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 for pointing 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 that honors God while serving others in every sphere of life.
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 that honors God while serving others in every sphere of life.
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—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.
This disposition is cultivated through immersion in Scripture, prayer, worship, and shared obedience, as believers learn—often imperfectly—to reorder their loves, reorient their attention, and live faithfully in coordination with one another. 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.
This disposition is cultivated through immersion in Scripture, prayer, worship, and shared obedience, as believers learn—often imperfectly—to reorder their loves, reorient their attention, and live faithfully in coordination with one another. 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.
2
Commiting to Theo-Logic
To live faithfully, Christians must think faithfully. Committing to theo-logic means learning to reason according to God’s reality as revealed in Jesus Christ, rather than accepting the world’s logic as the final authority. This is not merely individual Christian thinking, but participation in a shared way of reasoning that belongs to the life of Christ’s body and is governed by Scripture.
Theo-logic creates a common field of understanding among believers—a coordinated way of thinking and speaking that resists being discipled by cultural narratives and trains us to reason with the grain of God’s purposes. Practiced together, it forms habits of judgment that are patient, cruciform, and faithful, enabling believers to discern and act in ways that reflect shared allegiance to Christ rather than isolated reasoning or reactive opinion.
Theo-logic creates a common field of understanding among believers—a coordinated way of thinking and speaking that resists being discipled by cultural narratives and trains us to reason with the grain of God’s purposes. Practiced together, it forms habits of judgment that are patient, cruciform, and faithful, enabling believers to discern and act in ways that reflect shared allegiance to Christ rather than isolated reasoning or reactive opinion.
3
Creating a Context
We open ourselves to seeing reality—especially the reality of God’s presence—through obedience and practice. Spiritual practices are not techniques for self-improvement but means by which God, through the Holy Spirit, forms us into the likeness of Christ. These practices create contexts in which we learn to recognize God’s activity, receive His grace, and be sustained in faithfulness.
This context is ecclesial—not because it depends on a particular congregation or tradition, but because Christian formation belongs to the life of Christ’s body. God ordinarily forms us through shared practices and mutual visibility among believers as we learn to coordinate our lives around faithfulness to Him. Prayer, Scripture, confession, fasting, generosity, Sabbath, and patterns of obedience shape us within the everyday, scattered life of Christian community, where trust is practiced, promises are tested (Mal. 3:10), and faithfulness is sustained together rather than alone.
This context is ecclesial—not because it depends on a particular congregation or tradition, but because Christian formation belongs to the life of Christ’s body. God ordinarily forms us through shared practices and mutual visibility among believers as we learn to coordinate our lives around faithfulness to Him. Prayer, Scripture, confession, fasting, generosity, Sabbath, and patterns of obedience shape us within the everyday, scattered life of Christian community, where trust is practiced, promises are tested (Mal. 3:10), and faithfulness is sustained together rather than alone.
4
Engaging in Disciplined Inquiry
Discernment is more than deciding what is “true” or “false.” It is learning to see the world, others, and ourselves through a theological lens shaped by Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, and practiced within the shared life of His body. Engaging in disciplined inquiry trains believers to respond faithfully to real situations, not as isolated decision-makers, but as members of Christ’s body seeking to live attentively before God.
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.
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.
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.