I met yet another pastor who proudly introduced himself as a “Blink Guy” this week. I think that makes four now.

What’s a Blink guy? It’s a person who has read “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking” by Malcolm Gladwell and has decided to approach life making instant judgements and decisions. Hmmm … thinking without thinking?

Amazon summarizes the book this way:
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking–the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of “thin slices” of behavior. The key is to rely on our “adaptive unconscious”–a 24/7 mental valet–that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea.

Um, I’m not a blinker. I’m a wait on the Lord guy. I guess the thing that surprises me is the number of pastors who are proudly presenting themselves as “blinkers.” I just don’t see it in scripture.

I’d like to hear the rationale from blinkers. How do you read scripture, with it’s numerous references to counting the cost, waiting patiently on the Lord, numbering the troops before battle, praying and fasting and instead choose snap judgments and going on your hunches?

Help me out here. I just don’t get it.