Being serious

Presbyterians are serious people.  Many things are they serious about, but one of the things they are really serious about is the Bible. 

When you are among people who don't take the Bible as seriously as these guys do, and if you yourself don't take the Bible as seriously, then different things will matter.  But when you are serious about the Bible, and are among others who take it seriously, then certain issues and how you deal with them take a different style of dealing with.

Creation, for example.  Me, being someone who takes the Bible at face value (ie, a fundie, or, put differently, someone who believes what most orthodox Christians have always believed), was certainly in the minority in my old denomination.  They had grown beyond that sort of thing, you see, because the Bible was no longer the word of God and without error.  They were, however, 'tolerant', and that meant they were supposed to tolerate people like me with antiquated views of the Bible.  I never had anyone say anything to me about being 'wrong' (or even different) - perhaps it was rather quaint that some people still existed in the world who had those sort of beliefs, and they treated me a bit like the Tasmanian Tiger.

The New Presbyterians (and other evangelicals at college) are different.  Everyone has the same basic view of the Bible, so when we disagree on this or any of the other hot button issues, our battle ground is not opinion or personal preference but understanding and interpreting the word of God.  There are more people who think what I think than I am used to, but the people who don't think like I think are also more vocal about why they think I am wrong, and why I ought to change.

While this might be confronting in one way it is also reassuring in another - we are, despite our deep disagreements, actually in agreement about the important things like Christ, the atonement, and the nature of Scripture.  It also makes the little things into bigger things, however, because how we read the Bible effects these big, core beliefs.  A misreading on the periphery may lead to a misreading at the central core, and no one wants that.

We reformed people are serious, and we do serious things seriously.  Those who agree with my position on creation include those who deny the Trinity and Christ's once for all atoning work (Jehovah's Witnesses and Orthodox Jews), so we don't have a common fellowship of faith, merely of a deeply held conviction relating to our faith.  My view of creation isn't the only thing, let alone the main thing I want people to hear me talking about (unless it is their stumbling block in getting to Jesus).  Those who agree with my core theology yet disagree on this matter, however, need to understand how foundational it is both to the nature of God and his redemption of mankind.  Despite this, though, you are still my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus makes a big claim on our lives, and we should all follow him.  Seriously.