Critical

There is a huge difference between a critical spirit and critical thinking.

A critical spirit will destroy you and others. It manifests in the kind of person who is petty, judgmental, and often bitter. It wants to tear other people down, regardless of their motivation. A person who is overly critical is frequently insecure, pessimistic and spiritually immature. They have a very hard time seeing the good in others, and think of themselves more highly than those they habitually criticize, which is the exact opposite of the attitude that God, in Scripture, calls us to have

Actually, people with a critical spirit are in partnership with the Devil, as he is called “the accuser of Christians” (Rev 12:10) and seeks to “kill, steal, and destroy” people (John 10:10). We are not to give the Devil any place in our lives; I think that goes for people who act as his agents.

On the other hand, I think engaging in critical thinking is really important. This is not in an effort to tear someone down; properly communicated critical thinking can have the opposite impact and actually build someone else up in love. Critical thinking is reflective regarding what is right and wrong, what is good and bad, what to do and not do. In it’s best sense, critical thinking is discernment, which is a mark of wisdom (Proverbs 10:13).

So can you be a critical thinker without having a critical spirit? Yes. But you have to be careful, because the more discerning you are about the ‘rightness’ or ‘wrongness’ of a situation or action, the easier it can be to judge the person performing that action. What allows for critical judgement without a judgmental and critical spirit is love—if you love someone you want to help them grow and mature; if you don’t love them you want to tear them down (or tear down their reputation behind their backs). True love helps us to understand when and how correction is beneficial and when and how it is hurtful and destructive.

“You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother?…let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.” Romans 14:10 & 13