Is Truth Relative?

Is Truth Relative?

In my last post I talked about looking for Truth, but Truth seems to be relative. I am sure most of you think that scripture is what I should base Truth on, and I love that idea, but there seems to be some inconsistencies. I am not suggesting that the Scriptures are inconsistent, however, I am saying that there is a lot of inconsistencies about what people believe about the Scriptures. You may say, “You just need to learn how to study the Scriptures”. Well, this is where it gets more complicated. While I was learning how to study the Scriptures in “Bible College” I used the skills I learned to interpret the Scriptures; only to be told by my professor that I was wrong. Well now that I am on my own, should I call my professor to make sure I am interpreting the Scriptures right? How can I trust my own interpretation?  Well maybe I am just not qualified to interpret Scripture. What about all the different Bible Colleges and Universities pumping out Masters of Divinity Graduates, who can’t agree on what the Bible is or isn’t saying? Is there one truth or is it relative? And who decides what that truth is?

            I don’t believe truth is relative but I am not convinced that I know everything or that I should have that burden on my shoulders. I have realized that I disagree with a lot of very smart people. So if it is as simple as submitting to the smartest person, who decides who that person is? And if we did decide who that is, what do we do with those that choose to rebel? And going back to my last post: what if God was the one who decided who we should submit to?

Sometimes when I talk to people about all of this I hear a common phrase: “No body is perfect” followed by “We are all broken” or “You can’t expect things to be perfect”. Well I can’t help to wonder, when we are trying to encourage our brothers and sisters to repent and persevere, what do we say to them when they respond with one of the previous statements? I don’t make a habit of making excuses for my friends when what they really need is to follow Jesus. Should I tell them “Yeah, you’re right. Don’t worry about the sin in your heart. We all make mistakes. Jesus understands. He doesn’t expect you do make an effort. Just keep doing what you’re doing. If God wanted you to change he would have made it easier for you; or at least more clear.” Or “Hey man, Grace!” Or how about “Less of you, more of Jesus.” What does that even mean? “Less of you” should mean “more of Jesus”. Jesus tells us to die to self, be humble, and repent. And repentance is an action step that takes humility and effort. So when I ask someone to be humble and they respond with “What do you expect from us?”- I expect humility. And if you are a leader in your church I expect you to lead by example. Am I wrong in expecting that?

I want to be clear. This is not a smear campaign or a hate letter. I am not trying to attack anyone. I just want to be clear about these things that seem to be contradictory.

So what do I think Orthodoxy will solve? Well, if there is such a thing as Apostolic Succession (A.S.), then it lies in the walls of the church that has been around since the time of Christ. What is the benefit of Apostolic Succession? If A.S. is real then it would mean that the Traditions and the Teachings of Jesus and the Apostles were passed down to each persons’ successors. Prior to what we now know as The Holy Bible, the Church relied on the Old Testament and the Traditions of the Church to learn about God and His teachings. The Church did not have The Bible to debate heresies, they only had the teachings that were passed down to them from the Church Fathers. Today we still rely on these Church Fathers when discussing common confusions such as Gnosticism, Christ’s Deity/Humanity, the Trinity, and the Resurrection.  It is because of the early Church that we have the Creeds, the Theology of the Trinity, and the Bible. If the Fruit of the Orthodox Church is all of these things and more, why should I be so quick to reject their teachings? But maybe it is all just a pipe dream. But I want to find out.

Just a note: I am trying to use this blog to explain my thoughts and not debate. So if you don’t understand some of the topics I am addressing or if I do a poor job explaining something, feel free to ask questions, but I highly suggest you do some research. Topics I suggest you check out would be: Church History, Apostolic Succession, Sacraments, The Eucharist, and Theosis.

A Flashback to a Simpler Time and the Results Thus Far.

