The purpose of this blog is very simple. People everywhere are willing to argue that their opinions are correct. This is true in all walks of life. But for Christians, who is right and who is wrong has very little to do with what is the truth and what is not.
Jesus said that He was the Truth (John 14:6). Doctrines (Baptism, Trinity, etc) are nothing less than the Truth of Jesus Christ revealed to humankind. This is very troubling for the current state of Christianity today. Whenever Christians disagree on doctrine, there can be only two possibilities regarding their positions as they relate to the Truth.
1) Among Christians who disagree on doctrine, only one of their doctrines can be the complete Truth at any given time. Something which is "A" cannot be "not A" at the same time. Something which is the "Truth", cannot be "not Truth" at the same time. The opposite of the Truth is a lie. Therefore, when Christians disagree on doctrine, all but one of the positions, by its very dissenting position, must be error.
2) Unfortunately for Christians who disagree on doctrine, it is plausible that neither of them has the complete Truth. With over 30,000+ different denominations in Christianity just in the United States alone, and the possibility of complete Truth to exist in only one of those denominations, it is in fact highly probable that in disagreements among Christians on doctrine that both/all of them are in error at some point in the discussion.
We as Christians should be very humbled by this understanding that so many of us, at least some of the time, are in error in our beliefs. This should frame the discussion that occurs on this blog in a very simplistic way. Disagreements among Christians are profitable if the discussion is framed around the question, "What is the Truth?" as opposed to "Who is right and who is wrong?" The current state of Christianity today presupposes that many of us, if not all of us, divided as we are, do not believe the complete Truth on any particular doctrine.
This understanding necessarily begs the question, is half or partial Truth a problem? Is it not better for us as Christians to have partial Truth than to be in complete error? While this statement may be reassuring to those who would rather not seek out the fullness of Truth, this position assumes that the complete Truth, again which is Jesus Christ Himself, is an unattainable destination, therefore we shouldn't attempt to travel there. To be disciples of Christ, we need to follow the complete Truth. In order to understand the serious consequences of half/partial truths, a quick reflection on Genesis would be in order.
In order for a lie to be accepted by someone, it must be presented as the Truth. No one of sound mind and reason knows a lie to be a lie and still believes the lie with his whole hearth, mind, body, and soul. Let's look at the serpent's words in Genesis 3. "Did God say, 'you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'" (Gen 3:1) The serpent immediately challenges God's rule to not eat of the tree, all the while framing the question in context to not make it assume that he is challenging it in the least. When Eve informs the serpent that God says they can't eat from or even touch the tree in the middle of the garden lest they die, the serpent responds, "You will not die. God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Two questions need to be asked here. Does the serpent tell any lies in these passages? Is what the serpent said the Truth? The serpent here does not lie. He frames his position clearly and cleverly by presenting half-truths. When he says by eating the tree, they will not die, a meteor or bolt of lightning will not come down and kill them instantly. He is correct. And he does not lie by saying that if they eat of the tree they will have the knowledge of good and evil. After all, by eating of the tree, they would be inventing evil themselves. Before eating of the tree, there is no evil in the world to have knowledge about.
If the serpent doesn't lie, does that mean he necessarily is telling the Truth? Absolutely not! The genius of the serpent is to present a lie in a way in which it could presented as the Truth. Adam and Eve would have lived forever on this earth, if they had never eaten of the tree in the first place. When sin entered the world, their bodies were condemned to die. But they didn't "die" at the moment they ate of the tree, just as the serpent said. One could call what the serpent proposed to Eve as a half or partial truth. To Adam and Eve, the truth was they would not be killed and would increase their knowledge. This was "true" in a sense. But objectively it was far from the Truth. Their bodies did die, and sin (the knowledge of evil) fractured their relationship with God, each other, and nature.
Partial or half truths can lead us to one of two possibilities, as demonstrated by the Genesis account. Either they can help lead us to the fullness of Truth which is Jesus Christ, or they can lead us to draw false conclusions which obscure us from God (the Truth).
This leads us to the following question which is the primary question in all of Christian Theology, especially as it pertains to ecumenism. Is Truth Important?
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