My wife and I have gone on a Sunday walk for many years. We just started to incorporate a stop at Starbucks. Today, we were sitting next to a young women and I noticed that she was reading C. S. Lewis. I started up a conversation and she is a teacher at one of the local colleges. She brought another book out of her bag by Lewis and I eventually asked what else she had in the bag. Another book was on the Emergent Church which gave me an opportunity to bring up the magazine Modern Reformation which she has at her college library. I know because we put it there for a number of years. Modern Reformation is published by the men at The White Horse which is sort of a Christian "think tank." http://www.whitehorseinn.org/ I'm happy. She is new to the area. The flagship radio program The White Horse Inn comes on in two hours and this young women might tune in. This is just the way that I do things. I only want to be a messenger. I love conversations and can hardly think of anything more enjoyable.
Concerning the gospel, my "method" of trying to convey it has changed over the years. I believe that it comes from a strong belief that we cannot argue people into the kingdom. The advice that I have given my son is that one does not have to "win" a debate. Winning it will not win anyone. People tend to do their real thinking on a conversation long after the fact, when personalities are not in the equation. I want to put a concept in people's minds for their later perusal. That's what I want to do with these posts. I don't see it as a forum for debate. If a person truly wants to find answers, first, the desire will come from God and second, they will put in the time.
I'd like to bring up here a "mystery," to me anyway. I'll lay my thoughts before you and it might resonate, and it may not. It is in the formation of the "invisible church," that is all those who have been reconciled and adopted into God's family, as opposed to the "visible church" which holds all people who claim to be Christian. We agree on essentials of the Faith, on who Christ is, what He has done and how we are shown forgiveness through grace. We also disagree on many non-essential doctrines such as baptism, the Lord's Supper and worship. Now here is the "mystery" to me. Did we go off on our separate ways, or did God envision it? I have to believe that it is according to God's plan, but that does not make one's belief less wrong than another, thus the mystery. Even if one sound denomination was dominant. we would destroy the harmony in no time.
It also has to be considered that there are degrees of error within the community. I was Pentecostal in my early years of the Faith. I believed in a Baptism of the Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation, and with speaking in tongues. Now, I believe this to be incorrect. This doctrinal mistake has various repercussions. I'll talk at length on it if necessary, but I will not elevate myself over these folks because of it. The disagreements will, remain, one side will be right. The issue has to be contested and compromising truth for harmony is not the answer.
After all is said and done, we (both sides) go on with our own Pilgrim's Progress fully aware that the dangers that attend to us in this life demands that we see ourselves as brothers and sisters on the same path. I would not recommend that they lay down their particular beliefs (incorrect though they be) for the much worse doctrine of believing that truth is relative. The Emergent Church Movement has gone down this slippery slope of relative truth. Now let's take the Word Faith Movement, again a Christian theology but with much more compromising doctrine that can and does enter into the essentials of the faith. The debate is far more intense than paedobaptism vs adult baptism upon profession of faith.
It is not easy to address these issues that I have brought up. The tendency, particularly in the new Christian, is to become so depressed with apparent disagreeableness that the search for truth is given up. We have to take this problem into account without, once again, compromise. So. the mystery is there for me but one thing is very clear, dedication to find God's way is a must, with humility. It's hard at times but we go on. There is no legitimate alternative, there is no other way. I am sure that there are non-essential issues that I hold now that are incorrect. If I see such, I'll (Lord willing) do what I have done in the past and that is change and go on.
Concerning the gospel, my "method" of trying to convey it has changed over the years. I believe that it comes from a strong belief that we cannot argue people into the kingdom. The advice that I have given my son is that one does not have to "win" a debate. Winning it will not win anyone. People tend to do their real thinking on a conversation long after the fact, when personalities are not in the equation. I want to put a concept in people's minds for their later perusal. That's what I want to do with these posts. I don't see it as a forum for debate. If a person truly wants to find answers, first, the desire will come from God and second, they will put in the time.
I'd like to bring up here a "mystery," to me anyway. I'll lay my thoughts before you and it might resonate, and it may not. It is in the formation of the "invisible church," that is all those who have been reconciled and adopted into God's family, as opposed to the "visible church" which holds all people who claim to be Christian. We agree on essentials of the Faith, on who Christ is, what He has done and how we are shown forgiveness through grace. We also disagree on many non-essential doctrines such as baptism, the Lord's Supper and worship. Now here is the "mystery" to me. Did we go off on our separate ways, or did God envision it? I have to believe that it is according to God's plan, but that does not make one's belief less wrong than another, thus the mystery. Even if one sound denomination was dominant. we would destroy the harmony in no time.
It also has to be considered that there are degrees of error within the community. I was Pentecostal in my early years of the Faith. I believed in a Baptism of the Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation, and with speaking in tongues. Now, I believe this to be incorrect. This doctrinal mistake has various repercussions. I'll talk at length on it if necessary, but I will not elevate myself over these folks because of it. The disagreements will, remain, one side will be right. The issue has to be contested and compromising truth for harmony is not the answer.
After all is said and done, we (both sides) go on with our own Pilgrim's Progress fully aware that the dangers that attend to us in this life demands that we see ourselves as brothers and sisters on the same path. I would not recommend that they lay down their particular beliefs (incorrect though they be) for the much worse doctrine of believing that truth is relative. The Emergent Church Movement has gone down this slippery slope of relative truth. Now let's take the Word Faith Movement, again a Christian theology but with much more compromising doctrine that can and does enter into the essentials of the faith. The debate is far more intense than paedobaptism vs adult baptism upon profession of faith.
It is not easy to address these issues that I have brought up. The tendency, particularly in the new Christian, is to become so depressed with apparent disagreeableness that the search for truth is given up. We have to take this problem into account without, once again, compromise. So. the mystery is there for me but one thing is very clear, dedication to find God's way is a must, with humility. It's hard at times but we go on. There is no legitimate alternative, there is no other way. I am sure that there are non-essential issues that I hold now that are incorrect. If I see such, I'll (Lord willing) do what I have done in the past and that is change and go on.