A Flashback to a Simpler Time

Over eight years ago I was living the bachelors life. I was a few years out of college, living the life of a broke musician in Columbia, South Carolina. At the time, I was a part of a small community of believers, who met at a coffee shop instead of a traditional church. I spent a lot of my time hanging out with a group of “crust punks” and “train hoppers”, both Christian and non-Christian. Together we shared meals, rode bikes, went to shows, made art, explored the city and the wilderness, and discussed our ideas about faith. That year one of my good friends Eric told me that he was looking into converting to Catholicism. At the time this seemed like the craziest idea a believer could admit to.

My whole life, growing up, I was taught that Catholics were heretics, that exploited the gospel for power and control. I was taught to believe that they worshiped idols and prayed to a woman instead of Christ. And most of all, I was taught: “Catholics are not Christians”. 

This was my first impression when Eric told me the news of his interest in Catholicism. But, I must admit I was very curious about his journey. After a few very interesting conversations, Eric gave me a book that explained the major beliefs of the Catholic Church. Once I got past the chapters on the Sacraments, my understanding of Catholicism shifted dramatically. As I read the explanation of the sacraments, I found myself falling in love with Christianity all over again. The way this guy explained Baptism, Communion, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing the sick were absolutely romantic. I couldn’t figure out why people were so negative about the teachings of the Sacraments. All my life I have met people from every denomination who believe that you need to be “obedient” or “a good person” to earn your salvation, but we can’t trump good theology by pointing out bad Christians or Heretics within the fold. I would even go so far as to say; even bad pastors aren’t a good enough reason to discount good biblical theology. So, why was I taught to reject these teachings from the Catholic Church? Well, because…

            That same year, a friend of mine from California was in town visiting for a few days. He was a telling me about how he was considering becoming a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. After some inquiry, he explained how he felt like he had learned all he could from his current church, of which he was a deacon, and that he wanted to grow deeper in his faith. Even though I spouted out some reasoning for more prayer and devotion time, I really didn’t know what to tell him. He said things about Orthodoxy that I had never heard before, and I decided to do some research.

Up until this point the only thing I knew about Orthodoxy was that they prayed to paintings and worshiped idols; or so I was told. Either way I thought they were not “real” Christians. This is decision to look deeper into Orthodoxy is what really created a deep longing in my heart to discover the “One True Church” or “One Single Bowl of Mixed Fruit”. 

I started my research by reading a few books on the teachings of the Orthodox Church. This was very enlightening and also very challenging. And very much like my experience with the Catholic book I read; I was finding, that instead of being upset, I was becoming more excited about my own faith. Next I read a few books that were written by Protestant pastors who converted to Orthodoxy, after they themselves did research in an attempt disprove its statements of authority. I found these books hit all too close to home. It was almost like I was reading my own diary. They were wrestling with all of the same questions I was wrestling with and they seemed to be experiencing the same fears and frustrations I was also dealing with. When I was finished reading these books, I felt like I could have converted right then and there (which I couldn’t), but there were some things that I was still not ready to accept. So I did a little more research and found myself very conflicted. I didn’t know how to reconcile these mixed emotions and ideas; so I didn’t.

Over the next few years I found myself hostile toward the Protestant Church as a whole. I still went to church and loved the relationships I had, but I couldn’t shake this feeling that something was missing or that some things just didn’t add up.

When Alisha and I were living in Atlanta we were going to a Vineyard church that was in the process of converting to an Anglican Church. This felt more like home than I have ever felt. They were so intentional about recognizing the earlier traditions of the Church and it felt so right. It was neither mindless nor legalistic. It was organic and genuine. It even had a modern flare because they still used a band for worship instead of the tradition piano or organ you usually find in an Anglican church. While I was there I was content. But then we moved back to Columbia. We visited the Anglican Church in town but it felt so sterile and forced. I decided that we would just look around for a better fit. Eventually we landed at a church that treated us like family from the start. It was just what we needed at the time. We have spent the last four years attending that same church and it has been great. However, I can’t seem to shake this feeling that I am missing something.

Like I said, my community has been great. They have been there for me during some really dark times of my life and I can’t express how much they have been a blessing to my family and me. However, I often found myself feeling like I didn’t share a lot of the same ideas about the faith. We would often talk about these ideas but it never went anywhere. It has just gotten to the point where I feel like I am arguing about something I am hearing from the pulpit. So I asked myself, “If all my arguments are coming from the perspective of the Orthodox Church, why am I still not Orthodox?”

