Can Critical Thinking Help in Our Journey of Faith?

Many Christians think that faith and critical thinking do not go together. Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Because of this, some people believe that faith means never asking questions, never reasoning, never doubting, and never thinking too much. They think faith must be “simple” and “blind.”

But is that what Jesus really meant? When Jesus told us to have “faith like a child,” He was not asking us to be childish in our thinking. He was teaching us to have childlike trust, humility, and dependence on God. Children trust their parents, but they also ask many questions. Their trust is not based on knowing everything, but on knowing enough about their parents’ love to feel safe.

In the same way, Christian faith is not blind and not thoughtless. God gave us a mind and calls us to love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27). Thinking well is part of loving God.

Faith and Reason Are Not Opposites

Some people think faith means believing something without any reason or evidence, but that is not the biblical view. Faith is trusting God because of who He is and what He has done.

The Bible gives us evidence: creation points to God’s eternal power and divine nature (Romans 1:20), the resurrection of Jesus is supported by eyewitness testimony (1 Corinthians 15:3–8), and the Scriptures are historically reliable and full of fulfilled prophecy.

Christian philosopher William Lane Craig explains that faith is not “belief without evidence” but “trust based on knowledge.” C.S. Lewis wrote that faith is holding on to what reason has once accepted, even when our moods change. Even the apostle Paul used reasoning. Acts 17:2 says Paul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” He persuaded his listeners by giving reasons, not by asking them to believe blindly.

Abraham is another strong example. Hebrews 11:19 says that Abraham, when asked to sacrifice Isaac, “reasoned that God could raise the dead.” Abraham trusted God’s promise, but he also thought carefully about how God might keep it. John Calvin commented that Abraham “did not act rashly,” but concluded that God could raise Isaac from the dead. His faith included reasoning about God’s power and faithfulness.

Faith, then, is not the opposite of reason. Faith uses reason to trust God more deeply.

Why Critical Thinking Matters

Critical thinking means thinking carefully, asking questions, testing ideas, and looking for truth. Far from being discouraged, this is something the Bible commands. First Thessalonians 5:21 says, “Test everything; hold fast what is good. The Bereans are commended in Acts 17:11 because they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. This was not doubt — it was discernment.

When we read the Bible, we should ask: Who wrote this book? Why was it written? What was happening in history at that time? How does this passage fit with the whole Bible? This is not a lack of faith. It is a way of honoring God by understanding His Word carefully. Without critical thinking, we might misinterpret Scripture, follow false teachers, or hold beliefs that are not biblical. Christian theologian John Stott once said that “anti-intellectualism is a sin.” Loving God with our minds means not being lazy in our thinking.

Faith Is More Than Thinking — But Not Less

Of course, even with all our reasoning, we will never fully understand God. His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8–9). But this truth should not discourage us — it should humble us. Knowing that we cannot know everything about God should draw us closer to Him and deepen our worship.

Critical thinking does not replace faith — it strengthens it. When we think carefully, we see more clearly the wisdom of God, the truth of Scripture, and the beauty of the gospel. Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga argued that belief in God can be rational and justified even without proof, but he also encourages Christians to reflect carefully on their faith to answer objections and grow in understanding.

A Call to Think and Believe

We live in a world full of competing ideas. If we do not think critically, we may be tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching. Faith like a child means trusting God fully. But thinking like a mature believer means growing in wisdom. When we combine trust and careful thinking, our faith becomes strong, stable, and deep.

God calls us to both — to believe with all our heart and to think with all our mind. This is how we grow into a faith that is not blind but seeing, not weak but strong, not shallow but rich. So let us not fear critical thinking, but use it as a tool to know God better, understand His Word more clearly, and walk with a faith that stands firm in a confused world.

Liba Hopeson