An interesting article appeared in the Church Times this week comparing two types of curiosity: curiosity seeking closure, and curiosity that is open.
It would seem that people in churches have a tendency towards the former – looking for truths and then banking them, instead of necessarily remaining open to other lines of enquiry or discovery. We have a tendency to want to find certainty, and then to stop looking.
“The Church struggles to engage those who are curious”, ie with open curiosity, says the article, while it recognises that “many (church people) could say that it was their curiosity that originally led them to Christianity and church.”
Dr Todd Kashdan, a leading researcher in the field of curiosity, warns: “We need to be wary of the need for certainty. Seeking certitude can cause our beliefs and decision making to crystallise prematurely, and the resulting reluctance to consider new information can hurt us in the long run.”
Does that fit with St George’s? On the whole, I think not. As a church, we are rather open to new ideas and lifestyles. But I wonder how typical we are.
Read the full article here.