IS CHRISTIAN FAITH AGAINST CRITICAL THINKING?

 

Many believers today avoid things that are challenging to think about or even to discuss. Some spiritual leaders even discourage their members from engaging in critical thinking by saying that subjects like apologetics, philosophy, hermeneutics, and others are unnecessary. Two of the verses they often use are found in Colossians 2:8 and 1 Corinthians 8:1. Today, we will study these passages more closely.

IS PHILOSOPHY EVIL?

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Col 2:8)

Does this verse really mean philosophy itself is evil? Many Christians miss Paul’s point here. He was not speaking about philosophy in general, but a specific philosophy during that time—“deceptive, based on human tradition and the elemental spirits of this world.” This philosophy is linked to a form of Gnosticism, a false teaching that infiltrated the Colossian church. It emphasized mystic beliefs, apocalyptic visions, and spiritual forces. The entire Epistle to the Colossians was written by Paul to combat this philosophy. That’s why throughout the letter, he repeatedly affirms that Christ is superior over all spiritual forces (1:16; 2:8, 10, 15, 20, etc.).

This shows that the Bible is never against philosophy in general, only against false and deceptive ones. In fact, Paul himself used the language of philosophy when it was useful and consistent with godly wisdom in Christ (2:2–3). He even used philosophy to argue against anti-Christian ideas in order to promote the Gospel (Acts 17:16–34). Knowing different philosophical subjects and disciplines is not wrong or unnecessary—if anything, it’s an advantage for any Christian. Philosophy can actually be an effective tool to better understand and promote biblical truths.

DOES KNOWLEDGE PUFF UP…?

“But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Cor 8:1) If knowledge “puffs up” (Greek: phusioo, meaning “to inflate”), then why pursue knowledge at all?  In context, Paul was talking about the knowledge that idols are not real gods, since there is only one God and one Lord (vv. 4–6). Not all believers at that time had this knowledge (v.7). So naturally, some were offended when they saw fellow believers eating food sacrificed to idols, thinking the food was blessed by another “god.” While Paul was specifically addressing this issue, 1 Cor 8:1 can also apply to knowledge in general. Unfortunately, this passage has become a favorite verse for those who are proud of their ignorance, but that was never its intent.

For the record, Paul was not against knowledge, but against knowledge without love. He said “knowledge puffs up but love builds up” to emphasize that those who know more should still be considerate toward others—especially those who might be offended or stumble (vv. 9–13; see also Rom 14:15). Paul used the word agape here, meaning self-sacrificial love. He was urging his readers to sacrifice for the sake of others, just as he himself was willing to sacrifice for others (9:19–23). He expanded on this idea in 1 Cor 13, where he wrote that even if he had all knowledge and could understand all mysteries, but lacked love, it would all be worthless (v.2). When read in context, it becomes clear: this passage was not written to promote ignorance but to encourage believers to be loving while being knowledgeable.

FAITH AND CRITICAL THINKING

Christian faith is never against critical thinking. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps 111:10; Prov 1:7; 9:10; 15:33), which means every believer who claims to fear God is expected to be wise and reasonable. Yet in our time, where “anti-intellectualism” is widespread in churches, it has become common to separate faith from reason. Research, discernment, and testing of truth are now seen as “worldly” or even “demonic.” Asking questions is treated as a sign of unbelief—and so it must be avoided. As a result, many churches are left with shallow theology, because that’s all their spiritual leaders are able to provide. This is what happens when Christians fail to love the Lord with all their minds. Stay Curious.