Theology and Doctrine
October 3, 2024
Doctrine and Theology
Website Purpose
This website is intended for those who are struggling with the faith. As such, the hope is that by describing the Christian faith somewhat differently, people may find a reason to stay in the faith and the church. One way is to clarify what is actual versus metaphor. Literal or figurative.
This Article is Intended to be a Work in Progress (WIP)
Some people leave an organization due to being conflicted about what it teaches. This article will be developed over time to cover various church teachings from mainstream viewpoints. Some content below also appears in other areas on this website. The release date of this part had been intended for a later date. The wording of our expressions regarding the website needed clarification.
Contents
- definitions
- audience expectations
- presentation style, eloquence, and subliminal messages
Definitions
We intend for every word to be understood the way we planned by using one or more common dictionaries of the English language. However, for our purposes, there will be an occasional word we define in the text. Sometimes, this is to ease the burden on the reader. There could be a word where the definition varies too much from dictionary to dictionary, so clarification will be added.
Audience Expectations
Throughout the centuries, there has been a consistent need to describe the Christian faith using sentences that are not in the literal text of the Bible. This approach simplifies what the church considers necessary and how to understand it.
We can probably understand how God may choose to use a Sunday School class on theology to bring a student to saving knowledge in Jesus Christ.
There are more purposes for presenting theology passionately. One of them is to make straightforward, well-agreed ways of describing the faith. A familiarity with church teachings can significantly simplify the identification of false teachers. Sometimes
Many people who attend a church in one of the mainstream denominations expect a particular theological perspective to be presented during services and classes. If you are responsible for presenting theology, and you will be introducing others to mainstream perspectives not taught by your type of church, then make clear to the audience what you are doing and why—perhaps organizing the talk as a compare and contrast between two perspectives. Share your plan with advisers.
How We Present
We may become conflicted when we misunderstand the purpose of a presentation being delivered passionately. The speaker may have thought they expressed passion for a concept through the use of a metaphor. If we are not careful, the listener may have received a passion for the metaphor, not the idea.
If a person has chosen to attend a church service or class, they will appreciate eloquent delivery. A passionate presenter can hold our attention like a magnet to steel.
Some of us are passionate about one topic or another. The need may be to combat false teachers and so sound doctrine is delivered passionately. The passion is not transferred for the concern for lost souls but for the principles themselves (dogmatism).
For another example, consider a passionate presentation expressing mainstream truth to combat heresy. The passion is due to the speaker knowing a particular heresy supports ongoing sin in a person’s life. The concern for the heretical promotion of wrongdoing is transferred to the hearer as fear of ’those’ heretics; friendship with them becomes nearly impossible.
When someone we trust passionately communicates (during a class, sermon, small group, etc.), there is a high potential for their emotion to be transferred to us. This can happen subliminally, with both the presenter and the listener unaware. However, as presenters, we are responsible for guiding the audience’s interpretation.
Emotion can’t reason or think. An emotion is a feeling. Here is where the problem can occur. When passion is transferred to us, the thoughts it attaches to may not be what the presenter intended. The presenter may have intended an evangelistic message, hoping some will choose Christ. The presenter’s tactic may have involved eternal separation from God. The church member leaves the service motivated, passionately proclaiming the gospel to family and friends by warning that they are going to hell. The presenter never intended for the Gospel to be shared as the threat of hell with others. The presenter’s concern for the lost transferred to the recipient as a need to scare them toward God.
Some of us recall a time in our Christian journey when we had a greater emotional attachment to various precepts, promises, and ways of describing the faith (theological concepts) than to God. This serves as a reminder that every Christian has the responsibility to live in such a way that we direct the attention of others toward God. Rules, precepts, doctrines, and laws can direct our worship and adoration toward God, but they are not the end goal.
The clothing God made for Adam and Eve, the institution of sacrifices, the law, and the prophets were all ways God provided to fallen people of faith to restore a broken relationship with Him.
Our lives should be about God. That is, God should be a part of our life. From the Bible we can learn that God is about us. We are living witnesses to a living God. The ultimate goal is to bring glory to Jesus.