We are surrounded by ideas. In fact, in our age of digital billboards, high-def TV, and broadband internet, there is a constant, raging river of ideas all around us. But as just about anyone can tell you, not every idea is truly good, let alone great or even best. In fact, some ideas are, at best, mediocre. Others are hurtful. And some are downright dangerous. The challenge is trying to figure out which ideas fit into which category.

At DHWC, one of the things that we need to be willing and able to do is to consider the countless ideas with which we're all presented every single day with transparency, honesty and earnest scrutiny. But let's take a closer look at each of these things so that we all understand what that's supposed to mean.

To consider an idea with transparency, we must be willing to listen to the idea, to hear it out, and to truly consider it. To be frank, I think this is something that many believers - and non-believers, for that matter - often fail to do. We have a tendency to formulate our own ideas, our own perspective, our own complete worldview, and then anything that even remotely challenges even the tiniest portion of those preconceptions and prejudices is automatically tossed out. So we fail to listen. We shake our head derisively at those who present even the slightest counter-point. We expect that our way is the only way. And so when anyone suggests otherwise, we condescend and alienate them. The truth, though, is that pretty much anyone we'll ever encounter - let alone non-believers we stumble across that need to hear the gospel message - will find themselves on the down-side of our noses. We absolutely must be willing to listen to the people that we meet, whether they agree with us wholeheartedly or disagree with us with every fiber of their being. Why? Because the cliché is true: people don't care what you know until they know that you care. And listening is the first, essential step of showing that you care. We must consider ideas with transparency.

We also need to contemplate an idea with honesty. This means that we need to explore it with fairness to discover its merits and weaknesses, and it's actually dramatically more tricky than we might think. You see, when we are locked into our current perspective and worldview, it's easy to see points where an idea disagrees with us as a weakness when, in reality, it may not be. And when we are not committed enough, we develop a tendency to throw out the old and embrace every new thing that comes our way. Neither of these approaches is truly honest. Rather, we must be willing and able to consider an idea from an objective standpoint. As such, whether it agrees with us or not is not as relevant as things like whether it correlates with real, solid evidence and the idea's logical ramifications (e.g., does this idea open the door for bad things down the road?). Honesty is essential when we consider a new idea.

And the last thing we need when examining new things is earnest scrutiny. It's like when you go to buy a new car. You make a list of the things you need in your next vehicle and start shopping for the make and model that offers those features. So, if you need something that will have space for you, your three kids, and all the stuff they take with them on vacation, you won't be getting a compact. And if you need something that will get you into the farthest reaches of your favorite mudpit, you won't get a minivan. We need to see how new ideas measure up. And the thing that they need to be measured against is none other than the Bible. 1 John 4:1-2 says, "Test the spirits to see whether they are from God. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God." In other words, the ideas that agree with the gospel message - and Scriptures in general - are good. That doesn't mean that the idea meshes with one specific point of the gospel (e.g., God is love), but that it lines up with all of them (e.g., God is holy and just). We need to measure every idea that we encounter with Scripture. This means that we need to be studying Scripture for ourselves. And it means that we must be thoroughly comprehensive when we test an idea. We must earnestly scrutinize new ideas to see how they fit with Scripture.

In closing, I want to tell you that I love ideas. In fact, I sincerely believe that all believers must love ideas. Because new ideas are the only way that we can grow in grace and truth: the old and wrong must be overridden by the new and right. This is one of the reasons why I spend a significant portion of every day reading the news, editorials, scientific articles, and much, much more. You see, Truth is still Truth, regardless of where it comes from. So take time to listen, really. Strive to be objective, truly. And measure every new idea that you hear against the Truth of Scripture.

And remember, starting February 20, we're going to be discussing some of the ideas that this world tries to mix with faith in a new sermon series called "Does It Blend?"