There is a problem with Fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity. Okay, there are many, but here is one that I’ve been thinking about lately:
Folks that adhere to Fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity say that they KNOW their beliefs are true….(is this because they are afraid of being thought un-spiritual or unfaithful if they express any doubt whatsoever?). Instead, I suggest they say that they BELIEVE their beliefs are true.
After all, they cannot KNOW them to be true because the tenets of their faith cannot be proven. I’m sure someone right now is wanting to throw Lee Strobel’s “The Case For Christ” at my head. To those who would like to do that, I offer this rebuttal from Jeffery J. Lowder.
Besides…is it faith if you KNOW something to be true? As blogger and author Matthew Paul Turner states: “I’m not sure that a faith made up of a list of non-negotiable ‘truths’ is actually faith at all.” Turner has written two fantastic posts on this subject at his blog “Jesus Needs New PR” : Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.
I can relate to the story that Turner tells…especially in Part 2. He recieved an email with a bullet point list of “non-negotiables” that a Christian has to believe in order to be “saved”. I, too, was emailed a list like that (which I promptly deleted and didn’t respond to). I was told by this same emailer that they questioned whether I had EVER been saved. So let me set the record straight. Of course I prayed the sinner’s prayer! At age 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (at which point I was baptized making it official), and so on throughout my teens, until age 18. I began praying the sinner’s prayer again at age 25, 26 (at which point I was baptized AGAIN, just to make sure!) and so on throughout my twenties and thirties. I know, I know…you only need to pray once and BAM that’s it. But seriously guys. You know how it is! You REALLY wanna make sure it sticks (especially when you’re being threatened with hell!).
I suppose it would have been much more palatable for my questioner to think that I’d never “accepted Jesus into my heart” than to think that I’d deconstructed my belief system to a point of…disbelief.
I believe that Christianity would be less offensive if Christians would admit that it’s merely a belief system rather than actual truth. However, most (but thankfully, not all) Fundamentalist Christians don’t mind being offensive. I guess they feel it’s their right because they think they have the “truth.”
Sigh.
I did the same thing, over and over again i felt i had to be “Saved” to make sure!! And i can say now, that i’m not fighting to force myself to believe something… i feel so relieved. Like you said, how can you ever be 100% sure. I feel like faith is a constant journey one where you will always doubt at some point, where you will question. You have to or else you cant grow, without questions and wonder how can you learn? You cant just be stuck in what you think you know is “right”. you have to force yourself to search for more out there.
Anyway, just my thoughts.
Lauren, I agree completely! Faith IS a constant journey and you never know where it will take you. But you won’t grow unless you allow yourself to question and wonder. Another great quote from Matthew Paul Turner: “…How is it possible to seek truth when you’re convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that you already know it by heart?”
) Thanks for commenting!