The Curse!

I am looking for people who are looking to learn.

Nothing excites me more than the possibility of deepening my understanding of meaningful subjects. I often wonder how so many people have no desire to gain knowledge, wisdom, and new understanding.

It is true that a curse of the Protestant-Evangelical movement is that it is dominated by those who are anti-intellectual . For Christians who are less secure in their faith and understanding of all things Christian, there is a fear of losing one's own sense of authority when someone else gains intellectual insights that he or she does not have.

When I started going to seminary, I asked some folks to pray for me and I can easily recall the first response. "Don't get too smart to preach the Word!" a typical protestant-evangelical, anti-intellectual response.

Learning is critical to teaching!
Most English speaking Americans read the Bible as though someone who lives next door wrote it in 2005. Dr. Rick Lints, Professor of Theology says that reading a translation of the Bible is like kissing through a veil. There is something missing though it may be very slight. A more accurate understanding of the Scriptures is enhanced by insights on the context, culture, and study of the original languages and customs.

Christians, we need to be studying, learning, discussing (not arguing), and deepening our understanding of the Word of God. For those of you who refuse to recognize the value of Scripture, tradition, and reason, along with experience, stop relying on personal revelation alone as though it trumps corporate or Scriptural revelation.
You will often hear people who value only expereince say things like, "The Lord told me..." as though this "message from the Lord" outweighs what the Lord has told the church through Scripture or corporate experience. We argue because we rely on our own understanding, rather than the Spirit's revelation through Scripture, Reason, Tradition, and Experience. Either of these alone will mislead. If you don't believe that this can be a danger, then you need to drop by a Mormon temple, Muslim mosque, or even read about the Jonestown Massacre. All of these are and/or were movements based only on one person's personal revelation or "The Lord told me" message.

Jesus speaks to us in many ways, but He speaks in a manner that is worthy of His character and attributes and in connection with His written Word. To recognize false doctrine, false teaching, and false revelation you must study and rely on the truth of the Word (SCRIPTURE), be able to recognize authentic and genuine expressions of God within His people (EXPERIENCE), be able to use your mind individually and corporately to learn and mediatate on the things of God (REASON), and hold on to those things that bind Christians to Christ and one another for all ages past, present, and future (TRADITION).

Finally, don't be afraid to stand up or stand out. As long as you fear the ability to set higher standards for yourself, you will never be able to help others raise their own standards. We rely on those who raise the bar and are willing to share and challenge others to raise the bar for themselves.

STUDY! STUDY! STUDY! There are people whose eternity will depend on your ability to help them understand.

Many blessings,Johnny