We all have a perspective. I've been thinking about this recently. There are a few theological ideas that I keep bashing my head on and all I end up with is a bruised head but no clear answers. For example the question of the role of women in leadership of the church. What does God want his church to do? I can honestly say I have looked into it about as deep as one can and still don't have a clear answer. Also recently a situation came up where someone stood very strong on a specific stance on baptism and I was trying to explain that that was only one way to look at it and that there are other valid ways to view baptism that also do not negate scripture. He would have none of it and posited that his way was the one true way to view baptism. I was frustrated and it really got me thinking how so much of the strong views we take we need to be careful about thinking that we have the best hold on God that there is.
It is frustrating b/c with some of these issues, i.e. women in leadership in the church, how one comes down on the issue affects a whole lot of people- not a great time to be ambiguous. But, I do think it is worth remembering that there are many God-fearing, Bible-loving people out there who come down on different sides of numerous issues. I just like to remember that. I was thinking that maybe this is healthy for the church in some ways b/c it helps keep church orthodoxy well within its bounds. One strong bible-believing group believe one way, another come down on the opposite side. Therefore one can look on that and figure out that orthodoxy is found somewhere between the two. I can see how that can be good for the church.
After thinking about it a lot I decided that we should contribute to this by taking a stand on certain issues b/c it can help contribute to keeping church orthodoxy strong. But, we also must realized that what we believe is only one perspective and there could be other valid perspectives that are not Biblically outside the realm of orthodoxy. It seems that all was can do is to respond to the Holy Spirit and the Bible and if we take on a belief that goes against what either are telling us- we sin. We must believe in accordance with what the Bible says and with where the Holy Spirit is leading us.
People have been trying to get a hold of God forever. Moses tried to ask God's name, possibly as an act of manipulation. God would have none of it, responding, "I'll be whoever I'll be." It is important to seek God to figure out who He is, but we should be wary when if we feel we alone have it truly figured out with no mystery.
Note: In this post, I'm not speaking about big Truths like Jesus is God, but more of the smaller stuff like mode of baptism, women in leadership, the stuff that people passionately believe in but may not have any direct link to salvation.
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It's been amazing to me in my Christian life to see how divergent some people's feelings are on certain issues, particularly those issues that have no direct link to salvation, as you put it.
I've recently been thinking a lot about the way we as Christians comport ourselves when discussing and delving into these issues. When we draw a line in the sand and say, this is where I am, and I am where God is. Not only do we isolate run the risk of isolating ourselves from other limbs of the body of Christ, but we risk exposing non-believers to a conditional Jesus. We create a divide between them as non-believers and us as believers. Or, when we focus on these issues, we create discord between believers and when we become overly passionate and stalwart, we often mistakenly expose that to non-believers who then question the reliability of the absolute truth we are telling them about salvation through Jesus.
I think a lot of time, I want to debate something or I want to be hard-line on things just to place myself in a higher status as someone who thinks he knows more of who God is than someone else. And like you said, we all need to seriously question ourselves when we feel we along have truly figured out who God is.
This blog could not have had better timing. I just put a thing up on MySpace that deals with some of these issues in my current life, if in a lot more wordy format.
Cool.
But, then how do we graciously and yet passionately stand for truths we hold dear. I think of Mark Driscoll- pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seatle. He's a total Jerk-Off!!!!!! But, I do appreciate how he is passionate about God's word and about truth. It seems it's easy to either be a jerk about your passionate pursuit of truth, or to not be passionate about truth.
So, on the other hand, I want to make sure that I don't choose to shoot down the middle on many issues, just so I don't have to make anyone angry, or just so no one will want to shoot me, or so I don't have to make a decision. It might be choosing to make a decision, but acknowledging that there are other valid opinions out there, while remembering that God is bigger than my one view.
I think people want to get tied down in these other issues because it makes them not have to think about the ways they are not pursuing Jesus, the aspects of their life that they are not willing to give Him. I think it is good to have strong views, but I don't think that looking down your nose at people who disagree is going to do anyone any good.
God is so much bigger than our view. Thank God.
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