I love Alice in Wonderland. I think the books written by Lewis Carroll are brilliant and provide so much fantastic imagery. For example this picture (taken from the Disney version)...1) Such a great picture of my current spiritual life.
Now that I'm here...somehow I'm lost. I've made it out of the world into Wonderland~ which seemed like a great adventure. But where do I go now that I'm here? I found signs...but they are all pointing in different directions. Not to mention, everyone here seems crazy.
2) A perfect example of the church at large.
A huge denominational tug-of-war, each faction having it's own sense of direction.
3) How spiritual seekers must feel when they attempt to engage the church.
Wow I thought I was searching for God, and now I'm more confused than ever...which direction is correct?
I don't believe we can even begin to address the above issues without first reflecting on the current spiritual climate- For example:
*How do brilliant bible scholars disagree on so many issues? Yet so many Christians think one single verse can settle the deepest of issues?
*Why is it that so many of the Christians who stand and claim to have the answers end up in crazy massive sin? What is the correlation between self-promotion and pride, and a lack of self-discipline and righteousness?
*Is accurate self-reflection completely unattainable?
*How do you respond to a person who says "Hey, I'm just a follower and lover of Jesus"...when that person is sleeping with other people's spouses?
*Where do the lines between identity in Christ and massive self-delusion fall? And as a leader, who gets addressed and how and when?
*Why are charismatic Christians often encouraged to check their brain at the door when they enter the church? (How many times have I had to hear that I "think too much?" Are you kidding me?)
I think that a lot of the problems which have arisen in the modern church result from the vast majority of Christians not being taught sound doctrine and not having any real knowledge of Christian orthodoxy. In some circles (as you mentioned about charismatics), some congregants are even encouraged not to think.
ReplyDeleteTo answer a few of the questions you posed:
Much of the disagreement amongst theologians stems from the fact that every person has biases and different motives. Some study theology to intentionally dismantle Christianity or at least the orthodox understanding of it. Others have such a strongly fundamentalist framework for interpretting scripture that they get in vociferous arguments over matters of minor apologetic importance. Of the theologians and scholars I have read who earnestly seek to understand scripture as it was written and follow the Jesus recorded in it, I find little significant disagreement between them.
As to the Christians who believe theological matters can be resolved with one definitive verse; this is rarely the case. Few people are aware of the historical debates of Christianity though, so certain matters seem much simpler than they really are.
The correlation between pride and a lack of integrity results from the simple fact that pride drives us away from God. If we define sin as an intentional act which separates us from a Holy God, then pride fits in that category and can be a deep-rooted cause of other sins. Sin gets worse when we let it fester. A prideful, self-promoting person is generally unwilling to submit to God in repentence or otherwise.
Lastly, my personal opinion as to why charismatic leaders often encourage their followers to check their brains at the door is that many of their practices are questionable both biblically and practically. Also, in my experience, a lot of charismatic leaders lack the training necessary to adequately answer their critics. Asking people to check their brains at the door is largely a defensive measure.
It seems there is also an assumption that for one to truly experience God, one cannot ask any questions. Questions supposedly betray one's doubts and therefore indicate a lack of faith. Thus, a strongly 'faith-based' movement like the charismatic church will not look favorably on something which appears to be an impediment to faith.
Please forgive me for the long-winded reply, but these issues also resonate strongly with me.