Paul advocated mind renewal, not mind removal. Our minds are part of our divinely designed makeup, intended to love God and cooperate with Him. We are dead to thinking in line with the old mindset, programmed by unspiritual, worldly thinking—and free to think in tune with the mind of Christ. We know our thinking affects how we live and forms our identity. Our thinking is a precious piece of our individuality with uncanny power to affect our present and future. So, why would we outsource our thinking to anyone? You and I are responsible for our own thought monitoring and control. Others may help guide your thinking, with suggestions and advice, but they cannot tell you how you must think. We are responsible for our own thinking, and the ultimate guide we have is the Holy Spirit. You are led by an inner witness not by external dogmatic pressure. If you feel driven, coerced, or controlled, the gentle Shepherd is not leading. No family member, expert, or church leader should do your thinking for you. Until you have thought it through, tested it, and wrestled with it, it is not your personal belief. Shallow, borrowed, parroted beliefs absorbed blindly from others form a substanceless shadow of belief—one that will not endure tempestuous times. Non-examined personal theology is responsible for stunting growth and lack of intimacy with the Trinity. The Rethink Tank is a call to think for yourself in the presence of God. It is an invitation to reexamine the pre-packaged doctrinal box you were given to live in without questioning. I lived uncomfortably for decades with many things I thought I had to believe in order to be a “good Christian,” only to find out later that God was not the one hemming me in—uninformed people were. Early Christianity was much more Christ-centered. I am challenging you to think your way into a faith which is truly yours—a faith that lights you up and pumps purpose and joy into your every action. Truth is not to be feared but to be pursued at all cost. Much of our modern religious climate promotes a greater fear of being deceived by the devil than confidence in the Spirit of Truth to guide us into all truth. You are not too uneducated or too dumb to think for yourself. For anyone to tell you what you believe is an abusive violation. Think with curiosity and courage and refuse to settle for a second hand certainty.
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