--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think about some of the words that are…" description: "\"“Think about some of the words that are used in these kinds of discussions, one of the most common being the phrase “open-minded.” Often the person wit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13b/rob-bell-1025_christian-faith_think-about-some-of-the-words-that-are-u_2767003.png" --- # Think about some of the words that are used in these kinds… ![“Think about some of the words that are used in these kinds of discussions, one of the most common being the phrase “open-minded.” Often the person with spiritual convictions is seen as close-minded and others are seen as open-minded. What is fascinating to me is that at the center of the Christian…” quote by Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13b/rob-bell-1025_christian-faith_think-about-some-of-the-words-that-are-u_2767003.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13b/rob-bell-1025_christian-faith_think-about-some-of-the-words-that-are-u_2767003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13b/rob-bell-1025_christian-faith_think-about-some-of-the-words-that-are-u_2767003.png) > ““Think about some of the words that are used in these kinds of discussions, one of the most common being the phrase “open-minded.” Often the person with spiritual convictions is seen as close-minded and others are seen as open-minded. What is fascinating to me is that at the center of the Christian faith is the assumption that this life isn’t all there is. That there is more to life than the material. That existence is not limited to what we can see, touch, measure, taste, hear, and observe. One of the central assertions of the Christian worldview is that there is “more” – Those who oppose this insist that this is all there is, that only what we can measure and observe and see with our eyes is real. There is nothing else. Which perspective is more “closed-minded?” Which perspective is more “open?”” [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contrasts perceived closed‑mind vs. open‑mind attitudes in spiritual belief. **In simple terms:** Spiritual openness vs. materialism. Key Takeaway Consider broader existential perspectives. Themes faith open‑mindedness materialism Mood thoughtful contemplative Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - religious dialogue - personal reflection - education - media commentary Key Concepts metaphysics worldview epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What does "more" mean to you? - How can faith and science coexist? A Different Perspective May dismiss empirical evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-faith/) [Christian worldview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-worldview/) [Closed minded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closed-minded/) [Open minded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-minded/) ## Related quotes > [“It's a theme born out of the Christian faith rather than a pagan understanding of the universe. Both views agree that we human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/it-s-a-theme-born-out-of-the-christian-faith-rather-than-a-pagan/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [If I'm in a good place, then I'm really open-minded to what's being presented, but if I'm in a bad place, I'm much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/if-i-m-in-a-good-place-then-i-m-really-open-minded-to-what-s-being/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [“The brain has only three functions: open, closed, or deprived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/the-brain-has-only-three-functions-open-closed-or-deprived/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“Don’t have anything to do with closed-minded people. Being open-minded is much more important than being bright or smart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/don-t-have-anything-to-do-with-closed-minded-people-being-open-minded/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Distinguish open-minded people from closed-minded people. Open-minded people seek to learn by asking questions; they realize that what they know is little in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/distinguish-open-minded-people-from-closed-minded-people-open-minded/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Two girls called me closed minded. I tell them that they are so open-minded their brains leaked out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/two-girls-called-me-closed-minded-i-tell-them-that-they-are-so-open/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [I think the single most important political distinction today is actually between open-minded versus closed-minded, and that's why I think this crosses the boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-think-the-single-most-important-political-distinction-today-is/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [“I'm not sure what is worse, a closed mind or a closed book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/i-m-not-sure-what-is-worse-a-closed-mind-or-a-closed-book/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“Be open minded to see the those that you can't trust. Be closed minded and keep ones within your trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-suen/be-open-minded-to-see-the-those-that-you-can-t-trust-be-closed-minded/) Jonathan Suen > [Times change. God doesn’t, but times do. We learn and grow, and the world around us shifts, and the Christian faith is alive only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/times-change-god-doesn-t-but-times-do-we-learn-and-grow-and-the-world/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Well, I affirm orthodox Christian faith. I affirm the Nicene Creed. I don't think I'm doing anything terribly new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/well-i-affirm-orthodox-christian-faith-i-affirm-the-nicene-creed-i/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The Christian faith is mysterious to the core. It is about things and beings that ultimately can't be put into words. Language fails. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-christian-faith-is-mysterious-to-the-core-it-is-about-things-and/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The historical orthodox Christian faith is extremely wide and diverse,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-historical-orthodox-christian-faith-is-extremely-wide-and-diverse/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [God is bigger than the Christian faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/god-is-bigger-than-the-christian-faith/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The vibrant, real historic Christian faith is very wide and leaves lots and lots of room for varying perspectives. It's very diverse and wide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-vibrant-real-historic-christian-faith-is-very-wide-and-leaves/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## More by Rob Bell > [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/why-blame-the-dark-for-being-dark-it-is-far-more-helpful-to-ask-why/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“This story... blasts to pieces our biases and labels with a declaration that God is on everyone's side, extending grace and compassion to everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/this-story-blasts-to-pieces-our-biases-and-labels-with-a-declaration/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [One truth is that suffering