Generally speaking, atheists have championed what we Christians too readily surrender: the sacredness of thought that’s uncompromisingly rational and unapologetically independent.
Too often we believers commit the sin of intellectual indolence. The Bible is difficult to decipher—so we accept as (so to speak) gospel whatever our pastor tells us it says. A logically unassailable theology is difficult to reason through—so we substitute the clamorous fervor of emotion for the quiet discipline of studied comprehension. Understanding the evolution of our theology takes dedicated time and effort—so we rapturously focus on the future we can’t study rather than study the history we might.
Bringing to bear upon his speculations the full host of his powers, the rationalist is galvanized by a truth that Christians are long overdue embracing as divine: that it’s at the moment that you think you know everything that you know nothing.”
![John Shore on The Huffington Post](http://johnshore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/huffpost.jpg?w=120 "John Shore on The Huffington Post\")
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The challenge of encouraging the Christian to intellectually critique their religion is one that I tackled with my book, “Cross Examined: An Unconventional Spiritual Journey.” Intellectual indolence, as you put it, is the wide, easy path.
(I also don’t think much of the Christian attitude toward gays.)
I love how he said that while there would be no death-bed conversion for him, “I like surpirses”…
“we substitute the clamorous fervor of emotion for the quiet discipline of studied comprehension.”
I LOVE that line.
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