Now, here is part of the conundrum. One of the biggest questions I am wrestling with is the question of Authority. One of the questions you maybe asking is, “Why don’t you just submit yourself to your church leaders and their teachings?” A good friend of mine once asked me, “How does one get authority?” My answer was “authority is either handed down from above or it is given from below”. Now that may not be 100% accurate, but let me explain what I mean. If we elect someone into office, we are giving someone authority by putting them above our selves. We are then choosing to be led by them. The benefit of this scenario is we get to choose who we want to lead us. We also get to change leaders when we don’t like what happens or when discipline is a threat. When Jesus gave the Apostles authority he gave it to them via his own authority, therefore passing it down. The challenge with this scenario is that we don’t decide who is in charge and if we don’t like what they have to say we don’t get to participate. But we also benefit from knowing that they are the ambassadors of God and not the ambassadors of US. Today the modern church is a mix of both; some churches are passing down their authority to a younger generation, while others are taking it with an “if you build it they will come” mentality.  The latter may not always be a bad thing but it tends to be on the unhealthy side. Rick Warren is one of the most popular names in Christian America. He was the Pastor of one of the largest churches in America. Some would say that because his church was big and growing larger and larger that he must be doing God’s will. However, he was often criticized for selling a watered down gospel covered with positivity and a smile. Last year his church went into bankruptcy. Does any of this discredit him or his ministry? Should we even care? What about the small church plant that was born out of rebellion? What about the thriving local ministry that is above reproach? Who is responsible to confront the local church about turning their pastor into a little Pope? Who will confront the Pastor who acts like a king instead of a servant? Sadly, I think it is easy to confront individuals about accountability and submitting to authority, but it seems almost impossible to hold church leaders to that same standard.

So to tie this post all together: I have grown discontent with the “build a Jesus” mentality; that church is a personal expression of faith that we get to make up as we go along. I see a trend of using the Bible to justify our emotional whims, while ignoring the scriptures that are a threat to our precious Traditions. And even though this sounds very harsh: my observations so far have shown me that while Orthodoxy seems to be a practice of humility and piety, Protestants have shown me nothing but pride and arrogance while defending their stance on these issues. Now don’t get me wrong, I am willing to admit that these observations, of mine, don’t prove anyone more right than the other. I just want you the reader to understand why I am so eager to figure this out.

What is “this”? “This” thing is Truth. I want to know if God built his Church and if the Gates of Hell are still at bay. Or did the Gates prevail, and are we trying to salvage the wreckage? I want to believe that the Church has been and is still intact; and that it has not been tainted. I don’t want to have to feel like I am just guessing anymore.

An Introduction to an Open Confession.

An Introduction

So this blog is an attempt to discuss my journey in Christianity (Specifically pertaining to my investigation of Eastern Orthodoxy) with the hope that it will create an atmosphere of unity amongst Christians, despite denomination. I know that a lot of people don’t agree with my beliefs and most people will probably find this whole thing quite confusing; however, I really think starting this blog will be the easiest way to express my thoughts and allow others to add their thoughts as well. I know these things can often create lots of heated debates, but I hope that it becomes a place where people can ask questions and express their thoughts on different topics pertaining to the faith. 

A Bowl of Mixed Fruit.

