"I know the pieces fit 'cause I watched them fall away.
Mildewed and smoldering, fundamental differing."
-Tool, Schism
When Dr. Olsen told us last Tuesday that if he were to show us all some scripture we would all have a different interpretation, I honestly thought it wouldn't be big deal. I mean, seriously, how much could we argue about the Bible? What the heck was I thinking? Our last mass arguement/discussion wasn't as vicious as the Calvinism/Arminian debate, but there were so many theories and opinions being thrown out I thought the room would collapse under the sheer weight of it all (one of those was my own, but I digress)! We really opened up a can of worms, but as the title of this blog suggests, it could always be much, much worse. At least no one died, whereas in other points of the churches history there have been schisms, new denominations, and wars fought all over theology.
If you study your history books, there has been a major religious split about every 500 years, with other holy wars and church divisions in between. Look no further than The Troubles, where Irish Catholics and British Protestants fought not only over the island of Ireland but over who should worship and how. Look to the French Wars of Religion, another Catholic vs Protestant split. If that doesn't work than the Inquisition, featured in Candide, is always enough proof for Agnostics to doubt our supposedly "loving" god. It's one thing to discuss and argue over theology in a classroom or educational setting, but the disagreements we are bound to have are supposed to point our eyes to Jesus, not use His name to bully others and silence other beliefs.
Which brings me to John Wesley. He gets extra point in my book because I was born (and still technically am) a Methodist, but also because he actually had his head screwed on straight when it came to religious disagreements. He spoke in his sermon about how he saw "widespread lunacy" on the streets of England, panic and screaming on every corner. Like in the book of Proverbs, wisdom lay dead in the streets, all because of the sins of the nation. On one hand you had people turning away from God, incurring His wrath, but there was another side to that same miserable coin. The Protestants that had once promised freedom from the tyranny and lies of the Catholic church were now practicing the same things they preached against. Doctrines took the place of worship, religious fervor replaced true discipleship, and anyone who thought differently was quickly silenced. Despite the pretentiousness of the "Holy Club" that Wesley was a part of, they tried to bring truth and love back to the church. Wesley wanted true wisdom, a word which here means fearing and loving the Lord, something it seems that the Protestants forgot. Jesus prayed in the garden for the church to be unified, but even today we seem to only be unified in theological discord. Yes, the main point of the sermon was the sinful nation of England, but if the church couldn't get its act together and unify under God, how they could ever reach out to the nonbelievers?
All I'm saying is is that our religion should not be defined by the theological issues and more about God Himself and the wisdom He provides. It's okay to discuss certain issues about the Bible, but if we can't come back together as one big happy family things this world is not going to get any better and conflict will keep happening among the children of God. It's the difference between opening a can of worms and...well, you know. It is sometimes necessary to open up that latter can, but we still must have love. So, that's my blog. Feel free to comment,argue, etc. Thanks for reading! BTW, I commented on Jannah Lyon's post, My first official blog! Wesley's Sermon!
It's very tempting to look at humankind as constantly in sin. It's as though we can't even breathe without committing some sort of sin that could drop us straight into the pit were it not for the grace of God. You ask yourself whether our sins contribute to the collapse of this nation: I ask myself how we can ever stop sinning in the first place? The Pelagianists argued that Christ asked us to be perfect and so we should, so what if we could? I honestly doubt our actions alone could save the world, or else the Second Coming of Christ and Armageddon would all be a waste of time. Still, it is the desire to and the attempts to change the world that matter the most because they show the Christ that lives in our hearts.
When Doctor Olsen said that, I honestly didn't think anything of it. I was of the same mindset as you, even though I've sat through and participated in many debates about the Bible. However, I was very intrigued by all the new ideas thrown out on Tuesday and will continue to contemplate them for quite a while I'm sure!
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ReplyDeleteI was begging to help you wrangle all those worms back into the can on Tuesday. what I was going to say was:
ReplyDelete1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Honestly we need to stop thinking about the cause. look what the disciples did, they argued about the cause of this man being crippled. Jesus pointed out that the reason this man was crippled was so that He could show God's glory in the miracle. He then points out that we need to unify and do the work of God. Then He proceeds to actually do the work of His Father. We should do the same. I sooooo wish Olsen called on me.