Know What You Believe
Over the past couple of months I've been musing here about evangelism, and I suspect that this post will pretty much wrap up this series unless the Spirit moves me otherwise. I started by asserting that too many people and churches live in nostalgia for some mythical past rather than thinking about the future. This past is always better than it actually was in reality. I then offered three basic assumptions that must be in place for evangelism to take place. Next, evangelism is personal I wrote. At heart it is one person interacting with another. It always comes best from relationship. Lastly, it is very important that we know our own story. If you have have faith, there is a story of how it came to be there. Think about your story, how you came to know Christ.
What I suggest now is that just as it is important to know your own story, it is important to know what you believe. This does not require a seminary degree, or any specialized knowledge at all. Theological education never hurts. Reading theology is always helpful. On the other hand, you don't have to be able to articulately explain Athanasius' arguments against the Arians, or to even know who Athanasius was or what Arianism was. You don't have to be able to articulate five different theories of the atonement.
What you must know is at least the rudimentary elements of orthodox Christian doctrine, and beyond that what you personally believe. The basic tenets of our faith which the church has taught over the centuries can be found in summary form in the ancient creeds such as the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed. Jesus said that the world will know his disciples by their love for each other. On the other hand, matters of doctrine and dogma do separate us from other belief systems. There are indeed differences between classical Christian doctrine and the teachings of Islam, Buddhim, Hinduism, etc.
It is very important that you have thought through what you personally believe. In a seminary class each of us in the class was asked to write our own statement of faith. This assignment was incredibly informative. Within the broad spectrum that makes up Christian teaching, what was it that made up the core of my own personal belief? The objective facts about God, Jesus, etc. are what they are, but we can experience God in different ways so the operative elements of our own faith can differ. A person from a rule-centered fundamentalist background my react against that later in life resulting in a personal credo that is heavy on the grace of God. Conversely, someone from an overly permissive background where "anything goes," where there were no absolutes may end up cherishing the might and majesty of God. As a life-long Methodist I'm decidedly Wesleyan, but attending a Presbyterian seminary has certainly influenced the way I look at God.
In an earlier post, I had suggested being hospitable and talking with Jehovah's Witnesses when they come to the door. But to intelligently converse with someone from another faith you have to at least know what you believe. Being firmly convinced that your church's men make the best barbecue, that your church's UMW president has a killer green bean casserole recipe, that your church pews are really beautiful and comfortable won't quite cut it. You need to have at least thought seriously and deeply about what you believe and why you believe it. It is rather difficult to intelligently have a conversation about faith and life without knowing what our own faith teaches and what you believe. To know how the Gospel of Christ can relate to your own life, or to another's, you have to first know what the Gospel is and who Christ is.
The call and charge of this post is to really think. Read the scriptures and think about what is being said. Think about the content of Sunday School lessons. Ask about what you don't understand. Take advantage of studies in this church or the church to which you belong that challenge and deepen faith. Using the old King James translation of the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed..."
What I suggest now is that just as it is important to know your own story, it is important to know what you believe. This does not require a seminary degree, or any specialized knowledge at all. Theological education never hurts. Reading theology is always helpful. On the other hand, you don't have to be able to articulately explain Athanasius' arguments against the Arians, or to even know who Athanasius was or what Arianism was. You don't have to be able to articulate five different theories of the atonement.
What you must know is at least the rudimentary elements of orthodox Christian doctrine, and beyond that what you personally believe. The basic tenets of our faith which the church has taught over the centuries can be found in summary form in the ancient creeds such as the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed. Jesus said that the world will know his disciples by their love for each other. On the other hand, matters of doctrine and dogma do separate us from other belief systems. There are indeed differences between classical Christian doctrine and the teachings of Islam, Buddhim, Hinduism, etc.
It is very important that you have thought through what you personally believe. In a seminary class each of us in the class was asked to write our own statement of faith. This assignment was incredibly informative. Within the broad spectrum that makes up Christian teaching, what was it that made up the core of my own personal belief? The objective facts about God, Jesus, etc. are what they are, but we can experience God in different ways so the operative elements of our own faith can differ. A person from a rule-centered fundamentalist background my react against that later in life resulting in a personal credo that is heavy on the grace of God. Conversely, someone from an overly permissive background where "anything goes," where there were no absolutes may end up cherishing the might and majesty of God. As a life-long Methodist I'm decidedly Wesleyan, but attending a Presbyterian seminary has certainly influenced the way I look at God.
In an earlier post, I had suggested being hospitable and talking with Jehovah's Witnesses when they come to the door. But to intelligently converse with someone from another faith you have to at least know what you believe. Being firmly convinced that your church's men make the best barbecue, that your church's UMW president has a killer green bean casserole recipe, that your church pews are really beautiful and comfortable won't quite cut it. You need to have at least thought seriously and deeply about what you believe and why you believe it. It is rather difficult to intelligently have a conversation about faith and life without knowing what our own faith teaches and what you believe. To know how the Gospel of Christ can relate to your own life, or to another's, you have to first know what the Gospel is and who Christ is.
The call and charge of this post is to really think. Read the scriptures and think about what is being said. Think about the content of Sunday School lessons. Ask about what you don't understand. Take advantage of studies in this church or the church to which you belong that challenge and deepen faith. Using the old King James translation of the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed..."
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