LRC, Houston - the weekends-free church in Houston, Texas

I am going to try my best to not come off as overly critical in this commentary. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes hyperbole is the best approach to getting a point made. Sometimes it’s just flesh. I came into the religious community as a moderate liberal (religiously speaking). The emphasis of my denomination was on the “priesthood of the believer”. We were concerned about matters such as how to help the poor and how to keep ourselves out of hell. And then I moved South! There I was taught to not think as the mind would lead one astray. Don’t think?

The denomination (similar brand- much different emphasis) I joined was more than conservative- fundamentalist would be the better description. Their emphasis was on the rapture and inerrancy of the Word. I lived in that world for nearly three decades until seven years ago when I started my slow journey back to the more liberal (not as in politics) approach. Then three years ago I racheted up that movement exponentially.

I love God more now!

Most importantly, I love my wife more. And I have an increased love for all of mankind regardless of who they are. I can also rest in simply loving people and not trying to save them from hell, as though I somehow could. And what I’ve really discovered is that God’s going to restore everyone, everything (Acts 3:21), so the pressure is off me to try and convince someone that my “belief systems” are the only valid ones.

How silly. How arrogant. God is still revealing new things!

William Ray, 10th Bishop of North Queensland, Anglican Church, Australia, wrote, “Fundamentalism demands that believers not think because the Word is the Word and we need not mess with it.” You see questioning “revealed truth” (the Bible) in any way, even hypothetically challenges the established belief system. Bruce Bawer adds, “The more successfully any ‘revealed truth’ is challenged, the more vehemently the challenge must be rejected.”

Oh yes and the rejection of the person advocating such.

There’s a reason that God gave us a mind, a brain, and a spirit! Legalists admonish us to be wary of our minds and emotions because they are tools of the devil- Satan, that Serpent. To question or doubt any currently held belief must be resisted. After all WE know what’s best. WE have the true word of God. Who the hell are the WE? The answer of course is the heads of the 20,000 Christian denominations around the world who know that they know the truth and the other 19,999 denoiminations are in error, cults, and heretics, to be avoided. We know exclusively.

Come on saints- begin to THINK ANEW!