Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a progress, not a station.” Modern translation: life is a journey, not a destination. I would agree. Especially in my spiritual journey, the Great Progressor has taken me through a series of milestones that have influenced and shaped my theology. Like any process, no single variable has contributed to my evolution, and not one area has been left untouched. And like all journeys, my faith and theology are incomplete; my understanding of God’s Reality and Truth are still emerging.
But while I am in a season of emergence, I still have convictions about a range of theological ideas. To “texturize” my faith and explore my current convictions regarding God’s Truth, tomorrow I will start a 10-part series to reflect upon my understanding of the nature of revelation, God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, creation, angels, humanity, sin, salvation, the church, and our future hope. Truth and what is real about Reality is God’s, not mine or a religious or group of people, so these “statements of confidence” are merely my articulations of that Truth and Reality.
Each of the 10 statements will actually be pieces of a larger 10 page paper I am writing for my Systematic Theology 1 class. I thought I would put them out there beforehand to receive comments and reflections before I turn in the final copy in a week. No it isn’t cheating, but rather creating a communal learning and reflective process!
