I want to flesh out some of Nate's last entry because I like where he's going with it: Arrogance and Faith should never be bedfellows. He makes that clear when he says, "you could be wrong in certain areas of faith. Most of the time, Christians tend to conflate the essentials of the faith with the non-essentials of the faith.
Nate's right that we are called to be seekers of the truth, but I think we're also called to be possessers of the Truth when we find it. Please note that I used a lower-case "t" and an upper-case "T." In his book "How to Stay Christian in College" J. Budziszewski defines truth as "abstract knowledge." We continually seek this type of knowledge through Bible studies, mission trips, academic classes, camping trips, etc. But, as Christians, we seek this truth while we know another Truth. Christ is our Truth: when we find it, we possess it. We seek to know Him better, but when we discover that Jesus is the Christ, we stop seeking. We start knowing and possessing. That's good, right?
The Apostles Creed always helps me when I get bogged down by the complexities of the nonessentials. I must hold on to the tenants of the faith, or I will be influenced and carried away by the lower-case "truths" that tend to dominate most of Christian dialogue. Nate's right: we are polarized by our squabbles and bickering over the nonessentials of the faith. But, I will argue that we should be united in the ultimate Truth: Christ is savior and lord. We have to possess that. And, I know Nate would agree.
the elder
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