For many youth, the month of September means one thing above all else: the return of school. After weeks upon weeks of enjoying the warmth of summer and all the freedom that goes with it, once again these students will enter the halls of learning to recommit themselves to reading, writing, and arithmetic—not to mention physics, chemistry, French, calculus, European history, graphic design, and so on. The old cycle will begin again in which lethargy is replaced with studiousness and ignorance with knowledge. And despite the desperate pleas of some children, parents will remain firm—after all, it’s for their own good: no matter how difficult, no matter how tedious, education is worthwhile.
Of course, to speak approvingly of education is merely to speaking approvingly of knowledge and thought. For education is merely the systematic impartation of knowledge and the systematic honing of thought. And with these two things, a sharp mind and good grasp of the world around us, there’s really no limit to what one can do, from building a better mouse trap to building a fortune.
And as much as we may benefit from serious thought applied to matters of finance, health, relationships, and so on, we mustn’t forget that another aspect of our lives deserves meaningful intellectual exertion, that is, our faith. To put it another way, when you go off to church, remember to bring your brain along with you.
Far from the monstrous and willfully ignorant caricature of spirituality so often bandied about skeptics, God prefers an active intellect in his worshippers. To quote Jesus’ profound paraphrase of the Torah, when asked concerning the greatest commandment of all, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). And again, when we look to the Apostle Paul’s advice to new believers we find these striking words, “Test everything. Hold on to the good” (Thessalonians 5:21). It would seem then that a spirituality without thought is somewhat deficient, that is, it isn’t the sort of faith that God desires. Rather, just as God seeks to have a relationship with the whole person, so the whole person (thoughts, doubts, questions and all) needs to be brought into the conversation.
Keep this in mind that next time you find yourself in prayer, or worship, or in the study of Scripture and an uncomfortable question arises. Rather than shove the question out of mind, consider it, discuss it, and ultimately seek an answer to it. For in so doing, in bringing your mind into your faith, you honor the One that gave it to you in the first place.
i think that by not questioning an individual believer is unable to grow. When we grow stagnant in our faith it leads to a weak spirit. When questions are buzzing through our heads its so easy to push them back especially if we feel that they seem silly are even will make others see you in a jaded light. However the longer we continue to hide these doubts we are unable to find true peace.