Post Tenebras Lux

Borrowed Conviction

In the age of the Internet, we are able to get our fill of teaching from all over the world. This is a blessing, but we should be careful not to fall into the trap of having a set of teachers from which we merely borrow convictions. My takeaway from this article is slightly different than the main point. At the end of the day, we need to ground ourselves in Scripture, not just what other people say. There is much wisdom in what these teachers say, but we need to develop our own convictions about these things, rather than just accept the teachings of others.

Quotes

  • A list of gurus is not the same as a developed set of theological convictions.
  • Read the Scriptures and pray and study and pray and ask and listen and pray until you know what that means. If you are coming to me, I can tell you and show you what I believe and why I believe it. I will try to persuade you, because these things are important. If you want to check out these things with someone else, that is your call. But don’t come to the conclusion that these things are not important, or you will end up living in a spiritual landscape without definition, in a house without the roof and walls that provide order and security.
  • Settle the basics of comprehensive Christian believing and living and then get on with the substance of that convinced life. Listen more - much more - to the undershepherds God has given you that to the ones he has given someone else (and steer clear of the men who claim to be shepherds but have given up on or been legitimately rejected by sheep).