In my 23 short years of life, I have had the privilege of reading, listening, and interacting with hundreds of Christians. I grew up in the Church of God of Cleveland, the denomination identified by it's Pentecostal roots and their...rather excitable worship services. My worldview was formed around the paradigm of the CoG and it has had a significant affect on my current worldview.
When I left for college I was asked many times if I was going to go to Lee University, a nearby college associated with the CoG. I replied, "No I'm going to Bryan", which always got me the response "oh, isn't that a Baptist school?" or "But aren't they Presbyterian?" Quickly I would respond with "they're non-denom" so that I could save face and reassure my fellow church members that I wasn't going to a school that taught "false teaching" of the Holy Spirit and that I wasn't going to fall away from Pentecostalism. Once I got to Bryan, however, God took me through a journey that I would never forget.
Life is not always as "black and white" as we would like. There are not always clear cut answers, especially when it comes to spiritual matters and Christianity. Many people don't like this...not at all. I am one of those people. I like clear cut answers, but experience has left me questioning clear cut answers whenever they arise. Within many church paradigms, including the one I formally associated myself with, academics and theological pursuit are looked down upon. Why? I think that there are a lot of answers to this. The most obvious one being pride, but one of the most significant ones is comfort.
Health, wealth, and prosperity teaching come out of this, as does a lot of "seeker friendly" churches. I had a friend of mine tell me of a church that bothered him greatly because the pastor consistently stated he wanted a church that didn't feel like church and that anyone could walk in off the streets and understand whats going on. He wanted everyone to feel comfortable. As a result the pastor sacrificed deep teaching and discipleship for foolish, American Christianity.
Another reason, which is related to the first, is the false belief that if someone is wrong about one thing, they are wrong about everything. No one really says that they believe this, but it's evident in their actions. For example, "Catholics are wrong about their beliefs about Mary, so Catholicism as a whole is a cult and should be rejected" False. It's funny that if Pentecostals and Catholics took the time to compare beliefs they would actually find that they are closer in theology than they think, especially in terms of the role of the Holy Spirit and His influence in our lives.
No one wants to be wrong, and many are afraid that if they are wrong about one thing then they are about everything. I had this fear as a college freshman who found out that there was strong biblical evidence for predestination, as well as for a high view of sacraments. I found out that Catholics were Christians and that there were people making a difference who never spoke in tongues or "fell out in the Spirit". Christianity was not what I thought it was, and my world was shaken by it. I had to realize that I didn't have everything wrong just because I didn't have everything right! No one is 100% accurate.
The risk of being logical and academically honest is having to question ones upbringing and to be willing to take a hit to one's pride for the sake of seeking truth. To ignore logic and to reject intellectual study of the scriptures and of God is just as sinful as rejecting emotions within worship and not being sensitive to the workings of the Spirit in our lives.
If you were not taught to be logical or to question your beliefs and understanding of scripture it is never too late to start. Don't, however, seek to do it all alone. We grow and learn from others and from community of thought and interaction. Be honest. Be logical. Ask questions.
Peace be with you,
Stephen
When I left for college I was asked many times if I was going to go to Lee University, a nearby college associated with the CoG. I replied, "No I'm going to Bryan", which always got me the response "oh, isn't that a Baptist school?" or "But aren't they Presbyterian?" Quickly I would respond with "they're non-denom" so that I could save face and reassure my fellow church members that I wasn't going to a school that taught "false teaching" of the Holy Spirit and that I wasn't going to fall away from Pentecostalism. Once I got to Bryan, however, God took me through a journey that I would never forget.
Life is not always as "black and white" as we would like. There are not always clear cut answers, especially when it comes to spiritual matters and Christianity. Many people don't like this...not at all. I am one of those people. I like clear cut answers, but experience has left me questioning clear cut answers whenever they arise. Within many church paradigms, including the one I formally associated myself with, academics and theological pursuit are looked down upon. Why? I think that there are a lot of answers to this. The most obvious one being pride, but one of the most significant ones is comfort.
Health, wealth, and prosperity teaching come out of this, as does a lot of "seeker friendly" churches. I had a friend of mine tell me of a church that bothered him greatly because the pastor consistently stated he wanted a church that didn't feel like church and that anyone could walk in off the streets and understand whats going on. He wanted everyone to feel comfortable. As a result the pastor sacrificed deep teaching and discipleship for foolish, American Christianity.
Another reason, which is related to the first, is the false belief that if someone is wrong about one thing, they are wrong about everything. No one really says that they believe this, but it's evident in their actions. For example, "Catholics are wrong about their beliefs about Mary, so Catholicism as a whole is a cult and should be rejected" False. It's funny that if Pentecostals and Catholics took the time to compare beliefs they would actually find that they are closer in theology than they think, especially in terms of the role of the Holy Spirit and His influence in our lives.
No one wants to be wrong, and many are afraid that if they are wrong about one thing then they are about everything. I had this fear as a college freshman who found out that there was strong biblical evidence for predestination, as well as for a high view of sacraments. I found out that Catholics were Christians and that there were people making a difference who never spoke in tongues or "fell out in the Spirit". Christianity was not what I thought it was, and my world was shaken by it. I had to realize that I didn't have everything wrong just because I didn't have everything right! No one is 100% accurate.
The risk of being logical and academically honest is having to question ones upbringing and to be willing to take a hit to one's pride for the sake of seeking truth. To ignore logic and to reject intellectual study of the scriptures and of God is just as sinful as rejecting emotions within worship and not being sensitive to the workings of the Spirit in our lives.
If you were not taught to be logical or to question your beliefs and understanding of scripture it is never too late to start. Don't, however, seek to do it all alone. We grow and learn from others and from community of thought and interaction. Be honest. Be logical. Ask questions.
Peace be with you,
Stephen
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