One of the principal causes for the loss of Christian influence in Western civilization has been and continues to be a lack of commitment to a renewed intellect operating under the direction of God. This, I believe, would explain in large part why our salt has become tasteless and our light is hidden under a bushel. We are no longer a transforming force in culture and the result has been an ideological shift away from biblical revelation as the guiding source of ultimate truth to one in which "man is the measure of all things" as the Greek philosopher Protagoras once proclaimed.

The tyrant who said, "It is the luck of rulers when men do not think" was none other than Adolf Hitler demonstrating the profound dangers associated with ignorance. I believe it could also be stated another way: "It is fortunate for the rulers of darkness, the powers and principalities, and Satan when men do not think."

I fear that many today who claim the name of Christ do so on strictly an emotional level. They seek experiences with God or "Holy Ghost goose bumps," but never relate to God intellectually through reason, seeking knowledge and true understanding. As a result, too many Christians lack discernment and therefore find themselves swept away by a godless culture. They "perish for lack of knowledge." The dictionary defines discernment as "the power to see what is not evident to the average mind, stressing the power to distinguish and select what is true."

As followers of Jesus Christ and recipients of God's grace our minds are no longer "average." We now have the mind of Christ, (1 Cor 2:16) unbelievers do not. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, "...the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers." They, in and of themselves, are unable to distinguish and select what is true. However, the Holy Spirit can most certainly and often does use the believer to expose Satan's deception and open the minds of the lost or at least begin to tear down those false beliefs that enslave them (2 Cor 10:5).

This is what the development of the Christian mind is. It is the discipline of developing your mind to distinguish, select and act upon that which is true so that you may honor God with your mind, which in turn leads you into obedience. Willful ignorance of the world according to God does not honor Him. By remaining ignorant of the totality of God's principles for every aspect of life we look foolish and worse, we make God or at least His principles look foolish and irrelevant.