ARE YOU NARROW MINDED OR BROADMINDED? I suppose that if we were to put this question to the population at large in regards to the churches of Christ, most would probably say, “Narrow minded.” I would imagine that some have described me as a preacher the same way. How would people describe you? I propose that the answer to that question would depend upon to what aspect of your life the question is applied. Insisting that people should live their lives in obedience to Christ would be described by some as being “narrow minded.” It was Jesus, however, that described the way to eternal life as “narrow” and few will find it (Matthew. 7:13). There are a number of disciplines that allow no room for broadmindedness. When I was involved in laboratory assignments in my chemistry class in high school, there was no room for broadmindedness. Mixing the wrong chemicals and adding certain catalysts could have brought about disastrous consequences. When God created the universe out of time, force, energy, space, and matter, He set forth certain laws that still govern the existence of these entities. H2O is a combination of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. That combination of elements is always water. If that formula changes or is combined with something else, it becomes a different molecule or compound, something that is different. If I were to insist that this is not true, my conclusions would always be false and I would be ignoring what is real and true. In the laboratory of everyday life, we can choose to be broadminded and attempt to shun the spiritual laws of God promised by Jesus and written in the Bible, which He ordained for everyone in the human race, but such a decision will bring about catastrophic eternal consequences. Jesus said that the “broad way” leads to eternal destruction. Is there room for broadmindedness in the discipline of mathematics and athletics? Math teachers seek for accuracy, not our feelings. In our culture today, religion is more about “how I feel” rather than about what God says. Sports require rule books. Referees are narrow-minded. Which is more important, my response to the Creator or my response to the created? (See Romans 1:18-32). Charles R. Williams |