Through A Glass Darkly

I was talking to a friend the other day and he was remarking to me about what he feels is a rise in the Christian community, particularly among those of an artistic bent, that seems to be focusing more and more on the idea of our depravity, or the idea that without God we are nothing. This makes him particularly happy due to his Calvinistic leanings and on this point I do agree with him. There is a growing sense that we are insignificant without God and that God is utterly beyond all that we can imagine. Yet, our conversation continued and he spoke of the idea that many have tossed aside the ideas of doctrine and theology as things which serve no purpose because we can "never really figure God out". I countered with the idea that there are many of us, some of which would coin ourselves "emerging" or "emergent" depending upon your bent and buzzword of choice, others who just don't care what they're called, that are very much about theology and the concept of doctrine, yet we tend to hold these things in our hands lightly, delicately. We realize the danger of proverbially boxing God in or making some definitive declaration about Him that is only trumped by some new revelation later. My own journey has seen numerous shifts in thinking in those areas and perhaps we ought to not hold to such a dogmatic stance of those things?

My friend then offered up an interesting comment regarding his conversion and story. He shared that his life didn't really change until he really started getting into and understanding the doctrines of Scripture. He asserts that it wasn't until He studied the Scripture and the doctrines therein that he truly developed a healthy understanding of reality. I see where he's coming from. Yet, as always, I have a slightly alternative view on this issue. I instead wonder if it's possible to view the Scriptures accurately without having first tasted of and experienced what some may view as reality. The Scriptures themselves remind us that creation itself reveals the glory of God. Reality itself offers up a compelling portrait of God.

Now, I'm sort of rambling here so please allow me to flesh out my thoughts. First, I realize that we view all of reality through some sort of lens. Our philosophical views are critical elements in how we look at the world. My friend, I believe, would contend that a Scriptural view is the only lens by which we can truly know reality. Yet, my question is how we can be confident in our lens of viewing Scripture? I'm not holding to a relativistic viewpoint or abolishing the idea of concrete statements as we approach the Bible. Yet, I do realize that there are theologies that have been developed and utilized by people, well meaning, intelligent, and God fearing people, who come down on opposite ends of theological spectrums. Where is the dividing line? Where is the truth?

The truth, I think, comes in that ubiquitous relationship with Christ that we all toss around. In comes in loving one another, in loving our brothers and sisters, in loving our neighbor and our enemies. It comes in not being so obsessed with being right, with having all of our t's crossed and our i's dotted but rather in living right, in living in peace, harmony, and love with one another. This cannot occur without Jesus, without the grace and indwelling of Him, and this is the one thing we can all agree upon.