If, however, people strive to attain a higher and more 'romantic' level of consciousness (to be 'more spiritual' beings) - but do so without reference to Christianity (means but not ends) - then spirituality degenerates to psychology; to a (more or less selfish) hedonic process of seeking pleasure or alleviation of suffering.
The answer is that neither thinking not knowledge can be put first; but both need to be pursued simultaneously, as aspects of reality.
In other words; the only valid knowledge is that which is directly known (by intuition) in a higher and self-validating mode of thinking: thinking from and by the real-self.
And, the only positive, creative and worthwhile (and not, ultimately, harmful) spiritual form of thinking is that which - of itself - knows reality: is knowing of God, creation and the truth of Jesus Christ.
This is because we modern Men must know by and for our-selves; and if we are (merely) unconscious, passive and absorptive of knowledge (knowledge from-outside) ... this does not work that transformation we need.
Such knowing is dead, ineffectual, unmotivating; and abandoned as soon as inexpedient (as with the massive converge of churches, globally, with anti-Christian, materialistic, evil totalitarian leftism).
It isn't that we should be thinking spiritually 'within a Christian 'framework' - so much as that when we really are thinking spiritually, it will be Christian - because that is the truth of this created universe.