I had 2 interesting visitors last week. They were warm, amiable, and eager to share. It was fascinating to listen to them... fascinating as it is to converse with those who speak with a distinct, respectful passion... like those who’ve gone before us... Jimmy V., Og Mandino, and women’s basketball’s Kay Yow. Their passion prompted them to share... to hopefully sharpen those around them. These specific 2 expected to sharpen whoever answered my door.
As the religious walkers stood at my door, they found themselves encamped on tangents that diluted their message. In my desire to encourage them to hone the message (and thus said passion), I decided to gently challenge them: “You know, if I felt called to walk door-to-door, sharing hopeful news, knowing this may be my lone opportunity for personal interaction with a specific person, I would attempt to steer the conversation to what’s most important. What’s most important that you would have me know?”
Still amiable. Still eager. But their ambiguity fogged the dialogue. So I again repeated, “What’s most important to you? Is it most important that I have an authentic faith and know who God is - or is it more important that I join your church?”
God bless my 2 visitors, but they still rambled in some kind of familiar-talking-point kind of answer. I tried once more: “I mean no disrespect, but the 2 of you are not answering my question. Let me make it easier for you: do you equate having a saving faith with being a member of your specific church?”
Finally, with great hesitation (and after 1 more acknowledgement of not answering my question), the more experienced of the visitors said, “Ok, I’ll answer you,” and amid her discomfort she said, “No, BUT this is the best way I’ve found to have a saving faith.” Ah, finally... an answer. After encouraging my newfound friend to refrain from starting sentences with the word “but,” I decided to be a little transparent...
“My friends... I have great respect for what you are doing. I have great respect for your passion and for your desire to know God and make Him known. But I get frustrated with your denomination because there exists such a perceived arrogance - perhaps unintentionally - but an arrogance is presented that assumes your manmade denomination has God all figured out... I can’t tell if it’s more important to you if I have an authentic faith or become a member of your church.”
As the dialogue continued respectfully but now building in intensity, my friend tried to share with me that biblically, there exists support for only one “people group” that has ever rightly worshipped God. I then asked how she reconciled such teaching with the intentional grafting in of the Gentiles - IN ADDITION to the Jewish nation. (The stunned look on her face told me the talking points failed to cover that question.)
There are lots of aspects we could dwell on from this encounter. There were more words, waves of comic relief, and multiple moments in which I was thankful for my equipping study of the Hebrew and Greek. But knowing God is at work in our lives in ways that speak loudest to each of us - that are thus different for each of us, my conclusion today is simply this: there is no place for arrogance within authentic faith. Authentic faith means loving God back for all He has done for us. That’s not an arrogant thought. Rather, it should blow us away.
My husband was funny. He said to watch out. “They’ll either be back with their supervisor or they made a note on their way out... ‘We’re never going back to her house again!’”
Either way is fine with me. They will be welcomed with warmth. Not to mention humility.
AR
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2 comments:
Thanks for sharing this story Ann!
I would totally agree with your summary that there is no place for arrogance within authentic faith. An interesting point made on NPR radio today was that the more engrossed a person is within their church and religion the more inflexible a person becomes. I was busy, and only heard this point, but what an excellent point this was, and one that I certainly agree with. My husband and I recently began attending Heritage Unitarian Church, and what attracted us so much to this church was the complete religious tolerance that all the members of the congregation display towards people of all religions. All persons are allowed to grow in their own personal religious journey, whatever that may be. My husband and I have never seen such flexibility displayed in any of the churches that we've attended over the years. There is a complete lack of arrogrance, and the people that make up this church know how to laugh at themselves and not take themselves so serious. My husband and I by attending this church are going to grow in so many ways that are not just connected to the teachings of the bible. I would say religious arrogance and inflexibility go hand in hand.
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