few will find it" (Matt. 7:14). Matthew is trying to explain that the road is narrow, not the mind. Unless you are able to see all the roads from an open-minded point of view, you have nothing to compare it to to know that the narrow way is in fact, narrow. I am not saying that you should test out every road, but what I am saying is that you need to know your surroundings in order to be able to defend why you choose the narrow path. To do this, you cannot be narrow-minded. You must act and think intellectually. Narrow-mindedness says "I chose this path because it's the right path, because it's the one I was told to take, it's the one that leads to life." You must have your reasoning for it though. Intellectual Christianity and open-mindedness says, "I considered my options, I looked at what each road had to offer, this one does not look easy, but I choose the narrow path because I choose Jesus."
Okay so here's a 180 on the topic of intellectual Christianity, don't get dizzy...different subject, same topic.
God is the only one that can really change people's hearts, but He uses us as a vessel. To do this, you must get on their level. I find this to be ever so true when I work at Camp Longridge. While talking to a third grader, you cannot condemn them to hell, you can't expect them to comprehend the Trinity, you have to speak in terms of things that they understand. What can they understand? They can understand right and wrong; they can understand love; they can understand hope and peace. Now the same is true with an atheist college professor. When you speak Christianity strictly in the terms of right, wrong, love, hope, and peace, they hear "love, peace, flowers, and rainbows" (...not meant to sound blasphemous, that's just what a lot of them are thinking). You have to take it up a notch. You have to know your Bible, you have to be able to defend the faith. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed. Accurately telling the Word of Truth." They are more likely to hear you out if you are on their level, if they feel like they are having an educated conversation and just not hearing a repetitive tape. For example, if it comes to evolution, there are scientific explanations out there for almost everything that jives with the Bible in some way or another. Know these things. They may not be in the Bible, but what good is only using Bible verses to someone who doesn't believe it? You have to be on their level and speak in their terminology. Know what other people believe and know why they believe it. To understand their point of view is to understand their misconceptions; to understand their misconceptions is to better understand how to minister to them. Don't let other religions or people who have different ideas scare you off, rather view them as a chance to change their world and possibly the world. There are some mysteries of God that we will never understand or be able to explain (see 1 Cor. 2:6-8, 10-15), but for heaven's sake do not let that be your cop out on everything. He leaves so many questions unanswered, but He gives us so much about His love, character, and plan. Know what He gives us, and search for more. You never know what He might reveal to you.
I challenge you to be open-minded when choosing the narrow path. I am guilty of doing all these things and being closed/narrow-minded at one time or another, but it is something I am working on. I challenge you to do the same. Know what you are talking about and then find the faith to stand up for it.
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