Christian First. A framework for uncompromising faith.
Being Christian first in today's world isn't easy. It requires discipline and persistence. The Christian First Framework provides a structured, four-part approach to thinking, speaking, acting and living. Rather than providing a checklist or recipe, it sets a trajectory leading us to point to and glorifying God. The Christian First Framework helps us develop and maintain an uncompromising faith while bearing witness to Christ in a broken world.
Christian First doesn't mean withdrawing from culture or offering simplistic answers. It means developing the theological depth and practical wisdom needed for faithful engagement—honoring God while serving others in every sphere of life.
These four movements work in concert: theological disposition shapes our reasoning, cultural context informs our evaluation, and disciplined inquiry prevents both naive acceptance and cynical dismissal.
Christian First doesn't mean withdrawing from culture or offering simplistic answers. It means developing the theological depth and practical wisdom needed for faithful engagement—honoring God while serving others in every sphere of life.
These four movements work in concert: theological disposition shapes our reasoning, cultural context informs our evaluation, and disciplined inquiry prevents both naive acceptance and cynical dismissal.
The Christian first Framework
1
Developing a Theological Disposition
A disposition is our underlying sense of how the world works. For Christians, that sense must be theological. It means nesting all our affections in unqualified loyalty to God (reordering loves), recognizing Him as infinitely more relevant than any other actor or factor (reorienting attention), and living faithfully because God is with us rather than acting as if He were absent (responding to God).
2
Commiting to Theo-Logic
To live faithfully, Christians must think faithfully. Christians must cultivate a distinctively Christian mind that refuses to accept the world’s logic as the final word. Adopting Theo-logic creates a shared field of discourse—a coordinated way of thinking and speaking that resists being discipled by the world and trains us to reason with the grain of God’s reality.
3
Creating a Context
We open ourselves to seeing reality—particularly the reality of God’s presence—through obedience and practice. Spiritual practices are crucial for cultivating an awareness of God because they open up contexts for us to see reality. Obedience reflects our willingness to test God by trusting God (Mal 3:10), watching and waiting for his provision, care, and comfort.
4
Engaging in Disciplined Inquiry
Discernment is more than deciding what’s “true” or “false.” It is learning to see the world and others through a theological lens. The Quad—an approach for evaluating issue, arguments, and practices—helps us do this. Unlike secular critical thinking, the Quad begins with theological conviction and seeks to understand how God's reality intersects with cultural narratives. By asking four deliberate questions, it forces us to slow down, resist knee-jerk reactions, and move beyond surface-level considerations.
Videos
Reordering Loves
How does love of God shape all of our other loves?
Reorienting Attention
What does it mean to recognize God as infinitely relevant?
Responding to God
Living in God's presence instead of living as if he's absent.
Spiritual Disciplines
Putting in the reps.