DOES CHRISTIANITY LEAD TO CLOSED MINDS

Today I’d like to address what I think is a very important question. Does Christianity lead to closed minds?

To begin the discussion, let me first confess that the prevailing attitude in the Pentecostal church when I first became a born-again Christian was: “God said it – I believe it – that settles it!” Hey, I even had a poster on my wall, purchased from the little bookstall at church, with exactly those words.

As a young teenager with no real understanding of theology, it was not a bad thing for me that the Bible was treated as the ultimate authority on all things spiritual. I still believe that the Bible is true and exceedingly “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).”

But I have long since abandoned the old habits I acquired (no fault of the churches I attended, I hasten to add) whereby a single verse, in context or otherwise, was sufficient to end any debate.

Some fellow Christians from those early years were notoriously narrow-minded in this regard. They had made up their minds (on pretty much everything) and showed no patience for those unfortunate souls who were not so biblically enlightened.

When it came to witnessing to those who didn’t, as yet, believe in Christ, these fellow Christians were ruthless in their compassion for the lost and impatient of actual dialogue.

This kind of polemic Christianity seems to have faded somewhat as the times got more and more complicated. But I submit that, in general terms, today’s Christians are more likely to have done the intellectual work to establish a credible worldview than most non-Christians. They are more likely to apply sound logic in expressing their points of view, and they are more likely to try to understand other people’s views.

I love what Jesus said when “a certain lawyer” asked Him what was required to obtain eternal life. Jesus responded with two profound questions. “"What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? (Luke 10:26)"

In posing these two questions, Jesus addressed the issue of Bible interpretation. We must first discern what the Bible actually says. Then, and only then, we consider its meaning.

So yes, Christianity can, for some people, lead to a closing of the mind, but it most certainly should not. Nor should any refusal to think critically about matters of faith be characteristic of Christian culture.