Response to comment...
Before i go off to bed I feel have i to respond to Kurt's comment on my last posting. He says 'the way you write about your faith confuses me. It's like you're trying to analyse a smile'
I'm grateful for the comment, thanks Kurt, but I'm not sure I agree. Well, I agree that the way I write about faith is confusing, mainly because I am, like most theologians, sorting this out in my head as I go along. On the other hand i think that if we leave faith unexamined then we leave ourselves open to the manipulation of any convincing idiot that comes along and we become liable to drift about following any wind of doctrine that takes our fancy.
When i talk about compartmentalising faith what i mean is that some people turn their brains off when it comes to faith, others don't live out the values they proclaim on Sundays in the rest of the week, others don't allow themselves to feel God in their lives and keep God as more of an intellectual concept than a friend. This and more can be the result of not taking faith seriously enough to grapple with it. So my apologies for the confusion, I don't claim to have all the answers, but I'm going to keep struggling, even when the words don't work so well.
Thanks again for the comment. My kids will be awake in about 5 hours. I must go.
I'm grateful for the comment, thanks Kurt, but I'm not sure I agree. Well, I agree that the way I write about faith is confusing, mainly because I am, like most theologians, sorting this out in my head as I go along. On the other hand i think that if we leave faith unexamined then we leave ourselves open to the manipulation of any convincing idiot that comes along and we become liable to drift about following any wind of doctrine that takes our fancy.
When i talk about compartmentalising faith what i mean is that some people turn their brains off when it comes to faith, others don't live out the values they proclaim on Sundays in the rest of the week, others don't allow themselves to feel God in their lives and keep God as more of an intellectual concept than a friend. This and more can be the result of not taking faith seriously enough to grapple with it. So my apologies for the confusion, I don't claim to have all the answers, but I'm going to keep struggling, even when the words don't work so well.
Thanks again for the comment. My kids will be awake in about 5 hours. I must go.
Comments
The pastors I know as an adult admit to being fallible people. At first I found this confusing, but now I find it reassuring. No one has all the answers, and we won't on this side of glory. All we can do is hope -- and follow scripture to the best of our ability and conscience, pastors included.
I've always found this site to be an honest look at how you see your relationship with Christ (well, as much as can be posted on a web site).
In short, I like the questions and the analysis.
Quilly, always good to have you here, love your site, even if you do correct my grammar!
Deb, good rantings, I enjoyed finding your blog and am grateful for your affirmation.
Tom, mutual appreciation time, appreciate the positivity, and have really enjoyed your recent postings. Well, I like all of them, obviously.
Coney, am intrigued. But again, thanks for the positivity.