By David Dockery
How does a Christian live thoughtfully, practically, and intentionally for Christ in a post-Christian Western culture—and particularly the American Christian culture—that resembles the pre-Christian Athens of old (think: new, novel, pleasure-seeking, unfocused)? David Dockery provides help in What Does It Mean To Be a Thoughtful Christian.
About the author:
David Samuel Dockery is the President of the International Alliance for Christian Education. He is currently the Interim President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he is also Distinguished Professor of Theology, Editor of the Southwestern Journal of Theology and Director of the Dockery Center for Global Evangelical Theology. He is the author and editor of more than thirty books, including Christian Worldview Handbook.
The book in a sentence (or two):
This book is a valuable primer for Christian students (or anyone) who desires to become grounded in what it means to think Christianly and to live and engage others as a thoughtful and courteous Christian in a post-Christian Western world.
My quick take on What Does It Mean To Be a Thoughtful Christian
The author delivers on the title. He defines it (9) and devotes the book to explaining it.
The book is clearly written.
Dockery provides a thorough but concise overview of essential Christian theology.
This book is global and historical in perspective.
A great introduction to “thinking Christianly” and “the Christian tradition.”
The author addresses key cultural issues: Sexuality, environmental concerns, arts and recreation, science, technology, and work.
Overview and Analysis:
What Does It Mean To Be a Thoughtful Christian is one volume in The Questions For Restless Minds series (D.A. Carson, Series Editor), the purpose of which is “to address topics faced by today’s undergraduates, especially those from Christian homes and churches.” (xi) The editor notes:
We have written short books pitched at undergraduates who want arguments that are accessible and stimulating, but invariably courteous. The material is comprehensive enough that it has become an important resource for pastors and other campus leaders who devote their energies to work with students. Each book ends with a brief annotated bibliography and study questions intended for readers who want to probe a little further (xii-xiii).
This book delivers on that objective. It is interesting, concise, readable, and tackles matters in with the same careful thought and courtesy it encourages.
My Takeaways:
1. What it mean to become a “thoughtful Christian”:
“Becoming a thoughtful Christian means learning to think well and to think Christianly. And in noting these two points, we want to say that they must be both at once” (9). It is viewing all of life and learning “from a Christian vantage point, thinking shaped by Christian faith” (11).
2. The impact of valuing the Christian intellectual tradition (for me):
Dockery’s work is concise, but the Lord used it to deliver a big AHA! Moment for me. In Chapter 7, “Value the Christian Intellectual Tradition,” Dockery writes, “As we learned from the [Christian] tradition, we will see our faith strengthened and our orthodox commitments renewed, commitments to the divine value and authority of God's written word, to the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, to a heartfelt confession regarding the holy Trinity, to the uniqueness of the gospel message and the enabling work of God's Holy Spirit, to salvation by grace through faith, to the global church, to the hope of the coming Kingdom, and to the sacredness of life and family” (51).
Reflecting, I wrote the following in my journal:
This was good for me. While regularly pastoring and preaching I was, of necessity, more in the realm of the Christian tradition. Since taking on the LBC presidency nearly three years ago, I have engaged far more in educational administration, the presidential learning curve, building relationships, solving problems, laying out some idea of the future, and all this in the context of COVID, national race struggles, the multiple complexities of higher education (pricing, curriculum, modalities) and the challenges of our own institutional growth and development. My own thinking and writing in matters of “thoughtful Christianity” have been off pace. The (mostly) delightful but relentless pace of this role leaves me desiring rest in the form of automotive diversion or Lake time, leaving little time and energy for renewing my mind in the Christian faith tradition other than that which, by necessity, I gain from my day-to-day reading and interactions.
The author whetted my appetite for more intentional engagement particularly, but not exclusively, through reading some of his recommended resources (some new, some not).
3. Put this book in the hands of other people: I sent this review to our children with a promise to buy the book for any of them (and our older grandchildren) who would devote the time to read it. I am passing on the review to others at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School with a view of utilizing this book (and this series) in our undergraduate and graduate programs.
The author piqued my curiosity about these books:
The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had by Susan Wise Bauer
“On the Reading of Old Books,” in God In The Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics by C.S. Lewis
Knowledge and Christian Belief by Alvin Plantinga
Words to ponder:
On why we prioritize the pattern of Christian truth:
“If indeed it is the case that in [Christ] all things hold together” (Col 1: 17), then a belief is justified if it coheres with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This means that reason does not stand over the gospel, deciding what to reject or accept. Instead the gospel, the Christian faith, becomes the interpretive framework with which to make sense of all other knowledge and experience (21).On history: History is not cyclical or random. It is linear, “a meaningful sequence of events leading to the fulfillment of God’s purposes for humanity” (37).
On reading: An important aspect of becoming a thoughtful Christian is drawing on the pattern of Christian truth and the Christian intellectual tradition – and this through reading. “Reading helps to prepare our minds not simply to understand the ideas of the world but to engage these ideas as well. We learn to read well, to joyously find the good, the true, in the beautiful, recognizing that God is the source of all these gifts” (57).
On living faithfully and living well: “We believe that a person who thinks deeply about the things of God and applies these truths wisely will be equipped to live well in relation to others in the world, preparing Christians for thoughtful, ethical and moral reflection. We also recognize that the fullest embodiment of goodness, love, holiness, grace, and truth is found in Jesus Christ” (John 1:14-18) (65).
On avoiding cultural myopia: “Christ followers in the West must be willing to defer to non-Western opinions and ideas whenever our most basic Christian convictions are not at stake. Western wealth and isolation have at times kept us from understanding the real issues of the majority world and those in the unevangelized belt. Similarly, we must recognize the importance that social justice plays in understanding and carrying out the mission of God” (75).
Recommendation:
I have enjoyed the privilege of interacting with Dr. Dockery from time to time. The more I do the more I, like so many others, have only grown in my admiration and respect for the way he embodies what he encourages in this book, namely, engaging the world in an informed, thoughtful, biblical, gracious, and courteous manner. I highly recommend What Does It Mean To Be a Thoughtful Christian.
