Wednesday.....Culture.....Experts

One of the enjoyable things about new friends is listening to them talk about things that they really are experts in. I've known gardening, hunting, fishing, health, exercise, photography, remodeling, automobile, music and astronomy experts. I've known some in business, medicine, industry and sales who were remarkable in how they had mastered their profession. You could see their confidence, void of arrogance, when they talk about whatever their special area is. They must have spent an enormous amount of time studying, practicing and learning by trial and error to get where they are. I'm sure that there were many times when I witnessed the results of a lifetime of effort in these folks but there were also times when someone seemed to pick up their expertise in a short time. And then there are child prodigies! There are really only two areas, that I know of, where one does not need to put much time or effort into at all to become experts, those areas are politics and religion, and there are many, many times more experts in these areas than all the others combined. Most experts will say I don't want to talk about politics or religion. Experts in politics, generally do not recognize other experts, for their opinion, uneducated though it may be, is not in need of tutoring! When we say politics in this mode, we usually mean the art of searching for the answers to the problems that imperil our nation, our people and even the world. I don't believe that there is a single person, with the possible exception of Solomon, who ever fit the bill of expert. Politics has to deal with human beings, with hatreds, with greed and power. We are not reassembling a motorcycle here! There are two many variables. We may have experts in areas within politics such as national defense, micro and macro economics, urban renewal or education but not the general topic of discussion known as politics. As for religion, there are also no experts. There certainly are experts in the many sub-areas of religion such as world religions, cults, archaeology and history; there are also those in Christianity that are experts in fields such as systematic theology, Biblical theology, hermeneutics or New Testament and Old Testament studies, but when we use the word religion as in the conversational topic of today, there most certainly are no experts. Now there have been giants in the Christian church throughout the centuries, and indeed there are giants today, men and women who were used mightily by God. Consequently, it's my position on this that we do not want to approach these areas as though the title of expert is something that can be attained. Rather, we should deal with ideas, concepts, theories, experience, authority and law in the political arena, and faith, the authority of Scripture, the testimony of history and the people who lived it, logic, reason and the evidence of numerous fields of study when the general topic of religion is discussed. Even the firm belief in our doctrine does not make us experts for pride alone can turn us into purveyors of error if we lose hold on whom initially opened our eyes to our nature, our need, our Savior and our hope. We can confidently speak Biblical truth as Scripture proclaims it, indeed where is there any meaning in the Christian's life if he or she is not captivated by the process of sharing Christ, but...we are not experts! If I were an expert in politics, we would be worse shape than we are in and if I were an expert in the Christian Faith then you might as well turn on the tube than read this blog. On the other hand, if you do not put the time and effort in, if you never enter the arena, then you may indeed become an expert, an expert in hindering the attempts of others who, although not experts, see problems and at least try to correct them.