Skip to main content

What do I know?

A follow up to yesterday’s post about Seeing Gray. How do I use good judgment and discernment in knowing what I believe?

Context: I know my context. We 21st century Western, American, Evangelical, and Conservatives have been cursed with the baggage of the rationalist-spirit of the enlightenment. “I think therefore I am.” Faith in man’s ability “to know” is our battle cry. Reason, rationalism, certainty, science “will save us” it was declared. But it hasn’t. Nor will it. Faith is a process, not an end. Know thy context. Know thy self.  Faith seeks understanding.

Humility: I know this: I am certain of very little. Actually, not much is certain, except death and taxes. I learn to accept that I will never fully understand anything. Because we cannot fully understand, we cannot fully know, however that does not negate discerning and judging what is best based upon a contextual understanding, a community understanding, and understanding Christ. Faith is always humble, and never certain. These are humbling terms. One saint living hundreds of years ago said something like, “I believe that I may understand.” It takes humility to admit inability, short-sight, finiteness.

Community: In coming to believe that the God of Christianity is the “only wise” God, I seek truth in a community of faith that has passed down the belief that Jesus is the fullest revelation of God, the very god-man. Is that community trustworthy? Discernment and judgment will respond: Not always because people are people, but the yes, the faithful witness of faithful believers is a trustworthy community built on the foundation of a faithful God.

Christ: Jesus is the testimony of God, or as the scriptures say, God’s exact likeness. He is all God and all man. He is the joining of God and man in perfect union. Jesus declared the Old Testament scriptures to be a faithful witness to God’s action in the world. Jesus declared that he was the way, the life, and the truth. Jesus declared that he will return and rule and reign and judge. If you want to know truth…Get to know Jesus Christ.

I’m sure there are other ‘factors’ in equation. I would add experience, love, and reason.  I am relatively simple minded. What would you add?

Popular posts from this blog

John Henry Newman sets out to defend the idea of Liberal (when I say "liberal" it is in the sense of a Liberal Arts degree)University for the training of young men. (His book is aimed at men and for the purpose of men... I dont know if the education of women at that time was still frowned upon). Within a series of nine discourses (which he initially delivered at the inaugural year of the University in Ireland)he sets out to defend his picture of what a University education should look like. Newman's arguments are logical and well defended with the arguments building, like a tower is built, upon one another. Each discourse takes up a specific thesis and is defended in the following pages. He first demonstrates that Truth is One, that is composed of one overarching, interrelated matrix. There are many systems of thought that are a play, but nonetheless, all Truth is delicately intertwined so that if you neglect one aspect of the Truth in essence you are unraveling the binds...
Read more

8/15/2016

  Kevin,                                                               At this time I believe it is necessary that I inform you of what is going on internally. As a high school boys soccer coach I learned that you want team captains who are fully dedicated to the team’s success. If they aren’t, the entire team struggles to reach its goals.  While I am part of the FBBC team, I believe I am lacking in this desired leadership quality myself.  After seven full months in my current position, I do not believe my passions are managing money for the church. As a result I do not have internal peace about the longevity of my current position. I believe there are better people for this role. I believe FBBC would be a stronger organization if a person more suited for this role were here. I c...
Read more

Pastor Or Theologian?

I received a facebook message from a long-lost college friend and roommate the other day. In his cordial greeting he noted, and correctly, that I had just graduated with a Masters in Theology. I really appreciated the recognition and congratulations, but what bothered me was his next question. He asked if I was "going to be a Pastor or a Theologian?" I laughed, not because I thought the answer to the question was obvious, but because of the fact that he dichotomized the two disciplines as mutually exclusive. My first reaction was to respond with a smart alec remark about his ignorance and misconstrued views of Christianity and its relationship to education, but then I had to stop and remember that he graduated from the same undergraduate institution which I graduated from, and probably, like me, attended a 'fundy' church growing up. Reminding myself of this context cooled me off a bit and I kindly responded that I would hope someday to do both. Nonetheless, what his ...
Read more