Like a lot of southern boys, I grew up going to church with my family. Something that set my family apart right off the bat was we went to a lot of different types of churches. My parents took my siblings and me to Baptist churches growing up; but on holidays and special occasions I would go to my grandparents church, which was a Pentecostal Holiness church. So early on, I was exposed to both a very conservative, reserved, and intellectually driven flavor of the faith that had a strong assurance of salvation, and a hyper charismatic, spirit filled, emotionally driven flavor of the faith, where the certainty of salvation was not so assured. Around middle school, I developed a faith of my own and I started attending an Assembly of God church; mainly because of the youth group. This flavor of the faith seemed to be a blend of the two flavors I grew up with. During High School, I spent most of my teenage years as a very dedicated Christian in two very diverse environments; a private Christian School, where most of the students came from a wide range of flavors of the faith and the underground punk scene, where my beliefs were far from the social norm. During this season of life my family was attending a Presbyterian Church where Salvation was thought of more like a Spiritual Lottery. But despite my exposure to so many denominations (including Evangelicals, Southern Baptist, Nazarene, and Episcopal) I was taught early on that Catholics and Orthodox Christians were absolutely NOT actual Christians. Based on all the “logic” that accompanied these warnings, it was not hard to convince me of this way of thinking. After high school I moved to Florida where I went to a few different churches, some were enjoyable and others I didn’t care for so much. As an adult I have been a member of house churches, small church plants, Vineyard churches, Anglican, Non-denominational, and Inter-denominational. I eventually explored Catholic and Orthodox churches as well (much more to come on that topic later). So far my life has been greatly exposed to the many different flavors of the faith, and I think that these flavors have, over time, greatly affected my taste buds. 

I really like the idea of comparing the Church to a bowl of fruit. In a bowl of fruit you can find a variety of delicious flavors that all have different health benefits. Not everyone likes all the flavors but everyone can benefit from the many nutrients in that bowl. Now this metaphor isn’t supposed to be flawless and the truth is that the church isn’t flawless either.

Being exposed to so many Denominations has had its pros and cons. Yes I was exposed to a lot of different doctrines and theologies, and I will discuss that later, but what I really want to talk about is the communities that I was exposed to.

Amongst all the different churches I went to, they all had their core communities. These communities had rhythms and personalities that were organic and genuine. And despite their beliefs about spiritual gifts, baptism, communion, or salvation, they all had passion for their members and for the growth of the Church. They all wanted to see people connect and they all wanted to see the Gospel spread in the local community. They all sang songs and prayed and read the Bible. They all had yearly rhythms and celebrations and traditions. (For the sake of this blog I will keep referring to all of these things as “Traditions”.) Some of these Traditions seem so different and yet, other than frequency and style, for some of these churches these traditions are almost indistinguishable. Now, I will say that most of these churches would agree that 90% of what they are practicing is all “right and good”, but most of them would disagree on why they are doing these things. This is where doctrine begins to dictate what makes these Churches so different. But, let me interject something. I understand that the leadership plays a major role in the “what”, the “when”, and the “why”, but it really isn’t that simple. However, as much as there are people who genuinely dig deep into the depths of their faith and the “why” they do what they do, I have found that a lot of people just go with the flow. People, like sheep, like to be led. People tend to settle into a church that fits their personalities and their personal preferences; some people just go because “It’s Tradition”. People want something that feels familiar. Over the years, I have been invited to churches, by countless individuals who believe the pastor, the music, the atmosphere, or the special event at their church would appeal to me. I have even been invited to churches because of special emotional or physical healing opportunities. These people invite me (mostly) because they truly believe that their Church has something for me; something they have found for themselves. People often settle into a church because that church meets a need in their life. That need may be as simple as “I want to go to church because it’s the right thing to do” and for them that is as far as it goes. For others, it may be a much more complicated reason. Over the years, I have grown to appreciate some of the different Traditions these Churches have to offer, and I can’t help to feel like I am missing something when a Church doesn’t practice certain Traditions. This brings me to the Cons.

