The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16

Are we able to know and to think God’s very thoughts? Are we able to tap into the Holy Spirit and to possess such a level of spiritual intelligence? These may seem like strange questions, and I would agree with you. The answer from many of us would be a resounding, no. We as finite creatures created by an infinite and holy God cannot know or think the thoughts of God. Why even broach this subject? Who would make such claims that we can do these very things?

In 2020, Kris Vallotton published a book titled, Spiritual Intelligence: The Art of Thinking Like God. In this book and accompanying workbook, Vallotton taught that human beings are to think tri-dimensionally, meaning that we are to not only have lower level thinking (IQ, EQ), but we are to posses what is called SQ, or spiritual intelligence. In doing so, those who operate at this capacity can bring Heaven’s solutions to the world’s problems.

Several passages of Scripture were cited to support this teaching of spiritual intelligence, such as Ephesians 4:23, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, and 1 Corinthians 2:6-16. It is in the latter verses mentioned where he extrapolates the belief that Paul was instructing us to operate in such a way that we can understand secret doctrines hidden from the unbelievers, but available for believers, and our glory can be displayed.

The teaching surrounding spiritual intelligence from the perspective of Kris Vallotton is centered around an individual creating new neural pathways, what he terms HIGH-ways to divine wisdom. These HIGH-ways are the ways to spiritual intelligence. Because we have access to God’s Spirit, Kris teaches that this access gives us the ability to think like God. He reiterates this statement on page 22, saying, “You heard me right: If you are a follower of Jesus, you can and should think like God. This is true spiritual intelligence.” On page 38 of his book, he states, “As long as we allow ourselves to come to good conclusions, we will feel no need to ask the Spirit of God for God-conclusions.” The following are some posts from his social media highlighting these teachings.

While reading and evaluating this book and workbook, there were concepts that resonated with Word of Faith teaching. For example, on page 28 of the Spiritual Intelligence workbook, Vallotton uses the example of a stressful life situation to highlight the difference between an unrenewed mind and a renewed mind that is creating new neural pathways to SQ. When the individual has a negative thought about a pressing situation, “the renewed mind assigns that thought the fiction room because the thought is opposed to the Word of God. The transformed mind accesses the “reality” compartment of the renewed mind to decide what to “believe” and adjust your soul’s emotional state accordingly.” Vallotton goes on to state that this “aligns your reality with God’s, giving you access to heaven’s solutions.” Later on in the book, Vallotton discusses the law of faith and mentions faith being a force. These teachings seem to resonate with Word of Faith teaching in some capacity, as there is a focus on positive faith confessions and wielding faith like a force.

Vallotton also incorporates the prophetic movement into spiritual intelligence, but he believes that having the mind of Christ incorporates several of the spiritual gifts, such as discernment and the word of wisdom and knowledge. He encourages visions and dreams and what he calls “spiritual hieroglyphics”, which is how the Holy Spirit speaks through pictures forms. He recounts a personal story in chapter 4 titled Duct Tape and Swords where he attended a national prayer breakfast and was used prophetically to pull an invisible sword from a lady’s body, resulting in her alleged healing from chronic pain. He also tells of seeing invisible duct tape on people’s foreheads stating words on them. He states that he spent hours pulling off the invisible duct tape, setting people free from depression, abandonment, fatigue, etc.

People are encouraged to hear God for themselves in this teaching, even dreaming with God and writing out a one-hundred-year plan for their lives and the generation to follow in their family. Writing down personal declarations is part of building new neural pathways and is instructed at the end of his corresponding workbook. There is also an emphasis on performing signs and wonders, and this is viewed as part of renewing your mind, which leads to building new neural pathways to the supernatural.

The things mentioned are of concern, but there were a few statements made that were quite troubling and brought pause for even greater concern. When talking about the parable of the sower, Vallotton focused on the man with no root in himself, leading to the death of the seed. He goes on to say that roots are formed by receiving instruction or “structures within”. He says that we have to protect the seeds of teaching, and he stated on page 108 of Spiritual Intelligence that “the goal of developing this kind of SQ is that Christ is actually being formed within us. In other words, we are “becoming” the teaching, just as Jesus demonstrated when the Bible says of Him that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14) He stated in his workbook on page 131, “The goal of discipleship through a life in the Spirit is to become like God. Notice that I did not say we are to become a god! I’m simply pointing out that in Christ we are a new “prototype”, discerning, learning, and maturing in His ways.”

Additionally, in January 2022, the Spiritual Intelligence Institute was formed by Kris Vallotton, Dan McCollam, and Lindsey Reiman of the Prophetic Lab. This Institute utilizes the services from the Prophetic Lab, offering ecourses and interactive labs. Some of the courses provided include Prophesy Your Year, an Activation Lab, a Solutionaries Intensive, which is based on Vallotton’s book/workbook and SQ Masterclasses, and a Prophetic Report Lab. Custom labs are also available for churches and groups.

There are certainly questions to pose and serious concerns to be expressed surrounding this teaching. the concept of spiritual intelligence is not exclusive to Bethel and to Kris Vallotton. Spiritual intelligence is discussed in secular fields, the New Age, and in several religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Regarding the Christian faith, it is safe to say that when a leader within the Charismatic movement is proposing that we are not simply to “do what Jesus would do, but we are to think God’s thoughts”, then there should be further probing and pressing questions what is meant by that and the understanding of the proposed Scripture attempting to support this teaching.

There has been a sinful desire and temptation since the fall of man to not necessarily be known by God, but to be like God or to be God. This is the concern with this teaching. Rather than a solid interpretation of what it means for born-again Christians to have the mind of Christ or to have renewed minds, there is a focus on “the more” and the appeal to read into the text of Scripture that having the mind of Christ means to become like God in accessing His thoughts like “Googling God”, as Vallotton has described it. There is a focus on “becoming”. It reminds me of the tower of Babel, where the people desired to make a name for themselves and to build into the heavens (Genesis 11:4), the description of the Chaldean king in Isaiah 14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (verse 14)

The teaching telling others it is possible to think God’s thoughts by personally creating new neural pathways seems to give the individual sovereignty over accessing the perceived mind of God. Ultimately, this type of teaching is a means to an end with a slippery slope. What is to stop someone from claiming to be God if they believe their thoughts are the very thoughts of God? As believers in Christ, we are to have renewed minds and to be conformed to the image of Christ, but this work is God’s work within us by His Spirit and by the power of His written Word transforming us in the process of sanctification. God has granted to us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3). We can know all that we need to know about God from His Word.

As creatures made in the image of God, we are humbled and reminded of our place before Him and our utter need and dependency upon Him. To embrace the belief that we can access God’s thoughts and that we are God’s “kairos conductors” and “solutionaries” is treading close to fallen garden theology in embracing the seduction of being like God. God has already provided the solution to the world’s problems, and His solution has come through His Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ in accordance with Scripture is the answer and the hope to which we cling and the good news to the bad news of the perishing, and no neural pathways forged by fallen man are required.

Listen to this two-part podcast evaluating Kris Vallotton’s teaching of spiritual intelligence: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Kris Vallotton and the Art of Spiritual Intelligence on Apple Podcasts The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Kris Vallotton and the Spiritual Intelligence Institute on Apple Podcasts