#032 Rational Christianity: A Way of Faith Shaped by Stoicism

Not inherited blindly, but chosen through reason.

Author

Rey Mungai
August 30, 2025

For much of my life, I struggled to reconcile rational thought with belief. Christianity was not something I chose, it was handed to me at birth. Yet I could not accept it blindly. I questioned. I doubted. I spoke openly about my journey to define religion, spirituality, and Christianity for myself as an adult and as a father. Some from my past castigated me for that boldness, as though seeking understanding was betrayal.

Before I shaped my own understanding of Christianity, I had already found refuge in Stoicism. Its clarity, its discipline, its refusal to let impulse rule the mind resonated deeply with me. Stoicism gave me a framework to face life without being crushed by it.

Earlier this year, I chose to define my own spiritual path—what has become Rational Christianity. Along the way, I met someone whose spirituality was quiet, non-imposing, and free of judgment. She never condemned others for their beliefs, never wielded religion as a weapon. Through her, I saw how Christianity could be lived without dogma—faithful yet rational. That made it easier for me to bring Stoicism and Christianity together, not as rivals, but as complements.

For me, Rational Christianity means believing in God without surrendering my mind. It is faith stripped of blind tradition, built instead on the search for logic in Christ’s teachings. When Christ commands us to love, I see wisdom: love breaks cycles of bitterness. When He calls for sacrifice, I see truth: nothing worthwhile is gained without cost. When He urges forgiveness, I see freedom: resentment enslaves the soul. And when He demands truth, I see an anchor: lies only lead to decay.

This is Christianity made rational, not superstition, not ritual for ritual’s sake, but faith that can withstand the scrutiny of reason.

Stoicism gives me the method to live this faith. It trains me to master my impulses, accept what I cannot control, and act with virtue regardless of circumstance. Reason and virtue are the tools through which I embody Christianity. Faith gives me the why; Stoicism gives me the how.

In practice, this is how they live together in me:

  • When I am wronged, Stoicism disciplines my reaction, while Christianity directs me to forgive.

  • When suffering comes, Stoicism teaches endurance, and Christianity shows that endurance has meaning because Christ himself endured.

But this is not only philosophy—it is daily life. Christianity grounds me in practices that steady my soul: Sundays in church, reminding me I am part of something larger; worship and praise, which reset my spirit; prayer, which for me is meditation in conversation with God; and Bible study with my partner, where love and truth meet reason in community. Stoicism sharpens this foundation, guiding me to act with virtue in the ordinary moments between these rituals.

Together, Rational Christianity and Stoicism shape my way of life. One anchors me in meaning, the other disciplines me in method. Faith gives me purpose, philosophy gives me clarity. And in their overlap, I find a way of living that is both grounded and free: trusting God, acting with reason, and striving for virtue in a broken world.

Rational Christianity in 10 Principles

  • Faith without reason is blind tradition; reason without faith is empty discipline.

  • Rational Christianity seeks the logic in Christ’s teachings: love, sacrifice, forgiveness, truth.

  • Love disarms bitterness. Sacrifice makes meaning possible. Forgiveness frees the soul. Truth anchors the mind.

  • Stoicism is the method; Christianity is the purpose.

  • Reason and virtue are the tools through which faith is lived, not just preached.

  • Faith gives me the why; Stoicism gives me the how.

  • When wronged: Stoicism disciplines my reaction, Christianity directs me to forgive.

  • When suffering comes: Stoicism teaches endurance, Christianity makes endurance meaningful.

  • Christianity grounds me in practice—church, prayer, worship, study. Stoicism sharpens me in action—clarity, restraint, virtue.

  • Together they form my way of life: trust God, act with reason, live with virtue.

Speak soon,

Rey Mungai

Sophia • Andreia • Dikaiosyne • Sophrosyne

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