raises profound questions with the universe. The other truth is that grace, gift and generosity also raise profound questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/one-truth-is-that-suffering-raises-profound-questions-with-the/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/for-jesus-heaven-and-hell-were-present-realities-ways-of-living-we/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Love is what God is, love is why Jesus came, and love is why he continues to come, year after year to person after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/love-is-what-god-is-love-is-why-jesus-came-and-love-is-why-he/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [I believe that God is love. I believe that Jesus came to show us this love, to give us this love, to teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-believe-that-god-is-love-i-believe-that-jesus-came-to-show-us-this/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news-2/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“I don’t read the Bible like a flat line. I don’t see all of the passages in the Bible sitting equally side by side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-don-t-read-the-bible-like-a-flat-line-i-don-t-see-all-of-the/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [To elevate abstract doctrines and dogmas over living, breathing, embodied experiences of God's love and grace, then, is going the wrong direction. It's taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/to-elevate-abstract-doctrines-and-dogmas-over-living-breathing/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The modern world has created airports and hospitals and put 10,000 songs in our pocket. It has built gleaming buildings and computers and advances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-modern-world-has-created-airports-and-hospitals-and-put-10-000/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [God is bigger than the Christian faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/god-is-bigger-than-the-christian-faith/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [What you believe about the future shapes, informs, and determines how you live now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/what-you-believe-about-the-future-shapes-informs-and-determines-how/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The life you want begins by embracing the life you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-life-you-want-begins-by-embracing-the-life-you-have/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [It takes quite a spine to turn the other cheek. It takes phenomenal fortitude to love your enemy. It takes firm resolve to pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/it-takes-quite-a-spine-to-turn-the-other-cheek-it-takes-phenomenal/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) [Explore all 305 Rob Bell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## More Christian faith quotes > [All of my children are ideologically and politically in sync with me, they all have authentic Christian faith. It's something I'm very grateful for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/all-of-my-children-are-ideologically-and-politically-in-sync-with-me/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [What until recently seemed to be only the apocalyptic fantasies of the Christian faith has today entered the sphere of the soberest scientific calculations;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-brunner/what-until-recently-seemed-to-be-only-the-apocalyptic-fantasies-of/) [Emil Brunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-brunner/) > [It's essential that we learn how to defend the Bible and the Christian faith for our sake and our children's. If we don't, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/it-s-essential-that-we-learn-how-to-defend-the-bible-and-the/) [Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/) > [It's time for us to rise up, get out of the rut and routine, and begin to take our Christian faith seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/it-s-time-for-us-to-rise-up-get-out-of-the-rut-and-routine-and-begin/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. If the resurrection did not take place, then Christianity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-m-morris/the-bodily-resurrection-of-jesus-christ-from-the-dead-is-the-crowning/) [Henry M. Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-m-morris/) > [And your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians and Princes, devoted to the holy Christian faith and the propagation thereof - and enemies of the sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/and-your-highnesses-as-catholic-christians-and-princes-devoted-to-the/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [My Christian faith is my backbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-grylls/my-christian-faith-is-my-backbone/) [Bear Grylls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-grylls/) > [All Gaza's temples are torn down and burned and the city is cleansed of every belief but the Christian faith. The most stubborn opponents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsay-macmullen/all-gaza-s-temples-are-torn-down-and-burned-and-the-city-is-cleansed/) [Ramsay MacMullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsay-macmullen/) > [“I find it strangely comforting that walking the path of Christian faith means being confronted moment by moment with what is counterintuitive and ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-enns/i-find-it-strangely-comforting-that-walking-the-path-of-christian/) [Peter Enns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-enns/) > [“Once we understand that the activity in the spirit realm is more real than what we experience in this world, wonders like this will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-duval/once-we-understand-that-the-activity-in-the-spirit-realm-is-more-real/) Daniel Duval > [“LEAD PEOPLE TO COMMITMENT We have seen that nonbelievers in worship actually “close with Christ” in two basic ways: some may come to Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/lead-people-to-commitment-we-have-seen-that-nonbelievers-in-worship/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I was born into a Christian household, in a parsonage in fact, so I grew up in sort of a missionary atmosphere but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-was-born-into-a-christian-household-in-a-parsonage-in-fact-so-i/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Our society is illuminated by the spiritual insights of the Hebrew prophets. America and Israel have a common love of human freedom and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/our-society-is-illuminated-by-the-spiritual-insights-of-the-hebrew/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) [Browse all 422 Christian faith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-faith/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Think about some of the words that are used in these kinds of discussions, one of the most common being the phrase “open-minded.” Often the person with spiritual convictions is seen as close-minded and others are seen as open-minded. What is fascinating to me is that at the center of the Christian faith is the assumption that this life isn’t all there is. That there is more to life than the material. That existence is not limited to what we can see, touch, measure, taste, hear, and observe. 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