Saturday, July 30, 2005
Rhetoric Too Strong?
This post from Adrian Warnock saddened me. Not because of what Adrian had to say, but because he felt he had to offer an apologetic for the source he used.
Adrain is drawing a lesson from a book by Bill Hybels, the Willow Creeek megachurch master. As a strong critic of the megachurch movement, I am forced to wonder if my rhetoric and the rhetoric of others with similar veiws is so strong that Adrian felt compelled to offer the apologetic prior to making some good points?
When it comes to politics, there are people I refuse to read. They are simply so consitently wrong that it becomes a waste of time. But when it comes to my Christian related reading, I will read anybody, and have yet to find a book from which I cannot pull something valuable.
If there is any lesson I have learned in trying to be a "thinking" Christian, it is that it is very possible to be too dogmatic. I am confident, I am even stubborn, but I work very hard to avoid going all the way over into dogmatic -- for down that path comes idolatry. When we hold what we think we know about God as more important than other people, our thoughts of God have risen to the level of idol.
Every now and then I wish some of my commenters understood that, but such is blogging life. I hereby invite you to tell me if I am ever being dogmatic -- bear in mind I reserve the right to be stubborn, but if dogmatic, sing out.
Adrain is drawing a lesson from a book by Bill Hybels, the Willow Creeek megachurch master. As a strong critic of the megachurch movement, I am forced to wonder if my rhetoric and the rhetoric of others with similar veiws is so strong that Adrian felt compelled to offer the apologetic prior to making some good points?
When it comes to politics, there are people I refuse to read. They are simply so consitently wrong that it becomes a waste of time. But when it comes to my Christian related reading, I will read anybody, and have yet to find a book from which I cannot pull something valuable.
If there is any lesson I have learned in trying to be a "thinking" Christian, it is that it is very possible to be too dogmatic. I am confident, I am even stubborn, but I work very hard to avoid going all the way over into dogmatic -- for down that path comes idolatry. When we hold what we think we know about God as more important than other people, our thoughts of God have risen to the level of idol.
Every now and then I wish some of my commenters understood that, but such is blogging life. I hereby invite you to tell me if I am ever being dogmatic -- bear in mind I reserve the right to be stubborn, but if dogmatic, sing out.
