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The Power of Critical Thinking 1

The Power of Critical Thinking 1

Last updated on: June 11, 2026 at 11:20 am by Roger E. Olson

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The Power of Critical Thinking 1 2026-06-11T11:20:57-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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Here I begin a series of thoughts about critical thinking. What does it mean to be a critical thinker? What does it mean to think critically? Why is critical thinking important? What power does critical thinking have?

Critical thinking is important because otherwise people, both individuals and groups, are easily manipulated by influential but wrong messages and codes. Critical thinking is the ground and ability to say no to such. And such are always around and changing reality. Only critical thinking can stand up to demagogues in churches, educational institutions, governments and families.

Critical thinking is both a blessing and a curse. When you think critically and act on critical thinking in a social context you are likely to be opposed by those who want to sway individuals and groups their way and who are irrational. Irrationality very often wins over rationality. Critical thinkers are rarely appreciated. Speaking personally, I have found that correcting people is very rarely appreciated. Even when I have shown people the error of their ways and they cannot disagree they usually are offended. Both in matters small and large.

For example, some years ago there was a fad called “urban legends.” So strong was the fad that one scholar of folk literature wrote two or three books about urban legends, tracing their developments back to origins and demonstrating that they were false stories, fictions, even though they gained great popularity and belief.

I was at a family reunion and one aunt was telling others about how a group of Russian scientists had drilled the deepest hole ever and heard screams and smoke coming up from it. They had discovered hell. She obviously believed it. The story was revealed to be a hoax perpetrated by a group of atheists to show how gullible Christians are. I told my aunt that even a major evangelical Christian magazine had exposed the story as false and she got very offended. Of course she did. I wasn’t surprised.

There have been many other times when I have gently corrected someone because they were speaking influentially to others about matters that were either simply false or irrational. None of them have ever thanked me for educating them.

Once when I was in seminary I took a church youth group to “Christian summer camp.” I was their youth pastor and I was proud to be included among the other pastors at the camp. One afternoon I was sitting with some of them and one was teaching the others about a new teaching he had accepted and now preached. It was that unbelievers do not have spirits. They have bodies and souls, but not spirits. They become only truly human, having bodies, souls AND spirits when they are converted. I very humbly pointed out how that is not biblical and was an idea probably introduced by followers of Watchman Nee. Before I finished, all of the pastors stood up from the table in the dining hall and walked away from me.

Those are microcosmic examples of why critical thinking, even when it leads to correct thinking over false thinking, is rarely appreciated. So those of you who wish to be critical thinkers should take note that it does not increase happiness. “With great wisdom comes great sorrow.”

The life of the critical thinker can be rough.

However, being a critical thinker is the only way to avoid being manipulated by falsehood, irrationality, stupidity, demagoguery, and such.

Critical thinking is enhanced by reading. Scientific studies have demonstrated it. People who read are brain-wired to be more critical in their thinking than people who do not read. I assume that doesn’t mean just reading trash; I assume it means reading literary fiction and nonfiction.

My trajectory in life was set by reading. I began reading fiction and nonfiction in junior high school. Not that I read nothing before then, but reading literary fiction and nonfiction became an obsession. During junior high school I read The Count of Monte Cristo twice. I also read several novels of James Michener. My favorite was The Source. I read novels by Leon Uris, John Steinbeck and others. My parents strictly limited by time watching television and, of course, we did not have video games. As I read I felt myself being lifted up, given abilities of acumen and insight and critical thinking. I began to notice that some things my teachers said and that preachers said simply could not be true.

One teacher told the class that it would be safer to drive blind than to drive deaf. That’s just one example of absolutely stupid things some of my teachers said. I am willing to bet I was the only student who immediately knew that could not be true.

I began a life long journey of critical thinking.

So, if you want to be a critical thinker, you must read. A second necessary habit for critical thinking is suspicion. Have became suspicious of truth claims that were spoken with authority but lacked grounding. I began to ask of church leaders why we believed certain things and they could not answer. I asked the leader of our denomination why we believed that one must speak in tongues in order to be Spirit-filled. He said “If we didn’t believe it, we wouldn’t be Pentecostals, would we?” Another leader said that if Billy Graham never spoke in tongues he is the one and only exception to the doctrine. I asked if I could teach others within the denomination that there is even one exception and he said no.

In a second installment here I will talk about some features of critical thinking. Stay tuned.

*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

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