Thinking For Ourselves & Asking All The Right Questions

Challenging Ourselves

Someone once said... "It's what we think we "know" that keeps us from learning". How true. I am in the process of writing a book on hermeneutics titled "(W.I.S.E.) What If Scriptural Exegesis". (Reexamining Reformed Theology: A Hermeneutical Correction of Calvinistic Presuppositions). It is a call to return to critical thinking and the investigating of ideas. Proverbs 18:2 says ... "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." Well, the church then is full of fools who THINK they have all of the answers. It has been correctly said... "The smartest person in the room is not the one with all the right answers, but the one with all the right questions." And "If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room."

Whatever happened to critical thinking? Whatever happened to lively debate and challenging the "accepted" view of truth and thought? Truth is not afraid of you and me. Truth is truth and it is constant and immutable. It once was the case that when you went to an institute of higher learning, you had your presuppositions and opinions and beliefs challenged. You were constantly being bombarded with multiple ways to look at a given subject. You were forced to defend your beliefs. You were forced to think through your opinions. And you were forced to adapt "your truth" for "the truth". That's how you discovered there was no such thing as "your truth", there was only "The Truth". Your goal was to find it.

How those days have vanished. We are now in the lazy man's dorm room. A room where you just "relax man". A room where there is no threat of anyone questioning the "accepted norm" and "the accepted truth". Your ignorance is accepted and lauded here. If you dare challenge the status quo, well you're just a divisive idiot that needs to be placed in a re-education camp so you can learn not to question the powers that be.

Well, I am just the opposite. I am a huge believer in lifelong learning and challenging everything I believe. I don't just study to support that my beliefs are correct. I study to try to prove myself wrong. As said before, truth is not afraid of your questions. My goal, as a Bible teacher, is to discover, not MY truth, but THE truth. If what I believe is true, it will withstand all of the attacks and questions I throw at it. Likewise, in the Calvinism debate, if both sides of the fence would study in such a way that they want THE TRUTH and not THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRUTH, then I think the church would be much stronger and there would be more unity in theology than there is. Sound Scriptural exegesis is not an "every man for himself" free for all, it is a "every man for the truth" science. A quest for THE TRUTH.

In a social post comment concerning my challenge to Calvinists with the "What If" deep dive challenge, their words were as follows... "As far as the "What ifs" challenge, that is a road to an eisegetical slippery slope. We (Calvinists) take what saith the Scriptures approach. So we are fine by staying away from all forms of anti-Calvinist error but love y'all anyway". That is exactly why it is hard to have a logical, intelligent, mature and substantive debate with many over theology. They are like the cults, who refuse to hear anything outside of their own echo chamber. They have a circle of preachers they listen to, commentaries they might read and an inner circle of "yes men" who will give their opinions street cred. But THAT is not learning. THAT is not educating yourself with a goal of discovering truth.

Pride is one of the Achilles heels for many theologians. There is a fear of being ostracized, criticized and anathematized if you step out of the cookie cutter mold of the Reformed Boys club.

I challenge you as you read this. Question everything. When you are done, question it again. Challenge your presuppositions. Get a new prescription for your theological glasses. Start asking the right questions. Start with the "what ifs" and see if the path you embark on doesn't lead you to THE TRUTH instead of someone else's truth you have just grabbed onto because.

May the Lord begin to open your eyes and may He bless you on your road to discovery.

Pastor Tim