You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.
C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
What on earth would cause a strong and devout Christian to doubt their faith? Why would a member of the popular Christian music group ZOEgirl, which toured the world giving altar calls and inspiring many young teens to proclaim their faith and “shout it from the mountain,” suddenly have doubts?
I have heard stories of Christian kids who walk away from their faith after being challenged by skeptical professors in a college classroom. My faith was confronted in a similar way … but not at a university. It was challenged in the pews of a church. It was rocked by a pastor who had won my trust, respect, and loyalty. This was an educated, intellectual, calm, and eloquent church leader—someone who expressed love for Jesus. He was a brilliant communicator, and he had a bone to pick with Christianity.
Meeting after meeting, every precious belief I held about God, Jesus, and the Bible was placed on an intellectual chopping block and hacked to pieces. Identifying himself as a “hopeful agnostic,” this pastor began examining the tenets of the faith. The Virgin Birth? Doesn’t matter. The Resurrection? Probably happened, but you don’t have to believe in it. The Atonement? That would be a nope. And the Bible? God forbid you believed Scripture was inerrant. He pointed out that even the high schoolers had moved beyond that primitive notion. During our discussions, many in the class dismissed “fundies” (fundamentalists) as fearful dimwits who simply followed what they were told to believe.
I had a conversation about this pastor and his teaching and was advised to find a new church. And I followed their advice. God delivered from this particular form of progressive christianity.
I would later learn that this dismantling of doctrinal tenets—where all the beliefs someone was raised with and had never questioned are systematically pulled apart—is something progressive Christians call deconstruction.
Today, many of the most popular Christian authors, bloggers, and speakers are progressive. Entire denominations are now filled with those who identify as such. Yet many other Christians sit in pews every Sunday completely unaware that their church has adopted progressive theology.
This, then, is my account of reconstructing my faith. Today, my Christianity doesn’t look exactly like it did before. I’ve adjusted my beliefs on certain theological points and have become much more careful in how I interpret the Bible. I’ve dropped some not-so-biblical ideas that were such a part of my Christian identity that I’d never thought to question them.
But throughout this journey, I’ve discovered that the core historic claims of Christianity are true. I’ve learned that the Bible, though attacked and maligned century after century, stands tall atop the rubble of accusations that have been piled up against it.
Alisa Childers and Lee Strobel, Another Gospel? A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity
C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
What on earth would cause a strong and devout Christian to doubt their faith? Why would a member of the popular Christian music group ZOEgirl, which toured the world giving altar calls and inspiring many young teens to proclaim their faith and “shout it from the mountain,” suddenly have doubts?
I have heard stories of Christian kids who walk away from their faith after being challenged by skeptical professors in a college classroom. My faith was confronted in a similar way … but not at a university. It was challenged in the pews of a church. It was rocked by a pastor who had won my trust, respect, and loyalty. This was an educated, intellectual, calm, and eloquent church leader—someone who expressed love for Jesus. He was a brilliant communicator, and he had a bone to pick with Christianity.
Meeting after meeting, every precious belief I held about God, Jesus, and the Bible was placed on an intellectual chopping block and hacked to pieces. Identifying himself as a “hopeful agnostic,” this pastor began examining the tenets of the faith. The Virgin Birth? Doesn’t matter. The Resurrection? Probably happened, but you don’t have to believe in it. The Atonement? That would be a nope. And the Bible? God forbid you believed Scripture was inerrant. He pointed out that even the high schoolers had moved beyond that primitive notion. During our discussions, many in the class dismissed “fundies” (fundamentalists) as fearful dimwits who simply followed what they were told to believe.
I had a conversation about this pastor and his teaching and was advised to find a new church. And I followed their advice. God delivered from this particular form of progressive christianity.
I would later learn that this dismantling of doctrinal tenets—where all the beliefs someone was raised with and had never questioned are systematically pulled apart—is something progressive Christians call deconstruction.
Today, many of the most popular Christian authors, bloggers, and speakers are progressive. Entire denominations are now filled with those who identify as such. Yet many other Christians sit in pews every Sunday completely unaware that their church has adopted progressive theology.
This, then, is my account of reconstructing my faith. Today, my Christianity doesn’t look exactly like it did before. I’ve adjusted my beliefs on certain theological points and have become much more careful in how I interpret the Bible. I’ve dropped some not-so-biblical ideas that were such a part of my Christian identity that I’d never thought to question them.
But throughout this journey, I’ve discovered that the core historic claims of Christianity are true. I’ve learned that the Bible, though attacked and maligned century after century, stands tall atop the rubble of accusations that have been piled up against it.
Alisa Childers and Lee Strobel, Another Gospel? A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity
