What is open-mindedness?
Filed Under (Practical Christianity) by Sam Gerdt on 16-10-2009
Tagged Under : atheism, Christianity, evolution, open-mindedness, self-evaluation
I would ask you to watch this video. Be warned – it’s quite heavy:
Now ask yourself these questions:
Do I understand how he feels about religion? Do I understand what it means to be closed-minded? Is it necessary for Christians to be closed-minded when talking to people like this man? Do I act in a closed-minded way when talking to fellow Christians who don’t believe exactly the same things I do?
Here are my honest answers:
Do I understand how he feels about religion? Yes. Watch the video again if you have to. I have a hard time arguing against such clear logic. The problem with many witnessing Christians is that we fail to understand that we CAN’T prove God’s existence or Christ’s love to someone with unaided words from human mouths. Both of these things are truths that must be experienced. The Holy Spirit is how that happens. There is much more that could be said about the work of the Holy Spirit and no time to say it here and now. Suffice it to say that it is God who proves Himself to men – not us.
Do I understand what it means to be closed-minded? It’s taking me a while to get there – and believe me, I’ve been guilty of closed-mindedness many times over, but the more I focus and learn and THINK, the more I understand how best to be open-minded to my fellow man.
Is it necessary for Christians to be closed-minded when talking to people like this man? NO! Exactly the opposite! Does that mean I should consider evolution and athiesm? Of course not. What it does mean is that I understand that this man has NO REASON to believe in God yet. It means that I must truly seek to understand what he is thinking and how he sees the world. I need to consider that there was a time in my own life when I had no proof of God. Show of hands: How many of you Christians understand exactly what evolutionists believe? Very few, if any (myself included). We have a vague understanding of the theory – the earth is millions of years old, we all evolved from one-celled creatures, there is no God, etc. But we have no idea how these ideas are supported by science. We haven’t seen the vast amounts of data that they have and THEY KNOW THIS. So when we talk to them and they try to present data to you and you shut them down, you have just given them a HUGE reason to not care about what you say. This is just a small example of how closed-mindedness can ruin your credibility as a rational human being. Listen to them. Show them that you are interested in them. Share your experiences with them. If they are like this man in the video, they will welcome your life experiences. After all, scientists LOVE data. In spite of what Fox News tells you, most atheists are not hostile toward religious people. There are a few nutters out there, but they are the outspoken minority. Be an open-minded Christian and you will begin to build a framework on which to base friendships that will lead to witnessing opportunity after witnessing opportunity.
Do I act in a closed-minded way when talking to fellow Christians who don’t believe exactly the same things I do? This is another one that I am having to work on. There are many different types of Christians in America and around the world. Usually what we do is segregate ourselves into our denominations and sects and interaction ceases. Another devastating behavior among Christians is pride. This issue of being closed-minded is perhaps the largest hindrance to the furtherance of the Gospel. So please, please: evaluate your attitude. Are you open-minded enough to work together with someone who believes something different about baptism or end times? Could you minister together with a Democrat? We are all citizens of one country with one common goal if we belong to Christ. Many members, one body.
I think we could all stand some prayer-filled self-evaluation.
Very good video. He makes very valid points about what open-mindedness really is. However, his explanation of open-mindedness only works within similar worldviews. What I mean is, me being open-minded with atheists/agnostics/evolutions is impossible because I know their core beliefs invariably clash with those of a Christian. However, his “rules” apply strongly when kept within a closed circle of Christians. As he states, to think you are right about everything Biblical would be arrogant and presumptuous. You have to allow for the fact that you have misinterpreted things and that you are possibly wrong and “figured something out” without the help of the Holy Spirit and that a brother in Christ may actually be right.
In that sense, I would disagree with your statement “Is it necessary for Christians to be closed-minded when talking to people like this man? NO!”. Open-minded is *not* understanding where they are coming from, but being open to the fact that there may be other alternatives to your beliefs. Atheism and Evolution are not alternatives so we cannot be open-minded with these people. All we can be is understanding that they have a different worldview so they are going to be hard to “convince”. Which sometimes will mean (with well-grounded atheists and evolutionsts) the only way of showing them the right way is to prove them wrong. Which is hard to begin with since none of your evidence can be real to them. So, sometimes, it just comes down to having a good testimony and praying they will see what is different about a TRUE Christian.
Personally, I have made a good friend from ITT who happens to be Buddhist and another friend who is atheist/evolutionist. I have had some very interesting conversations and have thought many times about what being open-minded is because of these conversations. I *cannot* be open-minded because many of their arguments are very logical and extremely persuasive. But, it isn’t a matter of logic, because the very existence of God and His power are illogical, so me being open-minded can only result in me changing my beliefs, which in a non-Christian setting, is extremely dangerous.
Lastly, being open-minded with Christians can be dangerous as well, but is also required to understanding the Bible, which is why you must demand irrefutable proof of what someone claims, especially since having a wrong belief is dire in your Christian walk. You want to be sure if you change your belief that you are definitely wrong and they are definitely right.
The fraction of Christianity is inevitable as there are different beliefs. I don’t believe it is my job to “minister” with someone I can’t agree with on fundamental issues that can send someone to Hell. You brought up baptism when you said: “Are you open-minded enough to work together with someone who believes something different about baptism or end times?”. The Gospel consists of the birth, death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the basis of salvation. Christ did all that to pay for our sins through His death. To “minister” with someone that believes Baptism is essential to that wouldn’t be furthering the Gospel because one of our ways is sending someone to Hell, but we both believe we are right. How could a Christian, in good conscience, whether right or wrong, minister with someone who has an opposing belief on something so integral to the Christian life?
We have convictions/beliefs and preferences. Convictions are the core beliefs of what has caused any fraction of a church and the creation of new denominations. It is inevitable and unavoidable that this will happen.
Maybe I was a bit wordy, but I believe that is the true meaning of open-mindedness and when open-mindedness can, and cannot, be applicable.
We digress into an argument over semantics. . .
I have learned much about Christianity and Theological matters from reading the works of atheists with an open mind. Does that mean I ever doubted the existence or power of God? No. Open-mindedness manifests itself in several ways:
- I do not assume that everything my atheist friend says is false (even concerning scientific discovery)
- I do not assume that everything I say is true (even concerning spiritual things)
This does not, of course, mean that I am willing to waver on my view of soteriology without strong Scriptural support and conviction by the Holy Spirit, but it does mean that I am willing to consider any presented evidence against my beliefs on the matter (even if I already know it won’t stand a chance against Scripture). If I refuse to continually process the evidence I submit to a stagnant and under-educated Christian life.
*shrug* I think semantics are very important. Especially to God; he is very precise in His meaning of things and to blur the definitions can sometimes cause sin, whether it be a purposeful sin or one of ignorance due to blurred meanings.
Another reason is, without an agreement on definitions, there is no basis with which to discuss anything. I’ve gone whole conversations with people discussing a topic, just to find out we believe the same thing, but because they made it sound like they believe something else, we just wasted 15 minutes talking.
I’m definitely not trying to “argue” so I hope you are taking my comments to not be directed at you specifically. Just what I’ve come across in my dealings with other people. And I also want to respect your mission with this blog. :)
But do you see where I come from?
In the video he talks about developing an evidence filter for our minds rather than closing them completely. We can have an open mind without compromising our Christian evidence filter; however, too many times Christians close their minds to certain topics altogether rather than considering new points of view (which ultimately serve to strengthen our beliefs whether the presented evidence is accepted or rejected).
If we can agree on these points then I think we agree on the definition.
I think we do agree. I think it’s our respective levels of open-mindedness.
I’m just extremely wary to having any open-mindedness about secular ideas. I will try to understand their point of view, but not even consider they are right or have some valid point or anything. The Bible and science go hand-in-hand, but evolution and atheism do not have a place.
The only place I will consider having an open mind is in a Christian setting discussing Christian ideas.
But yes, I have stated a few times to my friends, I am glad for their conversations, because, if anything, I am more grounded in what I believe when we are done talking.