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Christianity was supposed to be about becoming like Jesus. | |
We went in the wrong direction. |
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Christian Pioneer - eBook for Cell Phone The Traditional Christian's Guide to the Family in Modern Times |
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| Binary Thinking One can see a sort of black and white thinking with children and some adults of limited mental ability. One can also see with the nation of Israel that the law they were given was also specific as to what was and was not allowable. One might see in this a developmental step for both individuals as well as nations. That this is indicative of immaturity might be seen with the Corinthians (1Cor 3:1-3). Binary thinking lends itself to both conflicts and legalism. It has been said that the two easiest sermons to give are how good we are or how bad others are. One of the dangers of binary thinking is that it greatly distorts truth. If we see ourselves as “good” and others as “bad”, it can contribute to conflict. It might even be seen with religious or political cult followers. Children need to be guided out of this developmentally limited stage of thinking to be able to more accurately see the world around them. Being able to see past thinking that anything different is a threat requires both wisdom and understanding. Christians have an advantage here because they can be free from a “darkened mind (Eph 4:17-18). There is wisdom offered to all who ask (James 1:5-6). It is this deeper and broader perspective that allows one to see others less with hatred and more with pity. Parents who make progress themselves in the acquisition of understanding and wisdom are much more able to guide their children as well. Here a church can actually hinder the development of deeper thinking as it may be structured to present a package of doctrine that is complete. This often implies that anything else is wrong. Questioning is often somewhat allowed as long as the “answer” always comes back to what has been determined by others in the past. Even a focus on doctrine can be a distraction from each Christian learning how to be more like Jesus (which should be the purpose of a church Eph 4:11-15). Most Christians today do not “explode” when hearing something they disagree with, they simply disconnect. One pastor described a phone call he got from someone asking him about what he thought the fourth kingdom was in Daniel. He answered, “Rome”. The caller hung up. The pastor lamented, “Don’t hang up, tell me what you think”. It is rare to find someone relaxed enough to discuss what they are learning and why. Parents who guide their children to have a joy in learning and inquisitive minds that question and explore can find that their children are less integrated into the world system, but rise above it. |
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Information about Christianity and the Christian life. |
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