Thinking Christian

Do you want to develop your Christian thinking? Don’t go it alone!

In this series on Ten Resources for Thinking Christianly I’ve already recommended tying in with local Christians in your church and/or community. If you’re serious about it, you can step it up from there to formal learning through seminaries, Bible colleges, and conferences. I want to urge you to attend one conference in particular: The National Conference on Christian Apologetics, coming in October to Kansas City and to Charlotte. I’ve been to this world-class event in 2007 and 2009, and I’m hoping to attend in both cities this year. Don’t miss it!

Most if not all of the best seminaries and Bible colleges have online learning opportunities. One of these schools may even be in your city; you could study there in person. I’m not going to write a list of seminary and college links, though. If you’re serious about study, you’ll solve that on your own. If not, you won’t cross over that hurdle just by having something to click.

Learning on this level will cost you time and money. Why bother, then, when you could read and study and join local discussion groups without such a commitment? I’m going to speak specifically now of taking classes from a Bible college or seminary. Formal study can lead you to a degree or a certificate. You can’t get that on your own, but really, unless you have certain careers in mind, those pieces of paper don’t make much difference. As far as discipleship of your mind is concerned, they are hardly of the essence.

Formal study has benefits beyond career preparation. There’s the boost to discipline and to motivation you get when you have a syllabus, a schedule, and quizzes and papers to do. You’re likely to encounter material you never would have run into on your own. You’ll get a more complete education, including topics you wouldn’t have thought to study otherwise. You’ll be challenged not only to listen and read but to learn, and to demonstrate that learning through assignments and tests. And you’ll be able to interact with scholars, both faculty and fellow students.

Whether it’s a conference or a course, consider deepening your discipleship of mind through formal study.

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