Common Sense Isn’t So Common
I picked up The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense with curiosity, and, I’ll admit, a little caution. As a Bible-believing Christian and a pastor, I’m used to navigating the waters where faith, reason, and culture intersect. Much of what I hold to is shaped by Scripture, prayer, tradition, and the lived reality of shepherding people through the highs and lows of life. I believe in truth. Objective, God-authored, Spirit-revealed truth. I also believe that people are made in God’s image and worthy of dignity, even when I disagree with them. That said, I’m also increasingly aware that our culture has become allergic to truth, especially when it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable and or biblical.
So when Gad Saad opens his book with the statement, “The quest for truth should always supersede your ego-defensive desire to be proven right,”[i] I immediately resonated. That’s the Gospel. Jesus didn’t die to validate our opinions; He died to redeem us in truth. Saad, though not a Christian, holds a torch for truth in a way that I appreciate. His concern is that our minds are being hijacked by what he calls “idea pathogens,”[ii] ideologies so divorced from reason that they function like intellectual parasites (see his story of the spider wasp),[iii] shutting down rational debate and silencing dissent. His metaphor is confronting, but it works.
- What I Already Believed: The Sacredness of Truth
As someone who believes Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), I’m wired to care about truth. The whole biblical narrative hinges on truth, creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Lies lead to bondage, and truth sets us free (John 8:32). Saad’s relentless call to defend truth even when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular confirmed what I already knew deep down: truth must never be sacrificed on the altar of ideological convenience.
His critique of postmodernism particularly stood out. Saad is deeply concerned with the rise of relativism, identity politics, and cancel culture, all of which, he argues, prioritise personal emotion over objective facts.[iv] That sounded familiar. I’ve watched how, even within church communities, people struggle to handle disagreement without taking offence. It’s as though we’ve forgotten how to think critically and disagree graciously.
Saad’s citation of Voltaire hits hard: “Common sense is not so common.”[v] That’s not just witty, it’s sobering. I’ve seen “common sense” take a back seat to trendy but hollow ideologies, even among Christians. Saad’s book reminded me that defending truth in today’s world requires not just conviction, but courage. Or as he puts it elsewhere: “Have the courage to speak your mind. Truth is a lot more important than your fear of being ostracized.”[vi] That’s a message the church needs more than ever.
- What Confirmed What I Already Knew: Speech Matters
One of the strongest affirmations I found in Saad’s book was his unapologetic defence of free speech. He argues that truth can only emerge when people are free to speak without fear. He recounts the silencing of dissenting voices in universities and media and how fear of offending has become more important than pursuing truth.[vii] ⁵
As a Christian, I’ve seen how the Gospel itself offends, but it also saves. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. We don’t get to soften the Gospel to fit the times. The idea that free speech is foundational to a healthy society affirmed my belief that the church must protect its voice, not to dominate culture, but to preserve space for honest, grace-filled truth-telling.
I found support for this conviction in other works as well. In The Coddling of the American Mind, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt describe how modern institutions, especially universities, are shielding students from discomfort rather than preparing them for life.[viii] Their findings echo Saad’s warnings where not only does overprotection lead to fragility, and fragility leads to ideological intolerance, but unlimited tolerance leads to a loss of tolerance.[ix]
- What Challenged Me: The Scale of the Problem
Now to the part that made me squirm. Saad devotes a chapter to discussing Islamic terrorism, and he boldly states, “Scale matters.”[x] He isn’t denying that there are peaceful Muslims, he’s simply making the case that not all belief systems produce the same outcomes at scale. His critique is aimed less at individuals and more at ideologies that, when widely embraced, can justify violence or suppress freedoms. What struck me wasn’t his conclusion, it was my nervousness for him, putting that in print. Perhaps it proves the point?
As a pastor who ministers to a diverse congregation, including people of many ethnic and religious backgrounds, I’ve been trained to tread carefully. But Saad’s point is not to demonise, but to wake us up. He laments how the world offers feeble responses to serious threats because of political correctness.[xi] As he sees it, ignoring scale is not compassion, it’s cowardice.
Final Thoughts: Truth and Grace Must Walk Together
Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind predicted a generation that would lose the capacity for meaningful thought[xii] decades ago. Saad shows us we’re living in that future now. Even Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind helped put things into perspective. Haidt explains that human beings are not naturally rational, we’re moral and emotional creatures who justify what we already believe.[xiii] That’s a wake-up call for preachers. We can’t just appeal to people’s logic, we must engage their hearts, but without compromising truth.
Reading The Parasitic Mind was a joy. Saad doesn’t mince words, and while some of his tone might be sharper than I’d use, the core message hit home: we’re in a battle for truth, and (in my words) the church must not retreat. We must be bold, humble, and discerning. As Jesus came full of grace and truth, so must we.
Saad might not share my theology, but he shares my commitment to truth. His book confirmed much of what I already believed, challenged me, and reminded me that speaking the truth in love isn’t just a biblical command, it’s a cultural necessity.
