Some have questioned my wisdom in “planting seeds of doubt” about the foundation upon which so many have built their faith, i.e. the church. However, I sat through plenty of non-member classes where the primary strategy for making converts was to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of attendees about the errors they once believed.
So I ask: Shouldn’t we not only plant seeds of doubt about teachings we believe to be erroneous, but nurture them? Isn’t that a duty of Christians, to seek truth relentlessly? Didn’t Peter plant seeds of doubt in the minds of his listeners on Mars’ Hill? How about Paul, when he told the Galatian church that he marveled how soon they had wandered away from the pure and simple gospel? Wasn’t he planting seeds of doubt about their errors?
I believe it is dangerous to put such deep faith in an institution of men which has given us such wildly unbiblical teachings about sex, wine, travel, attire, etc., all the while claiming exclusive status as the One True Church. When the institution falters, and it will, because it is made by human hands, so will the faith of its members. And that’s exactly why I contend that the faith of so many has been damaged or destroyed by this group. They’ve been taught that this church is the only place they can put their trust. I contend the only place we can put our trust is not in any human institution, but in Jesus Christ himself, and him crucified.
Therefore, it’s a good thing to question with boldness our own assumptions to make sure we are not believing a lie. That doesn’t mean we are tossed about with every wind of doctrine. There is a balance between having confidence in what we believe, and having the humility to realize we aren’t perfect and don’t know it all.
A good Catholic may have rested his faith in the institutions of the Catholic Church his whole life. Is he not right to doubt what once seemed like such a firm foundation to him? Or should he be open to the possibility that there is a more sure foundation he should put his trust in? It may be hard for him to make the change if he’s devoted decades of his life to defending Catholicism, but can’t we agree that he’s wise, not foolish, to ponder his doubts about the Catholic Church?
I’ll grant you that it’s scary to be confronted with your own misunderstandings and be forced to re-examine so many of the assumptions you believed true for so many years. Believe me–I know because I’ve been through this process myself. I know how hard it is, and the risks involved. You risk leaving those you love behind in your journey of spiritual growth. But the reward of pursuing truth is so much greater than comfort with the status quo, and if we let our love shine to those around us, we’ll have the greatest chance of bringing them along with us on our journey.
Therefore, doubt about our errors is just as essential as faith in what is truth. We don’t have to fear doubt it if we are honestly seeking truth, because truth doesn’t need to be afraid of a lie. No matter our age, no matter how long we held our past opinions, we have to examine our doubts about the errors we once accepted, and if found to be valid, start rebuilding on the only proper foundation, the rock of Jesus Christ himself.
Doubt is simply part of our growth process. We first doubt things when we see evidence our old ideas might have been mistaken. When our seeds of doubts are confirmed and we are convicted of our past errors, we can use those doubts to drive our quest for truth. Pursue truth honestly and vigorously, and God will make sure we find it.
Hi Kevin, I have sat through classes in 3 states and they did the exact same thing in each of them — pump themselves up with ridiculously long commentaries about why they were better than all other churches or religions. It took until I was in my twenties for me to be creeped out by it. Do you know what came to mind one Sunday morning? This is exactly what the Nazis did. As horrible as that comparison is, it is the same thinking. The words in the hymn were so contradictory to the "teaching" that previously ensued that I… Read more »
Anonymous 11:46, I've thought about that many times. 99% of the songs they sing were penned by people they would never allow to speak at one of their assemblies. They wouldn't even acknowledge their prayer or serve them the Lord's supper. I find it rude to be using their hymns and standing on the shoulders of such gifted, albeit imperfect men.
Kevin, would you consider having a 'guest blogger'?
Anonymous that posted 8/16 @ 11:46pm. It creeped me out when I went to a non-member class and out of everyone there I realized at the end that I was the only non-member in the class! That should have been my first clue to RUN. I have also thought about them singing songs written by the "sinners" that they condemn. I would call their tactics as cult like (you're expected to give up your friends (because they are worldly) and have little contact with your family (unless they are also members) & being traveling is only allowed for specific reasons… Read more »
Your anonymous bloggers are getting ugly, Kevin.
First of all, these are not "my" bloggers. With maybe one or two exceptions, I have no idea who any anonymous posters are, because they are anonymous even to me. However, I can say that the things said above have been my experience as well, so I don't know what is ugly about it except the truth. It is what I observed with my own two eyes. Even the Nazi comparison is valid to the extent that the Nazi party was a master of message control and indoctrination. They also trained people to turn in their neighbors if they suspected… Read more »
The Library of Congress has within its archives my biography; The Life of Elder Walter Scott. The Church of Christ is the result of all my work on the earth in my time. It shook the religious world with a great impact so much so my biography has this kind of respect. Be careful what you say about the Lord's Church, you may be in danger of a grievous transgression. Acts 5:38-"And now I say unto you, refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this counsel or this work be of me, it will be overthrown: but… Read more »
This movement has been clearly shown to be the works of men, not God, and we have reaped the fruits of broken families and estranged relationships for over 45 years. I'd say that's a long enough experiment in the destruction of the family as God designed it. Reform it, reform the hearts within it, or get out of it and let the house of cards crash to the ground. We have to stop nullifying the Word of God by propping up the traditions of men. And I'm certain Elder Scott would stand with me on this. He stood for going… Read more »
I'm pretty 150% sure that this is not the "Lord's Church"
There are only a few men in the sect who would know people were withdrawn from for not attending worship in Elder Scott's time. Perhaps the poster believes the oppression in Scott's time can be compared with today's oppression. In 1995 the evangelist warned all the teachers and preachers not to share restoration movement literature with their brethren. He held up his Bible and declared, "Give them this." Are we disobeying instruction by resurrecting restoration movement writings? Did you get clearance from the older ones? -because this is not allowed. I heard it with my own ears in 1995.
It's like Merie wrote in that old church debate book, "Be careful." But were we so careful that we took extra steps to eliminate the chaff?
Anonymous 1:50, I don't understand your point. Can you clarify?
Merie had a collection of books, mostly out of print. These were published Church of Christ debates and other materials – hardbacks. She wrote on the inside cover of one of the books, "Be careful with this," or something to that effect. She gave one of her Bibles to your mother. She gave most of her books to one individual. This is the same individual who warned the churches not to distribute extra-biblical literature. When Elder Scott cited extra-biblical sources, he had to be reminded, there's a rule against that, just like the ASV. Can't pick and choose. Either follow… Read more »