Until then, I want to point you to an article that I just read. Literally, I just finished reading it, and I don't think I've read something that's summed up my views on an issue this well and coming at such a perfect time as this. The article is called "No Voices in my Head" and it's by Bill MacKinnon who writes some at the blog The Internet Monk which has quickly become one of my favorites. The article concerns the idea of God's leading or personal revelation to individuals and how obsessed the evangelical church in America has become with "feeling led" by God or "hearing" from God in a private way. Here are two excerpts, one from the beginning of the article and one from the end:
I’m a lousy Christian.
There. I’ve said it. People say that admitting it is the first step. What makes me a lousy Christian you ask? Hidden sin? Lukewarm commitment? Worldliness?
I wish.
At least if it were one of those, I could do something about it. No, what makes me a lousy Christian is something I don’t seem to be able to do anything about. You see, God isn’t speaking to me. He won’t give me assignments. He didn’t tell me who to marry. He was obstinately silent when I had to decide whether to take my current job. He doesn’t give me secret knowledge about other people or situations. In short, He isn’t doing for me what seemingly the rest of the evangelical church claims He is doing for them.
and
It is curious to me that if someone in a typical evangelical church stood up and said an angel spoke to him and told him that God wanted him to be a missionary to Africa , we would be very skeptical at best. Yet if that same person stood up and said that he “just really feel led to go to Africa to be a missionary”, the "amens" and applause would be deafening. Yet the former is biblical and the latter is not.
Read the article. It's not that long. Don't be turned off by what seems to be cynicism about the idea that God could speak to people privately. He says in the article that he's not talking about what God can do but about what we can teach (read: tell people to expect).
I imagine that when I summarize my thoughts over the last few months, this issue will play prominently into the discussion. Read the article and if you have the time and energy I'd love to hear what you think about it, positive or negative. Any of your thoughts will help me work out my own.
In other news, I leave in about seven hours to go to Atlanta with my family to hang out with my dad's side of the family for the weekend. There's about 30 of us so it should be loud. It's always a good time. If anything awesome happens I'll be sure to let you know.
4 comments:
Hey Chris! My Google Analytics records are going to be OFF THE CHARTS. I think I just watched every video clip on your blog. I need to get a life...and go to bed! :-) But I thought I'd let you know that I just dedicated a post to you and your blog on my own blog: http://la-frenchfry.livejournal.com
Have a happy new year!
Thanks for posting this, Chris. Like you, I'm going to have to think more about it before I can really comment on it, but one thing I appreciate is his dedication to the Word.
Ironically, I thought the "Back to School" method was going to be the typical,'all the answers are in there; just read the Bible and pray' response so often given. However, MacKinnon, I think, does seem to distinguish between that and the actual study of Scripture, insomuch as his closing comments hint at the fact that wisdom for specific instances derives from the underlining principles ("instructions, messages, exhortations, rebukes") provided by God's Word. The spirit of the Text is the same Spirit in me.
"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident.... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."
Wow. That is an awesome article. I think his conclusion is the only sensible one he can make, given the information he presents. (Though I would point out that his examples are all drawn from the Old Testament, where God often did audibly speak to people when He led them. I don't think it's quite as clear how He spoke to people in the New Testament.) Still, the "gut feeling" approach to God's leading is fuzzy and subjective, hardly a good basis for making major decisions. This was really helpful for me right now. Thanks for posting it. Happy New Year!
Something I noticed about his assessments were the times when the Bible mentions that the Spirit of God led a person to do something. For instance, the Spirit of God would come on Samson and he would just start kicking butt against the Philistines. Another instance, though it probably can't be compared much with the one above is when Jesus was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to be tempted. The question I, too, have is what does it actually mean to be "led" by the Spirit of God. Is it a feeling? I think I may have somewhat of an answer. It's from C.S. Lewis's book, Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold. Speaking of a complaint she had previously made against the gods, that they never directly spoke to humanity but chose to remain silent or to mask themselves in riddles at best, she says this:
"I ended my first book with the words no answer. [Referring to the gods response to her questions.] I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out into battle against other words."
Though I'm not exactly sure how to explain this, I think that idea is going to be partially where you find your answer. I recommend this book. Lewis has a way of revealing the Beyond in a way that I have not yet encountered in any other author.
Post a Comment