Critical Thinkng for Leaders

Getting Started

Have you ever considered what it is that you spend most of your time thinking about? Are your thoughts

dominated by the latest news cycle or the latest problem you obs

erved at your workplace? Allowing our

minds to focus on many of these ever

-

changing things that often are out of our control stands in stark

contrast to what the Bible teaches. In Philippians 4:8, we read that "...whatever is true, whatever is

noble, whate

ver is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable

—

if anything is

excellent or praiseworthy

—

think about such things." In his classic book "The Christian Mind," noted

scholar and author Harry Blamires argued that distinctively Christi

an thought and reasoning largely have

been swept away by secular modes of thought and politically correct assumptions. Blamires (1963)

called for the recovery of the authentically Christian mind. By this, he meant that there are too few

Christians who thin

k distinctly from the secular world. A Christian mind should be aligned with a

concrete conception of Truth, an awareness of evil, a concern for the person, acceptance of authority,

and an outlook that reflects humankind's spiritual orientation.

Instructions

Review the information in the Getting Started section.

Use your Bible or internet search engine to find at least two other Bible

passages (other than Philippians 4:8) that you believe speak to this idea of

the things upon which we

should focus our thoughts.

Write a half

-

page reflection paper (Word document) that shares what you’ve

found, along with your thoughts/perspectives on how one might discipline

the mind to think more soundly, more effectively, and in ways that aid

developm

ent as a leader.

Getting Started

Have you ever considered what it is that you spend most of your time thinking about? Are your thoughts

dominated by the latest news cycle or the latest problem you observed at your workplace? Allowing our

minds to focus on many of these ever-changing things that often are out of our control stands in stark

contrast to what the Bible teaches. In Philippians 4:8, we read that "...whatever is true, whatever is

noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is

excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." In his classic book "The Christian Mind," noted

scholar and author Harry Blamires argued that distinctively Christian thought and reasoning largely have

been swept away by secular modes of thought and politically correct assumptions. Blamires (1963)

called for the recovery of the authentically Christian mind. By this, he meant that there are too few

Christians who think distinctly from the secular world. A Christian mind should be aligned with a

concrete conception of Truth, an awareness of evil, a concern for the person, acceptance of authority,

and an outlook that reflects humankind's spiritual orientation.

Instructions

Review the information in the Getting Started section.

Use your Bible or internet search engine to find at least two other Bible

passages (other than Philippians 4:8) that you believe speak to this idea of

the things upon which we should focus our thoughts.

Write a half-page reflection paper (Word document) that shares what you’ve

found, along with your thoughts/perspectives on how one might discipline

the mind to think more soundly, more effectively, and in ways that aid

development as a leader.