[i] Saad, Gad. The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2020), 12.
[ii] Ibid, 237.
[iii] Ibid, 18.
[iv] Ibid., 6–30.
[v] Ibid., 104.
[vi] Ibid., 187.
[vii] Ibid., 88–100.
[viii] Lukianoff, Greg and Haidt, Jonathan. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (New York: Penguin Press, 2018).
[ix] Saad, 116.
[x] Ibid, 132.
[xi] Ibid., 133–135
[xii] Bloom, Allan. The Closing of the American Mind (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987).
[xiii] Haidt, Jonathan. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (New York: Vintage Books, 2012).
About the Author
Glyn Barrett
I am the founding & lead Pastor of !Audacious Church in Manchester, England. I was born in Manchester, but moved to Australia at the age of two. My wife and I were married in Australia and began married and ministry life in England 29 years ago. After serving as youth pastors for 12 years, we moved to Manchester to pioneer !Audacious Church. As a church we now have 7 locations. 3 in Manchester, Chester, Cardiff (Wales), Sheffield, and Geneva (Switzerland). In 2019 I became the National Leader of Assemblies of God in Great Britain. We have over 650 churches in our movement and have planted 98 new churches since May 2022 with a goal of planting 400 new churches between May 2022 and May 2028. I am the Global Chair for Church planting for Assemblies of God which currently has 420,000 churches and also chair Empowered21 Europe. I'm happily married to Sophia, with two children, one dog and two motorbikes. I love Golf, coffee and spending time with friends. I love to laugh, make friends and create memories!7 responses to “Common Sense Isn’t So Common”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Thanks Glyn. Great post and I wholeheartedly agree. How do you, as a pastor and preacher, encourage people to seek truth during this easter season? What resources do you point them to as they investigate the claim that Jesus rose from the dead?
Great question, thanks. During the Easter season, I always try to anchor people in the historical and personal reality of the resurrection. I remind them that Christianity doesn’t ask for blind faith, but a reasoned trust in the most important truth claim in history: that Jesus rose from the dead.
I encourage people to begin with Scripture itself. The Gospels are eyewitness accounts rooted in time and place. Luke opens his Gospel by saying he “carefully investigated everything” (Luke 1:3), and Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, appeals to over 500 eyewitnesses who saw the risen Christ. That’s compelling.
In terms of resources, I often point people to:
“The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel – a classic, especially for skeptics. Strobel’s journey from atheist journalist to believer is honest and evidence-driven.
“Surprised by Hope” by N.T. Wright – a deeper theological dive into what resurrection means not just for Jesus, but for us and the world.
“The Reason for God” by Tim Keller – great on the philosophical and cultural hurdles people face with Christianity, including the resurrection.
And for those who love a quick watch, the Alpha Film Series does a brilliant job of communicating the heart and hope of the resurrection story in a modern and accessible way.
More than anything, I try to create space in our church for honest exploration. I remind people that Jesus invited doubters, not just the devout. Easter isn’t just a tradition, it’s an invitation to wrestle with the biggest truth of all: If Jesus rose, everything changes.
Hi Glyn,
I enjoyed reading your post, thank you. If you had the opportunity to have coffee with Saad, would you take it and if so how would your discussion look like?
Absolutely, I’d take that coffee in a heartbeat. I’d want to thank him first. While we come from different worldviews, I respect his courage and clarity in defending truth. We might differ on the source of truth, but we’re both committed to resisting the erosion of it in culture.
The conversation would likely circle around questions like: What makes truth worth defending even when it costs you something? Do you think reason alone is enough to rescue culture, or do we need something deeper, something transcendent? How do we balance the pursuit of truth with compassion for those who might not yet see it? And honestly, I’d love to hear what he thinks about Jesus. Not in a debate-y way, but genuinely, what does someone like Saad, who values truth so deeply, make of the historical claim that Jesus died and rose again?
We might not agree on everything, but I think it would be a respectful, energising, and maybe even surprising conversation. After all, bridges are built when people who care about truth are willing to talk, listen, and learn—even across lines of belief.
I appreciate your post Glyn. In your view, and especially considering how diverse your congregation is, what are some practical steps churches can take to foster an environment where truth can be discussed freely, without fear of offense or backlash?
Thanks Debbie. I hope you don’t mind me bullet pointing my answer? Here’s how I believe churches, particularly diverse ones like ours, can cultivate a culture where truth is welcomed, not weaponised:
1. Normalise Honest Conversation in a Spirit of Grace
2. Preach Truth with Compassion, Not Combativeness
3. Equip People for Grace-Filled Dialogue
4. Create Environments for Dialogue, Not Just Monologue
5. Pray for Courage and Discernment
At the end of the day, it’s not about avoiding offence, it’s about avoiding arrogance. If we can create communities that are both truth-loving and people-honouring, we won’t just survive the cultural moment—we’ll thrive in it.
I love this, thank you!