All of my life I was a part of a “non denominational” denomination. I really never knew anything else. Lifelong contacts were in that circle. For most of my earlier years I had no idea what “we” really believed, I just knew that we were right, and everyone else was wrong. The further from “our” beliefs the “wronger” they were.
My mother was a stay at home mom, as were almost all other mothers of the day, and I don’t know if she had an arguing bone in her body. I don’t ever recall her discussing doctrine or theology with anyone. She dutifully and well did what needed done, and was a pretty no nonsense product of having lived through the depression, having been raised by Godly parents, and now being a responsible mother and adult with her life centered around the church and her family. (Possibly even in that order?) She was a wonderful mother.
My Dad was a self taught theologian. He knew the Bible and proper doctrine from the Church we were a part of. He read and collected many books from those who had been used of God to call out our theological forbears from "Babylon" Alaska to Montana to Uruguay
Wherever they found themselves, particularly Dad had many contacts with other believers. He had a much broader perspective on “The Church” than most folks I have ever encountered.
Still, I had the idea, and perhaps this was simply my misunderstanding, pride, etc., that there were many wonderful folks in other churches, some of them in surprising places, that would likely make it to heaven. But obviously they were handicapped by not having the “full evening light” that we had. Having now been in the ministry for nearly 40 years, and having been always quite involved with other pastors and churches wherever we have been, I suspect that every denomination of folks is fervently taught to have this mindset. After all, if they question too much, they might fall away to the “unbelievers,” or at least “under believers” and hence “under achievers.”
I have vigorously discussed, yea verily debated, other knowledgeable folks, typically other pastors, about a range of topics, foundationally believing that the poor folks, once exposed to the pure light would essentially “join” me/us. I have written papers and Bible studies to establish the truth of exactly what might happen when Jesus returns, whether or not one can be saved and then fall away, precisely what the true Bible gift of tongues is, precisely how Sovereign God is and how much or whether man has free will and how to parse the balance, etc. Pick most any Biblical or theological topic, and I have debated several sides of it with someone. In fact, I still enjoy a good theological discussion, which my mother, and my wife, (and possibly Jesus) would consider to be debate, or even worse argument.
But as I get older and encounter a lot more of life, I ask myself, how many folks have ever been argued or brow beaten into the Kingdom of Heaven
I question whether much of my ministry has been “in vain.” I take comfort in passages such as 2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;” NAU My vessel is much more earthen than it should be. And, I also take comfort in 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” NKJ It IS comforting to know that God can speak to others even with a dumb ass, as He did to Balaam in Numbers 22. Incidentally, Samson slew 1000 Phillistines with the jawbone of an ass, as Judges 15:16 relates. I wonder how many would be followers of Jesus have been slain by the same instrument under my ministry? But I digress.
If we must pass a theology test to achieve Heaven, how many folks that are betting their lives and souls and futures on the fact that Jesus died for them and that they can be forgiven of all their sins, excesses, foolishness, misunderstandings, and weaknesses, are ultimately going to lose out? Well ……, it’s either going to be ME that loses out, or most of them, because try as I might, I can rarely even get another “believer” to come to the full light of truth that I possess. ☺
Increasingly I am more interested in what sort of faith gets one through the loss of a spouse, or a child, or parents, or siblings? What kind of faith is adequate when one is given the news the there is nothing else medicine can do for him or her or the closest loved one? I do not think a seminary degree often helps. I don’t think an intellectual discussion about how one or another of the various gospel accounts lines up with another will help much, or an analysis of some obscure passage from the Septuagint. I don’t think even a parsing of the Greek word for “comfort” supplies much.
What sort of faith enables a person to face prison, poverty, confiscation of property, loss of privilege and prestige, even horrible death, because they trust in Jesus? Not some academic theoretical theological position, I’m sure.
What I long more for is just a simple child like (as opposed to childish, which is much more popular) faith that believes, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I do not want simply a dashboard Jesus or plastic religious faith that is fine when the world is going well. Who needs God then anyway? I want a faith that when the wheels come off, we can be steady as a rock. Not belligerent, not angry, not condemning, not arrogant, but a simple faith that is not shaken by anything in the world.
There is a place for scholarship. I’m glad folks do that and can give all of us some insight. There is a place for specific doctrinal clarity. It is just that in the dark night of the soul, those things don’t offer much light. We should do the best we can to understand proper doctrine and theology. I’m for that. But, again, these offer little hope, comfort, love, joy, or peace. I would gladly trade all of my “impeccable theology” for the simple faith and trust that Jesus forgives all my sins, carries all my sorrows, knows everything about me and still loves me, and will never leave me or forsake me.
