This Guy spoke at a conference I went to this weekend and did an amazing job!
One of the things he brought up was this question... "If you were stranded on a deserted island and only had the Bible, after reading it through, would you still walk away with the same theology that you have now?"
His point was 'how much of what you believe has been spoon-fed to you verses how much of it have you investigated and owned yourself?' I've been struggling over this one. On one hand I know that because of the Baptist background I have been raised in I hold strong to certain principals for a good reason. I have had the context of great believing friends who have challenged me and we've learned together. However on the other hand I can't help but wonder how much of what I believe is nowhere to be found in Scripture (or maybe not in the same terms as I have been led to believe)? I started discovering things here and there in my early twenties and sadly, I'm still discovering things. Will it ever stop?
I have a great example but I want to hear from you guys first. What do you think? Does your church spoon feed people theology that is nowhere to be found in the Bible?
7 comments:
I hope I'm not spoon-feeding anyone theology that isn't in the Bible, but I know that I did as a youth minister because I was just repeating what I had heard. Thankfully, that was a long time ago, and I am not as naive as I was then (I think).
Here are a few things that I've had to rethink (or am still rethinking) because of what Scripture actually says, not what we hope it says.
- "Hell is eternal separation from God" - Psalm 139:7-10; Rev. 14:10 seem to say differently.
- The age of accountability - this is more of a "logical" assumption rather than a theological given. Scripture doesn't really address it at all. The only faint reference to it is David's statement that he would one day go to his dead son in 2 Sam. 12:23.
- God's purpose and order for the family.
- Election - I used to wholeheartedly rebel against any notion of election, but Scripture makes it clear that it is a truth. I am still trying to humbly gain a better understanding, if that's possible, of the balance between God's sovereignty and free will.
Those are just a few.
bobby ... I am interested in hearing your thoughts on election ...
I guess what I meant to say was "DID/DOES your church spoon feed you theology"
For some of us this might have happened in the PAST and not necessarily in the present.
I was probably "spoon-fed," but I'm not sure it was anyone's fault but mine. At this point, our church is trying to deconstruct that kind of thing as much as possible, in the Spirit and in true faith community.
I mean, alcohol is a big one, if we're going to get really honest. During my whole youth group and college life, I "added laws" to the Bible with regard to alcohol consumption. I don't say that to stir up some big debate, but that's just a really puzzling one for me. To use Francis Chan's logic, I'm absolutely sure that, in a religious vacuum, I'd never see alcohol the way that my Baptist upbringing (which I am very thankful for) taught me to see it.
Some of this just goes back to the great points Bobby made on my blog this week; namely that stuff he said about controlling people. It's just really tempting to keep people from discussing, struggling, and thinking for themselves (again, in the Spirit and in true community).
I don't know. Either way, great post Robert.
My comment was too long so I posted a new blog.
DWC, before you read any further I must issue my disclaimer. I am not a calvinist or an arminian. I am a guy trying to figure out all I can from what the Bible tells me. I am nowhere close to done.
Eph 1 says that God, in his love, chose and predestined us to be holy before the foundation of the world. There are many other verses, but that was the passage that finally got to me. God chose me; I didn't choose him.
However, Scripture, especially the Old Testament is filled with people who are condemned because THEY rejected or turned away from God.
There seems to be this divinely incomprehensible balance between these two ideas. I know I will never, not in heaven, be able to get my brain around this.
It's like John Calvin said on the subject. Any man who dares to explore the unknowable depths of the diving mind will find himself in an unending maze that will only lead to his insanity.
"diving" is supposed to be "divine". Sorry.
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