Faith vs. Apathy

I had an opportunity to get back into the woods on Saturday. I am not a woodsy person or anything like that but the more I take time from my life to spend in the wilderness the more I appreciate meeting with God in His creation. It was an interesting hike because the past few days I have purposed to stop thinking and trying to solve the issues of my life. So it was just a silent hike in my  soul. It was refreshing though just to be aware of the presence of God. When we got to the top we read some psalms, sang, shared blessings, shared prayer requests, and then Janet did something very interesting. She asked us to share a question we are working through in our lives right now! I always have a question to work through but few understand that enough to ask! I thought for a moment as I looked at the mountain range and then I asked this:

What is the d ifference between faith and apathy?

Looking at the mountain directly in front of us you could see all the rocks and ridges. You could see  the beauty of rock and trees standing as a challenge waiting to be climbed. I thought of how I wanted to climb that mountain over there. The one I was on did not appear from my standing point to look as cool as the one I could see from afar. It is as though often God does not show us the beauty of the mountains we are climbing until we are a few mountains away.

Even more interesting is when you climb a mountain and you are up at it’s peak there is no where to go but down. You go up and you go down – the law of the land so to speak! I was listening to a song remade by jars of clay and a line caught my attention… then I looked the lyrics up and I thought it interesting:

Jars of Clay's remake of “Lonely People”

this is for all the lonely people
thinkin' that life has passed them by
don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
ride that highway in the sky

this is for all the single people
thinkin' that life has left them dry
don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
you never know until you try

this is for all the lonely people
thinkin' that life has passed them by
don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
should never take you down or never give you up
you never know until you try

The line that caught my attention was “don’t give up until you drink from the silver cup.” I was thinking that for most people the only thing you can do when you get to the top of a mountain is go back down – yet with God we can jump off the mountain top and fly…. And “ride that highway in the sky.” I mean right now I am at the peak of my trail right now yet I feel like instead of riding it out down the mountain that God has led up to a mountain cliff. I want to jump in faith – God has called us to sometimes jump in faith. So my question is what is the difference between jumping so that I have my complete faith in God as opposed to jumping and not caring what happens (apathy). Back to my question:

  What is the difference between faith and apathy?

Well I think the action looks the same – both jump off the mountain – I think the difference lies within the mind and heart – yet still I question what does it look like? Right now it looks like the stillness of my soul and the peace of God – it means I wait! So I am waiting on God... what a great place to be

Faith is Knowing God’s comfort, presence, peace, and joy and not understanding how He can give physical strength to climb a mountain with a rebellious Achilles heel – yet praying that He can make you walk

Faith is praying with surety that God can answer you James 1

Faith is asking for what you do not have or even long for and then knowing God can restore it when it is taken away 2 kings 4

Faith is living every moment of day in thought, emotion, & action on the power of Christ’s resurrection from the dead Philippians 4

On my trip down to NC, I road with the most amazing people. We dug into each others lives and stretched each other! I wish those kind of people to enter everyone’s life They have been the most  unexpected blessing since the trip! Let me encourage you friends, the Jars of Clay song can be “for …” any of us! Do not give up until you drink from the abundant life in Christ! When God calls you to jump – jump with confidence

What question is God working through in your life right now?

(feel free to respond!)

- A fellow traveler

42 days...

It’s official, there are only 42 days until the big graduation ceremony where my full time career as a student will officially diminish into thin air. This is not to say that I will never attend school or even that I will stop learning, only it will no longer be my primary responsibility. Every time I fill out a form, I will no longer have to check “student” under occupation.

Spring is here and my spring break went by so fast. I went on another wilderness trip but I am going to refuse to write about it just yet. The processing gears are in full swing and I lack the ability to communicate effectively what I am learning. Which leaves me with the point of this entry: post-graduation plans.

Perhaps it is usual to feel like you should have the rest of your life figured out at graduation. Everyone around me seems to have my life already mapped out. Yet I cannot ignore the lack of peace I have about going to graduate school. Unfortunately, there are no other options, I can think of right now, besides graduate school, so I have been trucking along with the plan to keep going to school.

I actually just found out the apartment I was going to live in, is no longer available. I still do not have a car or a valuable job option. So many students right now are just anxious to be in ministry. I will admit that I am. I know that I am in ministry but the thought of more schooling before I can do what I love breaks my heart.

