Skip to main content

Where I'm At With My Tradition

I was born and raised in the Churches of Christ. I went to college at a Church of Christ university. For the past seven years I have served as a minister at a Church of Christ. I know the lingo, the disputes, the divides, and the tendencies of this tradition extremely well. I have been inexorably shaped by this tradition in so many ways it is probably impossible to accurately quantify. 

As we all have been in one form or another, I've been on a years long journey of reevaluating my faith and inheritance. Where am I now is quite different than where I was seven years ago when I first moved to Peoria. There are many areas where I no longer agree with what I grew up with and what is considered typical Church of Christ teaching. There are also many areas where I hold more strongly to what I grew up with, though the reasons are most likely completely different. 

Overall I am far more orthodox than I was. I am more deeply rooted in the faith of the early Christians. I am more firmly convinced than ever of foundational things such as the Trinity, Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Second Coming, and mission of the Church. Where I've departed from my upbringing is almost entirely in secondary matters, the questions of "how" and "why" of certain things as well as certain practices.

For example both I and the Churches of Christ believe in regular participation of the Lord's Supper. The difference comes down to why we should and what the Lord's Supper is. The traditional view I grew up with is that the Lord's Supper is an emblem, a simple reminder of what Jesus has done. We take it every week because we are commanded to do so. Now I believe that the Lord's Supper is a real encounter with the real presence of Jesus. It's not just a memorial or remembrance but a special gift from Jesus that truly connects us with his presence. We should take it regularly because we should want to encounter Jesus as often as possible.

Now this may not sound like that big of a deal or that significant of a difference, but it really is. It changes the entire landscape of worship and why we gather together. It means a very different reading of Scripture and how we interpret a host of things. A difference like this, even though we agree on the Lord's Supper being important, matters and impacts so much else. 

I currently struggle with my deep appreciation for the Churches of Christ, which is my home and where I want to serve, and the fact that I simply disagree with much of the interpretations and even some of the practices of the typical Church of Christ. Northwest has been a blessing to me precisely because it is a place where honest searching is allowed and clinging to tradition for tradition's sake isn't institutional.  

This is where I'm at with my tradition. I stand in a place of both deep appreciation and love for where I've come from as well as disagreements and honest searching. This is a journey that is not over. This isn't my way of announcing that I'm leaving the Churches of Christ or anything like that. This is just me trying to be honest and open about where I'm at. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving, the day that we are supposed to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. It is a time of family reunions, football, and turkey eating. I sincerely pray that each and every one of you has a good day today. I'll admit that being thankful has not been easy for me this year. As pretty much all of you know, my mother passed away December of last year. Though she had been in the hospital for months, we were not expecting it. In fact I was sure she would be finally able to come home within a matter of weeks. Instead she peacefully passed on into the arms of Jesus, whom she loved more dearly than anyone else. As you can imagine, the entire family was heart broken. After what can easily be described as the worst Christmas ever, I returned to home to Illinois. It was here that I finally broke down. I spent the next months doing everything except being thankful. I cursed God, wept, screamed, begged to have her back, and was generally not the nicest person to be
3 comments
Read more

Matthew, The Promised Messiah

Imagine, if you will, living as a Jewish Christian in the first century. You grew up following the Mosaic Law and have studied the Old Testament backwards and forwards. The life of the synagogue, that shared community of faith, is precious to you. It was, for the longest time, the cohesive core of your walk of faith. You grew up waiting on the promises of God to be fulfilled. Now you've heard the good news you've been waiting for; the news the entire Jewish people have been waiting for. God has acted decisively! The covenant promises made to Abraham have at last been fulfilled! The Messiah has come! Eagerly you listen to those proclaiming the Messiah, a man named Jesus from the town of Nazareth. You listen and are astounded at his life and teaching. Truly this man was a great prophet, just as Moses promised. You listen in awe as your entire concept of royalty is turned on its head, as this Jesus assumed the throne as the promised king of Israel not by war or riches but by a
Post a Comment
Read more

Reading Aloud

What is the primary way we use Scripture today? I think the answer, at least in our society, is private reading and study. The majority of our spiritual advice can be summed up in "study the Bible more." The moral of many sermons is simply that we don't read the Bible enough. I think that this is absolutely true, but I probably mean something a little different. While I obviously agree that we, in general, don't read the Bible enough individually that isn't actually my main gripe. I think we don't read the Bible enough out loud, in community, as a part of worship. This, I think, should be a central part of our gatherings every week. We should simply read the Bible out loud and listen together in community. How much is the Bible read aloud in your gathering? I'm talking specifically about just reading, not during sermons or classes. How often is the Bible simply read without someone commenting on or explaining it? Just the Scriptures read aloud for all to h
Post a Comment
Read more