The framework. Thinking Christian, living with uncompromising faith.
Biblical discernment and Christian thought begin with allegiance to God. The Thinking Christian Framework is a practical theological method for forming Christians who read Scripture faithfully, reason Christianly, and respond to life with wisdom in the shared life of the church.
Relationship precedes rationality in Christian thought: we commit ourselves to God learn how to think and discern faithfully. This framework begins with that commitment and then trains the habits of perception, reasoning, and discernment needed for faithful discipleship in a complex world.
If you are looking for a clear approach to biblical discernment, Christian reasoning, theological formation, and faithful cultural engagement, the Thinking Christian Framework provides four coordinated movements that work together.
Relationship precedes rationality in Christian thought: we commit ourselves to God learn how to think and discern faithfully. This framework begins with that commitment and then trains the habits of perception, reasoning, and discernment needed for faithful discipleship in a complex world.
If you are looking for a clear approach to biblical discernment, Christian reasoning, theological formation, and faithful cultural engagement, the Thinking Christian Framework provides four coordinated movements that work together.
the thinking Christian Framework
1
Christian First
Christian First names the foundational commitment that relationship with God precedes rationality in Christian thought. It forms believers to begin with allegiance to Christ—so our thinking, discernment, and action flow from worship rather than the world’s assumptions. It is characterized by four ongoing activities: (1) reordering loves, (2) reorienting attention, (3) recalibrating our lives, and (4) responding to God.
2
Developing a Theological Disposition
A disposition is our underlying sense of how the world works. For Christians, that sense must be theological—shaped by God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ and formed within the shared life of His body. Developing a theological disposition means learning to see reality as Christians together: nesting our affections in unqualified loyalty to God, recognizing Christ as infinitely more relevant than any other actor or factor, and responding to life as those who trust that God is present and active among His people. Over time, this shared posture trains us to interpret the world not as isolated individuals but as participants in the life of Christ, bearing together the cost and hope of faithfulness.
3
Commiting to Theo-Logic
Theo-logic is a shared Christian way of reasoning—thinking with the grain of God’s reality revealed in Christ and governed by Scripture. It forms patient, faithful judgment that resists cultural narratives and reactive opinion. Theo-logic forms habits of judgment that are patient, cruciform, and faithful. It helps believers discern without panic, argue without contempt, and act without being captured by outrage cycles or partisan reflexes. Over time, it produces a community that can name what is true and good with clarity, and respond with wisdom that reflects shared allegiance to Christ.
4
Engaging in Disciplined Inquiry
Disciplined inquiry is the practice of Christian discernment: testing claims, habits, and cultural pressures through theological conviction in the life of the church. The Quad provides a structured way of practicing this kind of discernment. Beginning with theological conviction rather than cultural assumption, it helps believers examine issues, arguments, and practices in light of God’s reality. By slowing us down and situating judgment within shared faith and obedience, disciplined inquiry resists knee-jerk reactions and cultivates responsive, faithful action amid the complexity of everyday life.
How to use the framework
You can apply the Thinking Christian Framework in at least three ways:.
- As a discipleship path: start with Christian First formation, then train theological posture, then practice Theo-logic, then use disciplined inquiry in concrete decisions.
- As a study method: use it when reading Scripture, evaluating ideas, or responding to cultural issues.
- As a community practice: use it in small groups, leadership teams, classrooms, and family conversations to coordinate faithful judgment together.
Next Steps
- Subscribe to the Thinking Christian Podcast and the Thinking Christian YouTube channel for ongoing teaching and application.
- Explore articles and resources that apply Christian First, theological disposition, Theo-logic, and disciplined inquiry to real questions.
- Sign up to receive pre-order notification for my forthcoming book on discernment in a digital age from InterVarsity Press.
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.