A letter from a reader, used with permission, and I'm wondering how you would respond....
Dear Scot,
I have a hard time reconciling in my mind that if God is an author
of peace and not confusion that he would allow 20k different faiths to
be preached in his church. I live in the Midwest in a city where we have a church on
every street corner each proclaiming a different doctrine. It is
maddening.
So who is correct? Calvinist, Arminians, Non-denominational,
Charismatics, Pentecostals? It is crazy. I believe what Christ said,
there is one faith, one baptism etc. I am just trying to find it. I have
a hard time believing that Christ would want all of these different
theologies each with a different spin out there in the world.
I can read the Bible and you can read the Bible and it says
something different to each of us. Human nature being what it is is
going to lead us down the easier softer way. I believe what Christ said,
"enter through the narrow gate."
Only in America do we have 20k different protestant denominations.
There is no unity of faith in America we all do what we want to do and
or believe what we want to believe.
And Scot, the crazy thing is that we all base our belief system on ONE BIBLE.
20K+ Churches and Counting
Monday June 1, 2009
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Scot McKnight is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. He is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University (Chicago, Illinois). A popular and witty speaker, Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly asked to speak in local churches and educational events. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986). Click to continue reading Scot McKnight's Bio...
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The fault lies with our human filters. How can two people listen or watch the same thing and walk away with two different accounts of what happened? I know this is a simplistic answer, but to me where the Bible is concerned, that is why we must appeal to the Holy Spirit to guide our understanding. Even then, our humanity gets in the way, but I trust that is no obstacle for God. And what if it's part of His divine plan to reveal different aspects of the truth to different people? It sounds crazy I know, but what if....
(#29) Bill S - wonderful, thoughtful post.
I tend to agree - most of what passes as "spiritual" is likely just human psychology as work. I understand Jesus community not in terms of the endless in-groupings that have formed around his work, but rather the freedom FROM religious identity in-groupings that he seemed to embody.
Like you, I feel a spiritual kinship with anyone who even remotely finds Jesus to be a friend. I don't really care if they've "got it all right." I certainly don't. Perhaps it's this religious-egoic need to "have it all right" that Jesus came to free us from?
Love your writing.
We should all be reading more Richard Hooker
The diversity within unity perspective has some sense to it for insiders, but not to outsiders. What bothers me most about our divisions is that they are largely driven from the top down, and that we are in large measure content to maintain them. Our sense of obligation to move beyond them could be better.
You answered your own question by closing with, "ONE BIBLE"!
Too many protestants have given the Bible far too much weight. It's certainly second, but a distant second. Base your faith on the Christ who is revealed through scripture.
The reason why we have so many traditions is quite simple: Christ and scripture are translatable in culture and thus can be interpreted in various traditions.
We do'nt need to learn greek or aramaic to receive the 'true' form of Bible or Christ.
Furthermore, the reason we can't seem to pinpoint 'one faith' is because of how we add 'absolutes' to our traditions.
Do you REALLY believe that inspiration of scripture is a fundamental truth? Only if you want to go mental. If Christ didn't seek inerrant scripture and the NT writers didn't expect to be canonized, we should in the LEAST be careful how we elevate our translations of their writings.
If you want to break it down then MAYBE sit with two dogmas:
1. Incarnation (and everything associated like resurrection).
2. Triune God
After that it's a crap shoot.
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