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.
OK, so after reading your posts, I chose this one because I think (other than quoting the Baptist Faith and Message WAY too much) you have left out a very significant belief nearly all Christians (and perhaps most world religions as well) hold: we are called to love one another. Now, we interpret these words in manifold ways, but it has always amazed me that from the most fundamentalist believer to the most liberal believer, few would challenge Jesus' mandate to love your fellow human being, even your enemy!
ReplyDeleteIn distinction to this near universal belief, it seems the "living out" part of this belief is not nearly so universal. On the contrary, it is probably the least practiced Biblical command in any list of Biblical commands. Few theological debates have focused on whether Jesus REALLY wanted us to love our fellow human being, yet even fewer actions committed "in the name of God" have actually fulfilled this mandate.
I guess I would have to say the "limited" and "sinful" pieces you point out above have a lot to do with this. I guess I find it frustrating having grown up in a more or less Christian home, living in and out of the church, that so little time was spent on teaching me how to "love one another" and SO MUCH TIME WAS SPENT ON TEACHING ME ABOUT SIN AND GUILT. I am not saying we shouldn't recognize sin and acknowledge its power to corrupt and destroy--I'm saying I don't think sin would have as much power if Christians spent more time teaching followers the concrete steps of loving one another--how to love one another through conflict, how to love the stranger, the widow, the orphan, the "least" of these; it is in performing these acts that I find the sin and guilt that keeps me from being what God has called me to be less powerful, less corruptive.
Like all things, good Christians practice--you don't just magically become good at loving other people--it requires someone more experienced to show you how, to walk you step by step through it; sometimes you even have to practice in artifical settings until you get it right. Much like playing the piano, or swinging the golf club, few people get it right the first time, and EVERYONE can improve with practice.
So I guess what I'm saying is if we want to "grow in the truth" then it will first require a focus on the mandate to love one another rather than a focus on our sinful nature; and then it will require us to practice at it until we are formed by habits not of sin and "limitedness" (if that is a word) but by love for the "Other." (where is John Koyles when you need him) Anyway, teach you to ask me to add my thoughts!
Grace & Peace,
Mark