As someone who analyzes everything, I can’t help but to wonder, “Why do some people believe or practice this part of the faith but not these other parts?”. You may go back to the “Bowl of Fruit” analogy and say, “God put the different nutrients inside the many different fruits so that we would be motivated to try and enjoy the many different flavors.” If that is true, why do we keep separate bowls with only one kind of fruit in its’ designated bowl? Although some churches may believe that they themselves are a healthy mix of fruit, they still tend to leave out certain flavors. Let me be more specific. I have been to plenty of Churches that are very open to the Holy Spirit. These Churches have seen the Power of God work miracles in their community. Some of these Churches experience God’s healing the physically broken and some of them experience freedom from the demonic. Some of these Churches embrace the many gifts such as prophecy and speaking in tongues. Other Churches I have gone to don’t want anything to do with these types of things. They tend to act as if the Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin and point you toward Jesus; outside of those two things, He just doesn’t make much of an appearance. Or, if He does we just don’t make a big deal about it; “we don’t want to look like fanatics or scare anyone off”. I have been to other Churches that are very big on Theology and Intellectual Reason. They emphasize understanding and practical application of the Bible, but not spiritual gifts. These Churches tend to be more Humanistic in their approach to the Faith. And then, some Churches love the history and early traditions of the church and don’t care to move forward. Whether those traditions are from the 4^th Century or the 16^th Century has more to do with the denomination than anything else. And some Churches don’t have any ties historically to the earlier Traditions, at all; they are completely Modern in every way. Again, lots of Fruit, lots of flavors, lots of bowls.

But this doesn’t answer my question. Obviously this has just been my observation. Why do some people single out a particular trait of the Faith and build their Community around it? Why leave out so many other good traits? We are all reading the same Bible, aren’t we?

Before I try to answer any of those questions or pretend to anyway; I want to talk about a few other observations. Some similarities that aren’t so nice.

One thing that I can say from my observations is that every Church I’ve attended, on some level, has people who truly love God and serve His Kingdom. These people are intelligent and loving and full of the Holy Spirit. These people are truly co-heirs with Christ. That being said, every Church has a few tools in the shed that just aren’t that sharp. And these people don’t know all the answers, they can’t recite scripture, they can’t tell you why they do what they do or what their Traditions are all about. They may not even be able to explain the way to salvation. This does NOT mean that they are not believers. This also does NOT mean that their Church or Community is “Invalid”. I am saying all of this because I have heard many people discount a local ministry because they “know somebody there that is _______” and “there’s no way those people are Christians”. I am convinced I could walk into any Church and find someone there who doesn’t “make the cut”. That being said it has been a major struggle for me to be humble and consider others better than myself. I have left many Churches feeling superior because “I know better” or “those guys are so far off”. I believe that “Everyone thinks they are right”. I have never met someone who openly admits they are wrong and their ideas are not correct. If you do, it is because you think you have found the “right” answer and now you can be “right” again. For those of you who are stuck in your knowingly “wrong” ways, you are still somehow “right” because you at least “know the truth”. Now I am not saying that everyone is “right” and that there is no “wrong”. But if we all think we are “right” then we must think that everyone else is also “wrong”; unless we agree. So, what do we truly believe about all these different fruits and all of these different bowls? Are we just picking and choosing? Is that okay? Are we condemning the bowls that contain the fruit we don’t like the taste of? Is this what God intended for us? Or does he want us to embrace one bowl with all the different fruits in it?

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Some of the fruit is rotten. And for some reason it looks like someone threw a bunch of “Nuts” in the bowl. Look, this bowl is contaminated and eventually the whole bowl will be a waste”.  Well, isn’t that why we had a reformation? Good point. However, has the reformation ever stopped? Have we really gotten all the bad fruit out? How do we know we aren’t the bad fruit or the nuts? How do we decide what is “right” and “wrong”? These are the questions that I am having a hard time with.

It would seem easy to see that some things God blesses and others He doesn’t. That would seem logical but I have two problems with this idea. 1) God bless many ministries that are very different types of fruit. So by default I would have to embrace both. 2) Good ministries often get attacked by the enemy and God lets it happen. That is why we are encouraged to persevere. So, if a ministry looks like it is failing, that doesn’t make it default to “God must not approve”.

So what if I refined this statement by saying “Test the tree by it’s Fruit”. Well then, I would have to reiterate: “Why are we rejecting the Good Fruit that is out there?” Let me ask this one more way. “How can we balance out the lack of a balanced meal?”

I don’t suppose that I have all the answers, but I am looking. So this blog is just a way for me to get those ideas out there and share them with my community. Feel free to ask questions, or offer your ideas, about these posts.