At this point I would say that I am sick of the old introspection game. If I analyze myself, any longer my head might explode. I know God has given me specific talents and abilities, but what I should do with them is still very much beyond me. It is a neat place to be; trusting God. I will admit I am anxious, nervous, excited and scared all at the same time. So friends I end with this…. Keep praying that above all I might know God more and seek to please Him above man, even with my post-graduation plans.

A Fellow traveler

Christina

Liberal Theology and My love for Knowledge

I am currently studding liberal theology. This discussion of it’s origin of course leads one straight to the Enlightenment where men begin to idealize knowledge. History continues and you have the Reformation and the scientific revolution and so on and so forth until World War I and WWII destroy everyone’s idea that people are getting better with time.

In my study, I came across a man entitled- Horace Bushnell (1802-1876). He is considered the “Father of American Liberalism.” Now when you think of the most liberal area of America what comes to mind? The North East! Also the north East has the highest academic standards in the nation and any politic coming out of the North east is confident education will solve any social problem – definitely liberal.

The most prestige schools in the nation – the Ivy League started out as ministry training schools with seminaries. As they became indoctrinated with liberal theology, they are not so much known as ministry schools but rather schools of the top educational elite in the nation. This did not happen over night – it happened with the growth of Liberal Theology.

At the very core of Liberal theology knowledge is King and Christ is dead and buried.

While liberal theology or liberal Christianity has no specific organization, it is a brand of Christianity in which has influenced some in their view of the fundamentals of the faith. A liberal Christian may share some opinions with traditional, orthodox, or conservative Christians, yet their regard for “freedom” and “knowledge” out ways their regard for the Word of God. One of the main points of attack against those holding to Liberal Theology is that of their hermeneutic. Liberals hold to an allegorical interpretation of Scripture This view of Scripture allows them to manipulate the “stories” of the Bible according to their theology rather than molding their theology around the authority of Scripture. Clearly, there is great danger in the desire for freedom from all authority even God Himself.

In the early 20th century, the Northern Baptist Convention was growing with liberalist support. At the convention pushed the allied churches to contribute to “The New World Movement,” Robert Ketcham took a stance by withdrawing his church from the convention and by creating an informational pamphlet concerning the major doctrinal issues with the convention as well as the new movement . Ketcham pointed out liberalist who denied the Virgin Birth, the deity of Christ, redemption through the blood of Christ, and other major doctrines of the faith. Some were even teaching in schools that Christ was limited in knowledge and able to make mistakes. Those who follow liberal theology have been accused of looking for errors in the Bible obsessively to discredit it’s authority in the life of a believer. Unfortunately their desire to be free of all authority has included the supreme authority for life and godliness; the written Word of God. 

Identified to be the “father of liberal theology,” Friedrich Scleieracher declared religion as a “feeling of absolute dependence.” Scleieracher thought that religion was about experience rather than absolute truth. Birthed out of the Enlightenment, which socially put a large emphasis on knowledge and understanding, Liberalism exemplified the Christian’s struggle between the authority of human knowledge and the authority of God and His Word. Liberalism grew out of the social issues during the late 18th Century into the 20th Century. The social issues, such as searching for knowledge without limitations influenced Christian thinkers as they approached theology. As time went on, many were indoctrinated by the idea that they should have no authority and that knowledge is supreme. When Christians abandon the idea that the Bible is absolute truth, then the struggle for faith is purely a man based idea from which God is excluded. In essence, Liberal theology in some circles has gone so far as to deny Christ which in essence segregates them from not only God but also His body of believers known as Christians.

Now I say all this because as I sat and realized the value liberal theology places on the knowledge of man I admit that I am guilty – indoctrinated by the secular word that education is supreme even in the realm of religion. I must say friends that it is not.

I will say along with Paul that we must have an answer for our faith. We are responsible to be intelligent about our Lord – these matters are not to be taken lightly. But if I would say that Christianity and my faith were based on knowledge alone I would have to deem myself blaspheming the name of God. Christ must always rein supreme – even over knowledge. If I think that teaching people will make them better rather than Christ in their lives – I have failed. While I would never say that I fear I have believed it in my heart. It was a great unbearable shock to me to realize that I idealized knowledge.

18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.- Colossians 1:18

Brothers and sisters – may this ring true in your lives as well as mine

-A fellow traveler