This is simply an addendum to my last post. I will be back tomorrow for my next major post.I wanted to say that Thesis I should have been stated as "Moral Certainty in All Things." A close cousin to that is Thesis II, "Theological Certainty in All Things."
I have several good Evangelical friends. Each have this same attitude when it comes to this issue, basically, their precise church (or denomination) is the ONLY one that has their theology right. Each one has expressed concern about the churches I've attended because they may not conform to their concept of the theological ideal.
I use to be the same way. I thought I had all theological positions worked out . . . where I found absolute truth and many other Christians were in error, sometimes deep error.
This is an example of my attitude now, where I've lost certainty. I personally lean in the Post-Millennial direction regarding eschatology. However, I have no sense of certainty. I may, and probably am, wrong in my views. I have no problem hanging out with people with all views . . . because if really smart people have spent their entire adult lives trying to figure it out, and they ended up with opposite views, how the heck do I think I can reach the theological certainty that they could not?
The problem for me personally is the constant criticism that I get from those evangelicals with theological certainty.
I have tried to hang out with one of my few Christian friends, especially since I left my church (he left the same church three years ago). It gets irritating when every conversation we have, he ends up making several comments how "Biblical" his church is, and how he questions the choice of my new church (especially because my new church has a woman pastor). This kind of perspective really drives a wedge between people and is a major reason that Evangelicals now bug me.
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I've been thinking recently of an article by a guy whose blog Michael Spencer used to find thought-provoking and mention on Boarshead Tavern. I think the article may dovetail with some of the thoughts you've been having recently, especially about indoctrination vs education. Alastair's use of the "c" word in the title may put you off, but here are some of the main observations he makes about some (many?) church cultures, which may gain your interest again. (I haven't actually watched the video that Alastair is using to start his thoughts.)
-A failure to engage with the broader Church tradition and a tendency to become theologically inbred.
-The manner in which conversion is spoken of and conceptualized, resulting in "boring clones."
-Too many church meetings and activities that one is expected or encouraged to attend.
-There is a difference between indoctrination and education, and too many churches tend to indoctrinate rather than educate.
Here's the link: How To Become a Cult Leader
I have several good Evangelical friends. Each have this same attitude when it comes to this issue, basically, their precise church (or denomination) is the ONLY one that has their theology right.
Remember how most any comment thread on Internet Monk turns into parsing theology letter-by-letter and flying anathemas and denunciations?
Remember the theoretical ultimate end state of Protestantism:
MILLIONS of One True Churches, each with exactly ONE member, each denouncing all the others as Heretics and Apostates.
Headless Unicorn Guy
Becky, does he use the term indoctrinate, to mean "This is what you suppose to believe so believe it, don't think about it, but, as an act of obedience just believe it." That's how it strikes me, the difference between education and indoctrination.
"Remember how most any comment thread on Internet Monk turns into parsing theology letter-by-letter and flying anathemas and denunciations?"
That's why I try to skip over those posts/comments that want to pick a theological fight with somebody.
Re: indoctrination vs education
From the article:
"There is a difference between teaching and indoctrination. Good teaching should equip the mind to think critically. Indoctrination tends to turn off the mind’s critical faculties. Indoctrination imposes an ideology upon people, an ideology that often restricts them from giving expression to important aspects of their lives. Teaching grants people the tools with which they can begin to work towards true expression of the world, God and themselves. Someone who has been taught, rather than indoctrinated, is empowered to think in a way that goes beyond their teachers."
And his criticism is that churches (or teachers within churches) too often indoctrinate rather than educate.
I am in agreement with HUG as to the logical extension of one-true-doctrine believers. One of my relatives' churches is like that: their congregation (and nobody else) have Got It Right and are saved, and everyone else has Missed The Boat. Whether the issue is rock music, piercings, tattoos, roleplaying games, or more along the lines of preferred translation (there is also, according to them, One True Bible Translation and One True Concordance), the issue is unimportant. The question is whether someone is one of them, or Other.
becky, man that article is so distrubing for me. When in college I got involved in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). I experienced a lot that was written - lovebombing, trying to get you move involved etc.. It was nice until I realized Joseph Smith was a fraud and no longer believed the Book of Mormon. So I left, leaving wasn't easy but it helped that I moved from one region of the counry to another.
Toward the end of my time as an evangelical I was noticing all these similarities between the LDS and modern day evangelicalism. Consider...
Multitude of friends (as long as you believe the right way)
"Us" vs "them" mentality with a sense of being persecuted (by liberals, gays, intellectuals, etc..). (In Mormonism this is classic LDS thinking...)
Efforts at controlling what is read or watched as doubt is not healthy.
Making idols out of missionaries, mega church pastors, where you worship the system, etc..
And one of the most disturbing for me is the lack of boundaries. For example evangelcals I knew who would ignore my requests to not contact me who would send Facebook messages, send emails at work, etc.. What took the cake was my former Campus Crusade for Christ director..he would leave 4 voicemails each day, DAILY for 6 months. I thought I was going to have to change my phone number.
That article Becky is chilling maybe that explains why I saw similarities between the two faith systems. Unbelievable...
am in agreement with HUG as to the logical extension of one-true-doctrine believers. -- Sixwing
The original Internet Monk used to cite someone named "A.W.Pink" as the type example of this. He ended up literally "fellowshipping at home" in a "Church of One" because no other church could meet his exactly-parsed theology.
One of my relatives' churches is like that: their congregation (and nobody else) have Got It Right and are saved, and everyone else has Missed The Boat. -- Sixwing
This is also called the "Sacred Society of Secluded Saints" or "Us Four, No More (and I have doubts about the other three), Amen."
Over at IMonk, I usually snark them with a comment like "Going to be awfully lonely with just you in Heaven."
Headless Unicorn Guy
Augh. I am LOVING this series. Did you read my mind? Did you steal my thoughts?
This is pure joy to read. (I mean, I know that I'm not alone, but sometimes it's so nice to really really FEEL like I'm not alone!--lol)...
AinM
(PS. Hi, HUG). :)
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