The Christian Mind

Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.” 1 Kings 18.17, 18

The Christian Mind
Harry Blamires (1916-)
“Of course, the Church apart, it is a feature of our culture generally that as we are rich in scholars so we are poor in thinkers…The thinker challenges current prejudices. He disturbs the complacent. He obstructs the busy pragmatists. He questions the very foundations of all around him, and in so doing throws doubt upon aims, motives, and purposes which those who are running affairs have neither time nor patience to investigate. The thinker is a nuisance…But the Church cannot do without thinkers…”

It would be fair to say, I think, that Jesus fit the category of a thinker, as Harry Blamires defined it. So also the prophets, and the apostles. Because God and His glory and Kingdom were so much in the forefront of their brains, they could not help but cast an inquiring and skeptical eye on all aspects of the status quo, and to call those managing affairs to reconsider their doings in the light of divine revelation. Thinkers like this were seldom welcomed by the powers-that-be, whether in the world or the religious community. They were such a nuisance, in fact, that many of them suffered persecution and martyrdom. People just don’t appreciate being jostled in their comfort zones, or urged to envision new and greater possibilities for their lives or ministries. But we need thinkers who trouble the status quo. And we need all Christians to be more thoughtful about their lives and callings in the Lord. We have the mind of Christ, and when we begin to use it as we should, we’ll feel the earth troubled and moving under our feet.

Do you think our world needs some “troubling” today? What about the Church? Is it possible to “trouble” the Church in love? Talk with a friend about these questions.

Renewing the Mind
We are currently running a multi-part series on Renewing the Mind in our daily ReVision series. The third installment is entitled, The Mature Mind, and is available as a free PDF download by going to the website, www.ailbe.org, clicking on today’s ReVision column entitled, “Read It!” and clicking the link at the end. I urge you to follow this entire series, and to consider using it with your leaders. If you are not subscribed to ReVision, you can do so at the website. Or you can download each week’s PDF study in a format suitable for group or personal use.

Thinking for a Christian Worldview
Christian thinkers have a Christian worldview. Our course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, uses twelve diagrams to provide a comprehensive framework for thinking and living Christianly in the world. It’s free, online, and available for you to study by yourself or with your leadership team, at your own pace and on your own schedule. For more information and to register, click here.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations from The Christian Mind are from Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind (Ann Arbor: Servant Books, 1963, 1978).