Can a Christian really be open-minded?

Several years ago, in fact, over 20 years ago, I sat down with a man over a cup of coffee. He was many years my senior, and as I was just getting started in life, he felt compelled to impart the wisdom of years to me, much of which remain with me to this day. Over the course of time we had many conversations, but of all these, one in particular stands out above the rest.

While the passage of time has erased most of the subject matter, three words ring with such clarity that they shall be with me forever: You are narrow-minded. Looking back, I can see just how true my life has been to those words, and how the use of those words has guided his.

And I can remember thanking him for those words, and telling him how I counted them as a compliment, though he in no way meant them to be. You see, as Christians, we are supposed to be narrow-minded.

In Jesus’ great “Sermon on the Mount” of Matthew 5-7, he commissioned Christianity with two words, strait and narrow, contrasting it to the rest of humanity. To understand the allegory he paints here, you must first have a clear understanding of what he means by gates and ways, and for this you must picture in your mind ancient walled cities. Whether you are in the city or outside it makes no difference, but the size of the gate and the breadth of the way is what really counts. The wide gate and broad way are capable of accommodating large masses of humanity such that the overwhelming majority of humankind will march through them for ease of passage into the confines of hell. Unrestricted and most convenient are good descriptors of this path, but not so with the strait gate and narrow way. No, it is a gate that emits few unto the restrictive confines of that way called narrow that flows from it, and is rightly called “strait.” Ultimately, Jesus Christ is that gate, and it is the gate that pictures for us salvation. The narrow way is a Christian life that finds itself within the confines of the word of God. Therefore, being labeled narrow-minded is a good thing for the child of God.

However, the problem with modern Christianity is what can be called “broad way theology.” In truth, this is the foundation for what some label as being “open-minded.” Open-minded, itself, is largely a misunderstood term. In reality it is the attitude of arrogance that looks “down the nose” on those it calls “closed-minded.” But the truth is that those who are “open-minded” to some things are “closed-minded” to others. Generally speaking, to be open-minded is to be closed-minded against such things as Christianity and chastity, but where it touches Christianity itself, it is the desire to be loosed from the confines of scripture. It is a dissatisfaction with God and a yearning for another; in a word, it is idolatry.

Furthermore, we need to understand that “open-minded” is not a biblical term.

Thus, to answer our question, it is not possible for a Christian to be open-minded, per se. But it is possible, however, for a Christian to be carnally minded, a term the Bible does use. The word carnal is used in scripture to denote the flesh and is always used in a negative way. For those familiar with the New Testament, you are well aware that there is a war on between the flesh and the Spirit (Gal. 5:17), and in the life of a carnal Christian, the flesh is winning. The trouble is that there is only one difference between a carnal Christian and a hell-bound sinner, and that is the blood of Jesus Christ; in all other respects, they look like the world, and they act like the world.

The Bible also uses the term “double-minded,” a term used to denote being caught in between two opposing choices and being unable to make a decision. This is the same thing that the Prophet Elijah called Ancient Israel into account for on Mt. Carmel, and asked, “How long halt ye between two opinions?” Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters.” The truth of the matter is that if you are going to call yourself a Christian, you ought to look and act like one.

But then again, perhaps the assertion of being open-minded is really just a ruse. Jesus implies that the way a person treads is inseparable from the gate they chose to enter. Perhaps pretending to be a Christian is just easier than telling folks the truth.

Ron Hamman is pastor of Independent Baptist Church of Wasilla. Contact him at 357-4229 or rghamman@mtaonline.net