An introduction to my thoughts on the church

January 27, 2011

(Because I’ve spent a lot of time on introspection and none on the very reason I originally created this blog: to discuss important issues relating to the contemporary Body of Christ.  Also because the topics I introduce below are excellent fodder for further research on my senior thesis, due approximately a year from now.)

Let’s think of it this way:

Rob Bell (yes, I’m referencing Rob Bell.  The only possible reason you didn’t just experience a strong negative or positive reaction is because you might not have heard his name.) suggests that for many Christians, faith is a brick wall.  Each brick must fit perfectly, and the removal of one can cause the whole thing to come crashing down.  (One of the hotter recent issues among Christians is the age of the earth and the origin of the universe; both Bell & Rachel Held Evans cite this controversy as a prime example.)  The key idea, articulated best by Evans, is that if we insist that every aspect of evangelical faith must be absolutely true, to question or deny any part is to deny the whole.  Bell cites an extreme example in Velvet Elvis, in which a lecturer declares that to deny a literal six-day creation is to deny the death and Resurrection of Jesus.

I doubt many of us would agree with such an assertion, but every Christian whom I have ever engaged in theological discussion has at some point appealed to similar reasoning.

It’s a strange dichotomy that we’ve created.

On the one hand, we have false fundamentals, the removal of which should not really challenge our faith but does so anyway because we treat them as essential.  On the other hand, we have an inherent skepticism of any theology that we have not already explicitly affirmed.

So our faith is stagnant–it has no room to grow, and no chance of being pruned.

In short, evangelicals are suffering from theological cynicism.

Think of it this way:

“I believe in ducks and chickens.”

“I have heard that there is something called a ‘turkey’.”

“My theology does not address the existence of turkeys.  Therefore, I will assume their non-existence and denounce anyone those who continue to believe in them.”

This can lead us in 1000 different directions; here are a few I might address in the future:

-Hyper-denominationalism & the weakening of the Church’s mission

-An overly narrow interpretation of Church history

-An assumption of dischord among Christians who supposedly follow the same Lord

That’s all for now.

Night, folks!