Billy started a good conversation about deconstructive epistomology a couple days ago, and if you are anything like me, you will head straight over to dictionary.com for some help with words like hermeneutic and epistemology before you write the post off as too philosophical or “heady” for you. Because I am on a 2 week break from university, I have been reading other things besides text books required for my classes. I started reading How (Not) to Speak of God by Pete Rollins that discusses this very topic. I thought I’d share a quote from one of the many brilliant sections of the book that relates to this conversation:
In contrast to the view that evangelism is that which gives an answer for those who are asking, we must have faith to believe that those who seek will find for themselves. If this is true, then the job of the Church is not to provide an answer - for the answer is not a phrase or doctrine - but rather to help encourage the religious question to arise. In contrast to the type of sermon that aims to answer thought by providing clear explanation of a passage or area of Christian life, the emerging community is in a unique place to embrace a type of communication that opens up thought by asking questions and celebrating complexity.
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Hey Ryan! Have you stopped blogging? How are things with you guys?
I absolutely loved “How Not to Speak of God,” and while backpacking through Europe this summer got to meet Pete Rollins and attend some of Ikon’s events. It has started me down a new path in my faith journey that has way more questions than answers, but ironically it carries significantly more peace than any of the previous Christian doctrines or philosophies of faith that I have explored in the past.
In response to the quote that you posted. I realized as I have prayed through the idea that “the job of the Church is not to provide an answer…” that we (as Christians, the Church) have been attempting to “play God” in our attempts to make sense out of everything, esp. the Bible, and offer those who are seeking pat answers and a little prayer that will purchase their room in eternity. Shouldn’t we just leave all the answers up to God, trust that He will draw those who are seeking to Himself, and be content to walk the journey, live the adventure, be living examples of love, with those around us?
I am embraced by the fact that there are people out there who are actively seeking a spiritual life. It is a truly amazing thing when people go out into the world to find their own spirituality, and not just take whatever is passed to them by societal views.
I have read a few books on spiritual conquest, but only one of them sticks in my mind upon this encounter.
I have read a book called “ Sermon on the Mount” by Emmet Fox, and I was absolutely blown away. And it suffices to say that I was blown away solely on the fact that most of the book is about all of the active service that Jesus did. In fact he was against the ecclesiastics, or those who wished to preach from a podium, and talk of the “Word of God” rather than carry out actions that would actually help people.
As long as there are people out there who are putting time and effort into helping other people, then that is what gods word, to me anyway, is all about.
Continue the search my friend.