What does the Bible say about Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the process of evaluating ideas, information, arguments and value systems. It is the process of trying to discover what’s true and what’s not.
A person who exercises critical thinking does not take everything at face-value. A critical thinker is someone who is open minded but yet wants to discover the truth. Therefore, a critical thinker is willing to humbly test and question doctrines, norms, systems, traditions and any information in order to discover truth and reality.

So does the Bible encourage critical thinking? Should Christians exercise critical thinking?
Critical thinking is good for all Christians when it is used with humility and guided by the Holy Spirit and God’s word.
The Bible urges all Christians to exercise critical thinking because it helps us to discern between good and evil; truth and lies.
Critical thinking is acknowledgment that God gave us a mind with which to reason, think and make decisions.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 tell us to “test everything” and avoid evil. Paul writes: Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.

1 John 4:1 reads: Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

So the Bible encourages us to test or evaluate everything with the purpose of avoiding evil or being a victim of deception.
We must test and evaluate everything against Scripture and interpret Scripture in context. We must also ask God for protection and guidance from deception and to help us discern between truth and lies.

In Acts 10:11 the Bereans were not so quick to accept the Apostle Paul’s teachings. Instead the Bereans listened to Paul, but later examined (through Scripture) to evaluate if what Paul was teaching them was really true. So the Bereans did not want to be simply spoon fed. They did not simply accept every message that came from the pulpit without testing to see if the message was indeed truthful.

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul also encouraged Christian believers to test themselves to see if the doctrine they believed was actually true. Therefore Christians are to examine and test teachings and doctrines to ensure that they are truly in the correct faith and not deceived.

1 Timothy 4:1 says: The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 says: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Romans 16:17 reads: I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

Critical thinking within Christianity is necessary because it helps us do the following
1. We avoid spiritual deception and spiritual blindness
2. We are able to discern between good and evil
3. We are not easily deceived by false prophets and false doctrines
4. We avoid spiritual abuse

Our critical thinking must be humble. We must be guided by a correct interpretation of the Scriptures. We must sincerely desire to seek the truth and be led by the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth (John 16:13)