Last Updated on October 16, 2020
The world is experiencing a crisis of thought. By that I do not mean simply having poorly constructed thoughts, but rather the inability to think at all. The basics of critical thinking, logic, categorization, and other fundamentals of thinking are not taught and therefore rarely developed. We truly live in anti-intellectual times. Whether it is schools, churches, management at work, or parents at home, people are being told what to think instead of being taught how to think. In other words, indoctrinated.
Multilevel Thinking was created with the layperson in mind. Here we attempt to make theology, economics, and life (subjects that often times can be complicated) clear. In short, we want to make the complex understandable. The goal isn’t to provide an exhaustive study or to answer all conceivable questions about a given topic in every post. Rather, we will follow the old adage that the best way to eat an elephant is to take one bite at a time. More importantly, the hope is to provide readers with the encouragement to dive in, and the scuba gear necessary to traverse the deep waters as they study a theme’s weightier issues. The thirst for knowledge must never be quenched nor the quest for truth abated.
In the process, we lay things out in a manner that hopefully provokes thought. The goal isn’t to simply put forth a viewpoint and toss in some reasons that the reader should accept it. Rather, the game plan calls for an examination of why we think and believe the way we do. In the end, whether the reader agrees with the premise being set forth or not, it will hopefully encourage consistent and rational thought.
Even bright people have difficulty grasping some key concepts, largely because theology and economics both can be quite technical. Further, books on these subjects are written by highly trained people who live and work surrounded by other highly trained folks, and their writings tend to reflect this. Books can be very scholarly and full of specialized language, leaving readers to feel as if they are deep sea diving before they know how to swim. This prompts most people to ignore the basics of economics to the detriment of their personal well-being. Likewise, too many Christians get out of the water, missing the great treasures to be found by diving deep into the things of God.
We do not want to needlessly complicate these vital issues and as such will be light on jargon and use the original languages sparingly. When technical terms must be used, they will be clearly defined and placed in the glossary, which is always available at the top of every page.
This website will primarily focus on three areas:
Thinking About Theology
Today, churches are full of people who do not even attempt to grasp the things of God. Even among confessing Christians man-centeredness has taken hold. There isn’t much hunger for the things of God, and the importance of theology has been lost.
Inevitably, a Christian will be confronted with challenges to what they believe. When these tests come, it is crucial to know and have the ability to articulate the reasons for holding to a given tenet. If confronted with attacks on the veracity of Scripture or questions such as “Why would a loving God provide only one way to heaven, or send anyone to hell at all?” the believer needs to have a better response than “That’s just what I believe.” Being ready to respond is part of our duty as servants of Christ (1 Peter 3:15). Just as important, knowing why we believe what we do is critical for building and stabilizing our own faith.
Having faith in anything without rational basis is not a biblical concept. The Lord did not ask us to check our brains at the door. Instead, He instructs us to use our minds to control our lives (Romans 12:2). God has called us to walk in the light, not to jump into darkness. In the final analysis, “blind faith” is an oxymoron. We cannot have ultimate confidence in anything that our minds do not accept as true.
Thinking About Economics
Economics is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied sciences in modern times. If one were to search for phrases like “surprised economists,” there would be thousands and thousands of news stories—enough to make one wonder if economists ever get anything right! That is because these well-meaning economists often resort to guessing instead of staying with the basics of what economics is all about. To make matters even worse, we have elected officials who boast of degrees in economics who are frankly clueless, all the while Nobel Prizes are awarded to “economists” who haven’t been right about anything in the last 20 years, all for political reasons.
It all gives the field of economics a very bad reputation.
It is easy to see why a person can get confused and even outright misled about economics, and thus think it is beyond comprehension and a waste of time to try to understand. But the principles of economics can be applied to every single area of life. Just as we save and waste money, we save and waste time, energy, and every resource we have at our disposal.
Thinking About Life & Personal Development
The combination of theology, economics, and personal development might seem an odd trio to find as a theme for a blog. Having spent time in the personal development arena, I have come to believe that an individual’s grasp of theology and economics are keys to first developing the right objectives, and then for succeeding in reaching those goals. For example, any effective time management program will involve proper prioritization (a worldview issue) and efficient delegation of resources (an economics issue).