Who Is BJ
During my first semester of music school, I bought a pocket sized music dictionary
thought carrying the dictionary would make me smarter not because I knew all the answers but I knew where to find most of them. Whenever I tell people that, I am in a graduate program, their level of expectation increases. They automatically think you should be the smartest person in the room and we often try to meet that expectation.
As I start this doctoral program, it is fair to suggest that I just found my new guide. Over the next three years, much needs to be developed as I think critically. “Humans have the capacity to be rational and fair. But this capacity must be developed. It will be significantly developed only if critical societies emerge.” It is clear that we must create what we envision and this book guides us through the thinking process.
“This miniature guide focuses on the essence of critical thinking concepts and tools distilled into pocket size.” As a student of life, the authors believe this book is the ideal supplement to help improve learning in any area. If the authors are correct, let me be the first to say that I feel smarter already. Although, it is our nature to think, this book suggests that we cannot be trusted to have quality thoughts unless it is systematically cultivated. Hence, “critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.” The goal of critical thinking is to improve our thinking through effective communication, open-mindedness and even asking vital questions for problem solving.
The church provides numerous opportunities to help with our critical thinking but I am sure life does as well. Let us look at the following scenario.
I play the piano for two special services we hold each month for the elderly in our church and these are the testimonies they share. When I look around the room, I often feel stupid because everyone is nodding their heads in agreement. I am thinking, everyone knows BJ and an IV at D5RL sounds serious. Maybe everyone is a doctor or nurse and I am the only musician. The reality is that the only person who knew BJ was the person making the request. We do not know if BJ is male or female. What they really heard is that someone is sick and needs prayer. However, if you are like me, you need details. Elder calls this Precision so we are able to ask three quality questions: Could you be more specific? Could you give me more details? Could you be more exact? These are realistic questions as try to get an understanding of the situation.
It is possible that the elderly are not critical thinker or maybe they just like to pray. I once believed that critical thinking meant criticizing the situation but in reality, critical thinking intends to solve a problem. Elder wants us to solve problems and not limit ourselves to being an Unreflective Thinker (unaware of the problems with our thinking). The challenge is that critical thinkers are intellectual so it is difficult not to become judgmental in some scenarios. I believe I am somewhere close to being an Advanced Thinker (I generally practice critical thinking).
“Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking.” If we have to discipline ourselves to have intellectual humility, it is quite possible for us to have unfair expectations of those who are not critical thinkers.
Another area that affects people from being critical thinkers is that we teach asking critical questions shows a sign of defiance; people are trying to be submissive. However, in reading this book we find out that asking the right questions will allow us to find the solution to any problem. As critical thinkers, we have the ability to develop intellectual traits by applying intellectual standards to the elements of reasoning (19). I feel very critcal right now. Although, I have this pocket guide…I still have one question. Who is BJ?
About the Author
Garfield Harvey
Garfield O. Harvey devotes himself to studies in cultural intelligence (CQ), global leadership and cultural anthropology. During his doctoral studies at George Fox University, he developed CQ Worship to help ministry leaders manage the tension of leading corporate worship with cultural intelligence. His research on worship brings a fresh perspective that suggests corporate worship begins the moment a church engages a community.4 responses to “Who Is BJ”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Garfield, thought-provoking post!
I liked your statement, “I thought carrying the dictionary would make me smarter not because I knew all the answers but I knew where to find most of them.” How many of us live the same way in regards to our Christian faith? We have our relationship with Christ, we know where to find the answers and we have our “guide book” placed neatly in our backpacks, yet we settle for transporting Jesus; not being transformed by Jesus. Critical thinking needs to be a staple in the church. Knowledge needs to be more than something we carry – it has to engage us in reason. Roger E. Olson wrote a book called, Questions to All Your Answers. Throughout the pages, he makes a point to engage believers in thought. He states, “We do God no favors by being gullible, credulous, irrational, or uncritical. God gave us minds and expects us to use them. No special aura accompanies stupidity and ignorance” (Olson, 13). As believers, God is most pleased when we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth – when we offer our hearts and MINDS in pursuing our Savior.
How quickly will we move toward becoming critical thinkers? Around adagio, or allegro?
(Sorry – could’t resist)
Seriously – I like your comment about feeling smarter already. I find myself fascinated with the idea that we’d measure “being smart” by our critical thinking skills as opposed to how much information we’ve crammed into our heads.
Who is BJ? How many times have I heard the same kind of request and appeared on the outside to know exactly what was going on but inside my head I was going “What are they talking about?” Having the drive to find out what is going on and what is really being said, is what I believe this semester is about for us as future writers and scholars.
Congestive Heart Failure has always sounded like something fatal to me. So I finally decided to find out what it was so I would have understanding the next time someone actually lived who had this “deadly” issue. It took some question asking and some time to find out what that really is all about medically. Now when someone says that, I don’t go “what?” instead I have knowledge that let’s me go “I know what they are talking about.”
Thanks for the thought provoking post.
K
Nice Garfield. I am wondering how a musician would have written the book differently. I know the old stereotype is that musicians feel and don’t really critically think. My hunch is that a pianist is a very gifted critical thinker, maybe just not in the ways of Paul & Elder. Thinking out loud here.