There is a difference between thinking and being able to repeat what someone else told you.

Thinking requires you to engage information and mentally process ideas. It requires us to search for material that supports or disproves our conclusions. Thinking means having conversations that stimulate the mind with differing views and coordinating concepts. Thinking is complex and can take us years to get our thoughts right.

Repetition masquerades as thinking. Someone might hear a piece of information and then repeat it as an answer to an issue. This does not require anything from us, merely the ability to remember a few facts or a quote that we agree with in principle. Repetition can make for good grades or a stellar trivia participant, but requires little of us and can be achieved with a quick internet search.

The issues that this raises are multifaceted. Does the person I am talking to really think this way, or are they parroting information? How do I get people to think deeply about something I care about, like the Christian faith, without settling for trivial beliefs?

The challenge for people today is to develop their thinking. Thinking leads to convictions. And convictions will change behavior.

One reason people continue to act in ungodly ways is that they have never honestly thought about it.