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Writer's pictureJohn Whitehead

Group Think

Once again as the Easter season has come and gone, believers in Jesus pause in their busy lives to contemplate what He did for them and for the world.


Though this is an opportunity to remember His life, death, and resurrection, it is also an opportunity to look at our own lives and ask if we are living in a way that reflects Him.


You see, the fact this is a global season speaks to the impact Jesus has on the entire world. This fact cannot be denied or debated. Yet, there are many today, as it was in His day, who are intent on destroying all traces of Him and those who follow Him.


Of course, for those of us who read His Word, we know this is as it is supposed to be. But for those who are pushing toward this end, it is another example of the power of evil.


One of the primary methods used today is “group think”. It poses the same danger today as it did in Jesus’s day.


An example of the irony of “group think” is seen as Jesus heads toward Jerusalem passing through the town of Bethpage and Bethany. Here the people line the street and hail Him as “The One” who comes in the name of the Lord. Their adulation is clear and without question.


Then a few days later Jesus is arrested, interrogated and ultimately led before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. The crowd, which likely contained some of the same people who had hailed Him as King, are now shouting “crucify Him”. I can only imagine the intensity level increasing as their cries rang out.


Here in lies the danger of “group think”. It can be used by those with clear intent to seduce the thoughts and hearts of the masses. The question we must ask is, are we still prone to this insidious attack on our sensibilities today?


I believe we are as we see this tactic being used as people are being egged on by those with agendas of their own.


Examples of coercing people to say someone’s name or to apologize for issues of the past occur every day as “group think” prepares to lead its next victim to their demise. Being called things like racist, homophobe, xenophobe and the like are stirring the emotions and in-sighting groups of people to think and act in irrational ways.


So, what can we do about this? How can we prepare our hearts and minds to avoid being caught up in this insidious behavior?


I believe we must start by asking ourselves what we are focusing on and why. Are we looking at the people in our sphere of influence, or are we being influenced by those outside that sphere?


I truly believe God used the willingness of people to go along to get along, to carry out His plan for the salvation of mankind. However, I also believe there is an enemy who stokes that same tendency to carry out his own plan of keeping mankind far from God.


So today, if we claim to be Christ Followers, we must ask, are we following Jesus and living out His will for our lives? Or are we being incited and encouraged to be a part of the group?


Only you and I know the answer. Don’t you think?


Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”.



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