Critical Reading, Thinking, Reasoning and more

 

We must include critical QUESTIONING in our list of critical actions--Socratic Questioning, part of the Socratic Method. Once we have a question we can move on to the other critical actions of reading, thinking and reasoning. I have added the image of Socrates because he is considered The Father of Critical Thinking. Using all these critical actions allows us to dig deeper into the Gospels and possibly find answers that may have remained misunderstood.

Do you think the Church (any and all denominations) are still reading and studying the Gospels with the guidance of the Socratic Method? I don't.  In the Forward: Day by Day publication for October 26, 2025, the author of that day's discussion asked: "What might God be trying to show you that you don't already know?" THE Church (all denominations) should be continually asking that question of The Church. 

Also consider (my opinion as always): If you read the entire Bible, Old and New Testament, EXCEPT the four Gospels, you have almost no information to gain understanding of who Jesus is and what he is/ was trying to do. Also, if you read only the four Gospels you have all the input you need to gain understanding of who Jesus is/was and what he is trying to do. With the Gospels only about 3.5 % of the Bible, you can concentrate on Jesus' critical teachings in the four Gospels and have the other 96.5% of the Bible for reference. 

It is important to realize the four Gospels are the only information most of us have access to that covers the period Jesus walked the Earth. Information from people who walked with him. However, if you read some the suggested reading material I have offered in my first posting, you will see there are other accounts that for various reasons are not included in commonly available Bibles. So, the four Gospels are 'all we have'; but are not likely all there was.  Some information was not included, and some teachings may have not been retold--or we haven't found those books yet. It is critical to keep studying the four Gospels for insight into Jesus's teachings and to continue to seek new sources. 

In my next post, we can start asking some questions. You don't usually find answers unless you are questioning and seeking.