Limitations

Christian beliefs or theology is the area of my training. Of the many beliefs that we have as Christians, I have found only two, up through now, about which all Christians agree. The two may surprise you. The first belief is that we are limited, especially in our understanding. We are finite. There is only One who we say is infinite, and that is God. This truth means not only that I am limited and you are limited, but we all, historically and into any cumulative future of all human understanding, will always be limited. The second belief is that we all are sinful and this sinfulness distorts and corrupts our understanding. The two beliefs together mean that our understanding is always in need of some sort of correction.

I do not believe that acceptance of these two beliefs means I cannot have an experience with or know the truth. However, it does mean that, while I may hold many of my beliefs with conviction and passion, I also hold them with a deep sense of humility. Hardly a day goes by that I am not shown where my understanding is incorrect or inadequate.

Where I learned this humility is not just from experience, but from the Baptist heritage that has shaped me. From what I was taught, it is acceptance of our limits and sinfulness that is the basis for the Baptist conviction not to elevate any statement of beliefs to the status of a creed. So, I share with the Introduction to The Baptist Faith and Message the conviction that "...confessions of faith...constitute a consensus of opinion...That we do not regard them as complete statements of our faith, having any quality of finality or infallibility...That...confessions are only guides in interpretation, having no authority over the conscience. That...they are not to be used to hamper freedom of thought or investigation in other realms of life."

My/our limits and sinfulness means that my/our understanding should always be in the process of change and correction. This process is what I think "growing in the truth" means and what I also have experienced as "The Baptist way." It is a process that is best done in caring conversation. I hope you will be a part of that conversation by "clicking" on the "comments" button at the bottom of this entry and add your thoughts.

Come Join the Journey

Welcome to A Living Faith! In this blog I will share my thoughts and experiences as I try to be a follower of Jesus Christ. I have begun this blog in hopes of having companions who will meditate and think and pray along with me so that together, we can deepen our understanding and experience of God in Jesus Christ. Please join me in this conversation!

As a Christian I want to join with all Christians in worshiping and serving our Lord. However, it is important to know that I am willingly shaped by a particular Christian heritage--the Baptist heritage. In the introduction to a document called The Baptist Faith and Message it says, "Baptists are a people who profess a living faith...A living faith must experience a growing understanding of truth and must be continually interpreted and related to the needs of each new generation." The last statement summarizes my goal in writing this blog. I want to grow and I want us to grow together in an understanding of truth--a truth I believe to be God's truth most fully revealed in Jesus--and I want to understand how that truth is to be lived in our present context.

In my experience with Jesus, I have come to see that truth is not just intellectual and about the mind. Truth involves our whole being and experience because Jesus call us to follow Him. Truth is existential because Jesus was and is and is to come. Truth is lived, and is not just known and understood because Jesus lives in us. But living a faith in Jesus, living the truth, means living in a particular context at a particular time in a particular place. In my case, the context, place, and time is as the pastor of First Baptist Church in Black Mountain, North Carolina in the second decade of a new millennium.

So, if you will do me the honor, read these posts. Criticize or develop the ideas. Talk and share with me. Help me explore, as we live, this faith!