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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. 

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