Someone asked me today, “what’s the point of your blog?” So what do YOU think? Is it to drop nuclear bombs and run for cover while people burn in the fall-out? Is it to enlighten the world with my beliefs and knowledge? Is it to be a devils advocate and purposefully be oppositional? Is it to put out ideas to make people squirm and think and consider as I squirm and think and consider?
Since the beginning of the year, for the first time in really all of my life I have begun to look critically at what I believe. For the first time I have begun to own what I believe and think through all aspects of God and His reality. This didn’t happen because my parents were negligent in raising me. No, I began to think for myself when God brought me into a season of reflection at the end of 2004.
Late last December, God told me to return to the centrality of Christ. In re-evaluating my relationship and faith in His Son, God impressed on me to return to Jesus as the central, most important Truth to my spirituality. So I began to soak up the Gospels. I mean really suck dry the marrow of the person and words of Jesus Christ. Because if the “cake Scripture is baking is Jesus,” then why begin anywhere else but Him? During this period I also broadened my scope of theological readings, which helped me realize I had a very, very thin slice of the “cake”, so to speak. For five months, I spent a significant amount of time reading, thinking, and re-evaluating in the interest of knowing the Real and True God. My learning and growth didn’t begin to emerge into anything coherent, however, until I began to put my thoughts down in digital ink.
In May, I decided the best way for me to give critical thought to my continued spiritual journey was to begin expressing those thoughts in writing. I thought that by keeping a blogsite of my thoughts, questions, ideas, and concerns, I could begin to articulate what I was feeling and thinking, while garnering comments and critiques of my ideas. This site was not meant to be a soap box, but rather a sounding board; I am not expressing beliefs so much as I am wrestling with thoughts and ideas in the interest of emerging through new territory into new understanding.
Unfortunately, several people have misinterpreted my questioning for dogmatism. And now I’ve been reduced to a liberal who has run off a theological cliff! In fact, some very close people to me now have serious concerns about my theological and spiritual direction. I guess one could make a case that I brought this on myself. History is write large with pently of hangings, burnings, and head-lopings for challenging the Establishment, so should I really be surprised?
But if you read carefully, you’ll notice I pose questions and observations, not outlined beliefs. I do not leave out my own beliefs as a safety mechanism. Instead I ask questions, wrestle with ideas and avoid concrete descriptions of beliefs, because in many cases they are still developing! Unfortunately, when individuals start asking questions in evangelical circles people become uneasy and resort to preemptive labeling, name calling, jingoism, and type-casting. It is so, so unfortunate that often times Christians feel threatened by questions and uncertainty and in turn demonize people when they embrace both by thinking critically, which is the point of my blog.
And this is also my invitation to you: Will you join me in thinking critically about God and His Truth? Will you join me in reunderstanding our big, deep God and His rich, vast Truth?
I hope so, because that is why I am here…
PS-I left the comment option off, because this post is not about you commenting, but me explaining…
