How comfortable are you with theological unknowns?
My church upbringing formed a belief system that did not allow for any theological variance. There was black and white and not much in between, and a “lukewarm” verse taken out of context was always used to substantiate the point. If you ever hinted at a middle ground (the dreaded gray), you were called “liberal” and were considered to be sliding down the proverbial slippery slope. I’m not sure what is at the bottom of the slippery slope, but to hear my childhood church describe it, I assumed it was hell. Basically a slip ‘n slide with Satan.
It makes sense in some respect. There is absolute truth, and it certainly seems possible that opening up truth to interpretation could lead to a complete loss of truth. Many seminaries thrive on this fear. There is a legitimate argument to be made IF every issue has ONE absolute truth. To me, the definition of “issue” becomes the real “issue.”
Take Jesus, as an example. There is certainly absolute truth when it comes to his Messiahship. His death and resurrection are true and critical to faith.
But what about baptism (and the Christians get nervous)? Is it required for salvation? Does submersion count more than sprinkling? I won’t get us started on infant and age-of-accountability!
That is just the tip of the theological iceberg. I’m not in a position to take a side or make a point on every issue that has points. There are plenty of very, very well versed and astute theologians who do this for a living. Yet, with all their education, study, and dedication to this craft, they can’t even agree. So here is my point (at least for this moment in time): If they don’t agree, could there be room for some gray?
If there are many sides of well-evaluated arguments on just about every theological issue, how pompous and arrogant must we look to outsiders when we profess to know without a doubt what is really unknowable without a doubt? As Christians, for some unknown reason, we have decided that we must have a clear position on every issue and situation. We feel it’s our job to reveal God’s truth to those living with questions. But attempting to answer every question either pushes people away from faith or removes the mystery found in the discovery of faith.
What if there is a better way?
What if God is capable of handling revelation?
What if God wants us to be less engaged in giving clarity and more involved with engaging humanity?
Here is what I absolutely know for sure about the unchurched, dechurched, and unbelieving world: They are not interested in our clarity, but they are open to conversations. The kind where we are genuinely interested in them. The kind where they aren’t treated as projects, but as people. The kind of conversations that actually display the heart of Jesus.
By the way, that’s exactly what Paul encouraged the early Christians to do:
[blockquote source=”Colossians 4:6 (NIV)”]Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.[/blockquote]
One more question:
