There is too much simplistic thinking in the world today.

It does relational damage, dehumanizes others, and causes us to live like fools. Simplistic thinking in complex times can lead to manipulation, loss of credibility, and unnecessary pain in the future.

A brief warning: people with nuanced thinking will be penalized in a sound bite culture, and emotional appeals will do better in the short term than well-reasoned arguments. It’s hard to create space when people are in the grip of anxiety and their sense of self worth or identity is threatened. But when done from a place of love, with gentle and careful instruction, we can help people understand a more mature way of processing and responding to the things in our world today.

Here are 7 layers of thinking to create nuance around complex issues that you can begin to develop in your kids. God willing, they can learn and think deeply in a shallow world.

PRINCIPLE (Baseline, biblical thinking)
What does the Bible teach on this issue? How does the Old Testament speak to this? How does the New Testament modify this? How does Jesus inform this? If not directly mentioned, what are the biblical principles related to this issue? What is our interpretive lens in this situation? What have the church fathers and mothers said about this in redemptive history? What have credible Christian ethicists and theologians taught on this? We have to start by developing convictions about whose authority we sit under on an issue and why. Then, push people to articulate their own.

PERSONAL (Where I come from)
All of us have a personal history that informs the way we think. Our family of origin, religious background, education, experiences and exposure to the world shape how we interpret things. We should take time to interrogate our own thinking, and then explain to people the convictions we have developed and the lenses that have shaped them. “Here is where I am coming from and why.” Self-awareness and reflection is essential.

PASTORAL (Love and care for people)
Truth without love closes ears to our message. Tone is everything. We need to realize we are not just dealing with issues; we are dealing with people whose lives matter to God. We must stop talking about the “LGBTQ issue” and talk about LGBTQ people. We must stop talking about the “immigration issue” and talk about immigrants. We should stop talking about the “race issue” and talk about people’s experience of race. Before engaging in a conversation, we should be able to articulate a person’s concerns and position fairly and in such a way that they would agree. People need to feel like their concerns are heard and understood.

PUBLIC (Cultural implications)
We live in a pluralistic society where we are called to balance rights and responsibility, freedom and boundaries, the individual and the whole. We have to participate in a shared social contract. Because our world no longer holds to a Judeo-Christian moral framework, we need to be able to make the case for why our convictions are true to God’s vision for human flourishing, and how society will benefit from our way of life. ‘Principled pluralism’ is what Richard Mouw calls it. We need to articulate a robust, life-giving argument and philosophy that engages all who live in our world today. 

POLICY (Legal implications)
Legal policy expands and shrinks the horizon of possibility for various groups. Think about how the overturning of Roe v. Wade has done that. For some, it expands possibility for the unborn. For others, it closes possibility for women seeking abortion. We need to articulate how a law impacts society by the kind of horizons it creates. We have to think through a legal lens, and not just a personal one. Do these policies create a society we want to live in? Do these policies promote justice, fairness, respect? Do these policies make our world more or less like God wants it? 

PRECEDENT (What will this allow, intended and unintended?)
Most people don’t think about the precedents our decisions make and the cultural norms they establish. In the political fighting and clamoring of the moment, rarely do we think through the unintended consequences and long-term impact of decisions we make now and how they impact future generations. No fault divorce has radically shaped how generations of people think about marriage. Environmental policies based purely on large corporate interests can shape the literal environment we live in. Precedents happen at societal levels and personal ones. The decisions we make as individuals shape our own stories too. What will this allow and forbid in my life, and what sort of person will I be formed into as a result of it?

PROPHETIC (Truth to power)
There will be times we hold convictions and positions immensely unpopular with the larger culture. How we hold these is as important as what we hold. There are times to be angry about what is happening, times to lament, times to confront, times to weep, and times to be bold in a world of compromise. We have to learn how to speak the truth against lies, advocate against injustice, protect children, fight for women, and hold to biblical convictions even when they cost us. But we must always do this with love. We can never take on the spirit of that which we oppose.

A VISION

The culture our kids are growing up in requires immense discernment and wisdom to navigate as faithful followers of Jesus. Dumping content in our kids’ minds will not be enough; we have to help them learn to think biblically and holistically through a lens of love.

Though there is much more to be said on critical thinking, I hope this gives you a good starting point to discuss through issues with your kids. May God raise up a new generation of the sons of Issachar, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.”

Thanks for all you are doing with your own kids to help them arise.

Cheers.

Jon.