"At what level of Blooms' Taxonomy are we operating at when considering this concept?"

Audible groans erupted around the lecture hall in my freshman business class. No one wanted to think about Blooms' Taxonomy any more than we already had.

My business professor had started off the semester with a tremendously challenging quiz over this concept, which is a way of categorizing and sequencing various learning levels. This type of taxonomy is often studied by education majors, who use it to determine how well their students grasp a concept.

Unlike most of my classmates, I found myself to be rather interested in the topic. However, it was getting veritably old - until I realized that Blooms' Taxonomy has pertinence that extends far beyond the classroom, straight into my spiritual life.

Before I go any further, let me introduce you to the hierarchy of Blooms.

As you can see, the levels are arranged in a triangle pattern, with the base level of the triangle being the most basic, and therefore most easily attainable, level of learning. This is the level of Knowledge. It encompasses rote memorization of facts and definitions.

The next level is Comprehension. To reach this level in any field or class, you must have context for your knowledge and an ability to put the information in your own words.

Application, Analysis, and Synthesis respectively follow. At the top of the triangle is the evaluation stage. At this point, you should be such an expert on that particular topic that you could defend viewpoints concerning it, using evidence.

How on earth did I connect this to Christianity?

In a recent seminar, a Christian businessman reminded the students in attendance of an important verse to keep in mind while confronting the business world.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear..." (1 Peter 3:15)

Give a defense. Kind of like that "Evaluation" phase. (Nerd out moment? Yes.)

It struck me that many of us, as believers, never progress past the "Knowledge" level on the Blooms' Taxonomy model. Growing up in church makes it really easy to simply memorize the facts about God, without developing a deeper understanding of what a life surrendered to Him looks like.

We're told clearly in Scriptures to not stay stagnant in our faith; instead, we need to grow up.

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow in your salvation..." 1 Peter 2:2

If you're anything like me, it can be helpful to keep Blooms' in mind as you consider your faith walk. Acknowledging that knowledge and application, for example, are entirely different things, can be crucial to avoiding complacency. What are we doing with our knowledge? Are we letting it sit in our minds dormantly or are we applying it in our lives? Are we breaking it down and analyzing its components so that we know how to piece it together in new situations?

Although the example is a little bit odd, the takeaway is a valuable one. Which level of Blooms am I at in my faith? My prayer is that I will allow myself to be challenged in many ways and to ultimately reach Evaluation, a place where I will always have a comprehensive defense of my faith.