{"id":14864,"date":"2017-10-27T23:16:21","date_gmt":"2017-10-28T06:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=14864"},"modified":"2017-10-30T05:56:56","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T12:56:56","slug":"interstellar-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/interstellar-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Interstellar Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Linda Elder and Richard Paul\u2019s, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools <\/em>is a 24-page mini-guide that serves as a supplement, design tool, and personal guide to ensure we are applying the right critical thinking approaches to life and learning.\u00a0 Critical thinking is the \u201canalyzing and evaluating\u201d of thinking, but with the unique overarching goal of improvement.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Elder and Paul describe a cultivated critical thinker as a person who questions, assesses, interprets, reasons, tests, explores, communicates, and finds solutions.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 This small guide promotes big thinking and the author\u2019s checklists, templates, and illustrations provide helpful tools that can be adapted for any level of analysis.\u00a0 This post will conduct an outside-in review that polls and polls external authors, ideas, and critical engagements to help narrow the focus on critical thinking.\u00a0 My goal is to \u201cread-around\u201d this book and use it to engage and leverage other sources, including the reader, in a process to sharpen each other\u2019s \u201ciron,\u201d as I research and analyze the problem with spiritual warfare.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

The first personal research connection is from Arnold whose statements about spiritual warfare hit me right in the theological gut!\u00a0 He said, \u201cImperfect Christians seem to have no final answers.\u201d[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Citing the Apostle Paul\u2019s principles on knowledge, Arnold concludes that as imperfect beings we are limited by our lack of \u201ceternal glory.\u201d[5]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 As such, we can only \u201cknow in part\u201d the ultimate solution to the critical issue before us, how to improve the churches response to spiritual warfare.[6]<\/a>\u00a0 Limited yes, but defeated, no.\u00a0 Nonetheless, I remain driven and inspired by the Holy Spirit to crossover the protective barriers erected by Christian establishments and press questions, seek answers, and knock persistently at the hearts and minds of people who will listen and receive the prophetic call, challenge, and command to \u201cPut on the whole armor of God.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

My second research connection, or \u201cpedal to push,\u201d is my unlikely breakthrough from subsonic thinking into supersonic reasoning.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 What I am trying to say it that after processing the past few weeks I had an \u201cInterstellar\u201d epiphany regarding how to read, non-read, study, and add visual ethnography principles from Adler, Bayard, Rowntree, and Pink into my personal praxis.\u00a0 My experiential moment \u201cbetween the stars\u201d came while trying to integrate Bayard\u2019s peripheral travel through books and libraries into an eschatological visual image from the movie Interstellar<\/em>.[9]<\/a>\u00a0 Weird right?\u00a0 That is what I first thought until my reflection generated an abstract\u00a0understanding\u00a0and personal\u00a0approach to managing books\u00a0within the visual\u00a0ethnography context of the images\u00a0from the\u00a0movie.\u00a0 I think Pink would approve.\u00a0 Then, I saw it.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u201d was right there in front of me, just like the attached image of Cooper in his\u00a0space-time continuum learning how to engage and communicate in four dimensions\u00a0through the books and library from his home on earth.\u00a0 This new concept about how\u00a0to engage raw knowledge while remaining\u00a0true to my personal convictions is exciting.\u00a0 Elder says, \u201cConcepts are to us like the air we breathe.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

My third research connection is to \u201cdrill deep\u201d for the root causes underlying the poor response of the North American church to the problem of spiritual warfare.\u00a0 Evil, in all forms, is a key influence affecting the lack of training and equipping the church body to defend and advance God\u2019s Kingdom under the threat of spiritual battle.\u00a0 As unlikely as it may seem, many scholars believe there may be some divine influence, hidden messages, and eschatological agendas within many or our science fiction books and movies, which are said to have \u201csignificant theological underpinnings.\u201d[11]<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cMay the force be with you\u201d in the Star Wars series is one example of the hidden message, \u201cGod be with you\u201d as our alter egos Luke Skywalker and Han Solo race out against the \u201cdark side\u201d to conquer evil with a universal power that is referred to only as \u201cthe force.\u201d[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

In conclusion, I admit I felt a little clumsy implementing Dr. J\u2019s student-feedback to use more critique, less commentary, and narrow my focus on what I really want to critically engage.\u00a0 It takes practice to intentionally \u201cread around\u201d the original book.\u00a0 However, I think I made positive progress to draw from external peer-reviewed ideas, reflect on the authors ideas, analyze the approaches from the past six weeks, and create a new personalized approach to critical thinking about spiritual warfare.\u00a0 Elder says, \u201cWhen we ask essential questions, we deal with what is necessary, relevant, and indispensable to a matter at hand.\u201d[13]<\/a> Therefore, my last task it to \u201clean into each of you\u201d and ask for your help as my reviewers and make sure we are asking the right essential questions.\u00a0 In my comment section below, please tell me what your questions are, if any, about the problem with spiritual warfare. Your information will help us begin to achieve the biblical discipleship theme that \u201ciron sharpens iron.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stand firm,<\/p>\n

M. Webb<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Linda Elder and Richard Paul. The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools<\/em>. Kindle ed. (Tomales, CA: The Foundation for Critical Thinking, 2009) Location 29.<\/h6>\n
[2]<\/a> Ibid.<\/h6>\n
[3]<\/a> Jason Clark, video conference with author, October 23, 2017.<\/h6>\n
[4]<\/a> Clinton E. Arnold. 3 Crucial Questions about Spiritual Warfare (Three Crucial Questions).<\/em> (Baker Academic, 1997) 11.<\/h6>\n
[5]<\/a> Ibid.<\/h6>\n
[6]<\/a> 1 Cor. 13:12. ESV.<\/h6>\n
[7]<\/a> Eph. 6:12.<\/h6>\n
[8]<\/a> Clark, video conference.<\/h6>\n
[9]<\/a> Pierre W. Whalon. “‘The Vast Expanse of Interstellar Space’: Alan Gregory’s Science Fiction Theology.” Anglican Theological Review<\/em> 99, no. 1 (2017 2017): 90. ATLASerials, Religion Collection<\/em>, EBSCOhost<\/em> (accessed October 25, 2017).<\/h6>\n
[10]<\/a> Linda Elder and Richard Paul. “Critical Thinking: Thinking with Concepts.” Journal of Developmental Education<\/em> 24, no. 3 (2001): 42.<\/h6>\n
[11]<\/a> Ibid.<\/h6>\n
[12]<\/a> Whalon, Science Fiction Theology, 91.<\/h6>\n
[13]<\/a> Linda Elder and Richard Paul. “Asking essential questions.” (The Foundation for Critical Thinking:<\/em> 2005) 1.<\/h6>\n

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Linda Elder and Richard Paul\u2019s, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools is a 24-page mini-guide that serves as a supplement, design tool, and personal guide to ensure we are applying the right critical thinking approaches to life and learning.\u00a0 Critical thinking is the \u201canalyzing and evaluating\u201d of thinking, but with the unique […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[290,1067,1039],"class_list":["post-14864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-elder","tag-interstellar","tag-spiritual-warfare","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14864"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14892,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14864\/revisions\/14892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}