balancing ...

in light of our doing christian
   of what we say we believe
   of the climate that has evolved
      under the massively broad label of 'christian'
      in this the 21st century
   since the advent of that person
   the one who broke all the molds
   that person that upended large portions of the religion of his people
   that outLaw
   that guy
and how we relate to that
and how we relate to each other as family in Messiah
   how we treat each other
   when we don't stand in the same spot
      on this issue/that doctrine
   particularly all that basket of doctrine left over
      after we separate the core issues
      the must-haves
      that make 'c h r i s t i a n'
when we say that guy
is our lord
   as in Lord
   as in 'we follow him'
   as in 'i want to be like him'
      as in what he does i do
      what he thinks i think
      how he acts i act
      when he calls i respond ..

that guy
   

.............. .. .. .. . in light of that ..

   position 1 -
reveleation
inscripturated
is a done deed
the christian holy book
i live there
i move there

   position 2 -
that revelation
is progressive
in that it morphs itself
as society changes ...
that means
although it was written to a specific audience at the time
and should firstly be understood as such
it's applicability adjusts
as the world turns
as people change

   position 3 -
our understanding of scripture/revelation
grows
with time

if everything that was revealed
was to be understood instantly
we would all be fully knowledgeable
from the beginning

however
as we read and meditate
the meanings become more mature
as we mature in our faith
we 'see' things we hadn't noticed before
even if we've read the same passage numerous times

   position 4 -
if this is so ...

we tend to want to be 'sure'
of what we believe
but ...
if there are new understandings
developing
then how can we be fixed
at any particular point
concreted ...
   unless it is a 'core issue'

   position 5 -
if this is so ...

which is 'right' ??

calvinism/reformed theology
arminianism
some mix of the 2
open theology
christus victor theology
some other understanding
none of the above

is the rapture
pre-trib
post-trib
a non-thing

is the return of Messiah
pre-millennium
post-mil
or are we to position at amillennialism

when we take the Lord's Supper
do we subscribe to
the actual flesh and actual blood of Jesus
or to some special presence of his Spirit in the sacrament
or is it simply a memorial
or some combination thereof

....

these are all differing positions
held by christians
many of whom are solidly in pursuit of truth
according to the scriptures


selah ~ ..


so then ..
issue ..
where do i get off
cutting you off
because you don't live
where i live
eat my diet ...

just sayin' ...

are we going to
keep drawing lines in the sand
lockin' and loadin'
over questionable
discussionable
stuff
or are we going to talk about it
ongoing like
as in 'this is a process'
as in 'this is developing'
as in we're on this journey
and none of us
as in
   not
   one
has arrived
yet


selah ~ ..


i blogged before
that i am encouraged
by those who
in all seriousness
have challenged the religion status quo
in the face of 'status quo'/tradition/doctrines-of-men ............

whatever their label
they have in common
the desire
determination
and boldness
to question
re-look-at
requestion
discuss
argue
the Holy Scriptures
in the face of Jesus Messiah

i go with that
i can live there
i'm part
i'm in
for sure

because
i'm questioning and talking and reading and praying and living
the change

because
i covet truth
more than tradition
God's word
more than man's word
God's take on it
more than the doctrines of men

i realize and admit
that there are some issues that need addressing
   in this re-passioned movement
      away from the norm
i recognize the doctrinal cunundrums
and that these rebels go places i wouldn't go
i see the 'heresy' you talk about

but i see too
the need to breathe
a refreshed atmposphere
where the pure gospel
is in-process
of recovery
in-process
in love


selah ~ ..


i am not God
therefore i should not try to be God
to anyone
that's what got us into this in the first place ...

i should love first
in Jesus' name


selah ..~


whenever i take a spiritual position
i don't take that other position
there are divergences
but there should not be schism
   unless it is a core issue ...

.......................  .............  .................................  ...............

i guess what i'm trying to say is
let's not shoot the genuine motivation
that looks for truth in scripture
and is willing to challenge
the religious authorities

they may be delving into heresy on some point
but
let's pray they find their way
...

or would you rather not have known
kept believing what you believe
without testing it's veracity
today
in this life
in my life ..

someone said recently
they were scared to read a book
   dealing with a particularly touchy (to them) spiritual issue ...
i figure
that's just when i need to take it on
because if my God is not big enough
to help me through doubts
and questions
contradictions
and disagreements
then ..........

my friend
God is God
he is far more than we could ever dream or imagine
he's much more mature than we are
and he can handle the disagreements and discussions
among family
under the banner of 'truth'

it is His word
after all

i imagine he wants us in it
as much as possible
as deep as possible
as concerned as possible
as real as possible
as community as possible
as looking-to-honour-him as possible
...
and simply unafraid
to come to him for help
to look to him for illumination

and for peace right through the entire process

we
all of us
who are genuine about this
are looking for the same thing ...
truth
we are all headed Godward

so
we are
all
in
the same boat

same
boat

same Cap'n

... right?


shalom