Friday, February 14, 2014
It's Always Legalism
Out of Ur had a bit of spat with World Magazine. I found the whole thing way too academic and way too territorial. Ur was protecting words like "missional" and "radical" while World, one of the most legalistic publications in the Christian publishing world was accusing people of being legalistic - stunning to say the least.
I could not help but think that both were missing the point. Christ did not come to establish schools of thought or doctrines. He knew they would arise in His wake and He knows of their necessity - but Christ came to change people. Change them in a way that they would understand how relatively unimportant such things are.
The whole discussion arises in response to stress and burn out amongst young Christians. They both presume such is more prevalent today than it used to be. I have not seen the stats - I frankly do not know. What I do know is that stress and burn out amongst young Christians is as old as the hills. And much, if not most of it, is born because they are driven to conform to a school of thought or a set of ideas, or a few chosen vision words instead of shaped into men and women whom God can use in any number of ways.
Instead of helping them discover their gifts and talents, their capabilities and desires - Instead giving them and intellectual base to chose their own school of thought - Instead of opening their hearts to God and allowing them to discover the Holy Spirit we try to turn them into clones. We wan thtem to line up and march in lock step.
I sound like some sort of hippie and I do not want to, but I do know this - when we respond to the real pain of real people that seek to serve God by arguing about words, we have missed the point. We have all become legalists.
Spirit legalism words
I could not help but think that both were missing the point. Christ did not come to establish schools of thought or doctrines. He knew they would arise in His wake and He knows of their necessity - but Christ came to change people. Change them in a way that they would understand how relatively unimportant such things are.
The whole discussion arises in response to stress and burn out amongst young Christians. They both presume such is more prevalent today than it used to be. I have not seen the stats - I frankly do not know. What I do know is that stress and burn out amongst young Christians is as old as the hills. And much, if not most of it, is born because they are driven to conform to a school of thought or a set of ideas, or a few chosen vision words instead of shaped into men and women whom God can use in any number of ways.
Instead of helping them discover their gifts and talents, their capabilities and desires - Instead giving them and intellectual base to chose their own school of thought - Instead of opening their hearts to God and allowing them to discover the Holy Spirit we try to turn them into clones. We wan thtem to line up and march in lock step.
I sound like some sort of hippie and I do not want to, but I do know this - when we respond to the real pain of real people that seek to serve God by arguing about words, we have missed the point. We have all become legalists.
Spirit legalism words
