 I needed something to play in the livingroom while my daughter and I cleaned it up. Surfing through Netflix I saw Bible Secrets Revealed. Considering I had it saved to watch later, I decided no better time than now to play it in the background. As it began I was immediately perturbed. Multiple times I stopped what I was doing to literally yell at the television. My issue centered on choice. It wasn't that they were lying. It was they were twisting the truth in a way to paint a narrative. As a minister, I knew the base for what they were saying. It was important information. Only they turned a learning moment into a weapon. Twenty minutes in, I turned the show off, and put on toddler friendly entertainment. When I was in seminary I saw a growing chasm. On one side was the deep faith of the church. On the other side was the deep knowledge of the seminaries. I saw the importance of both sides. Yet, the two never met. The deep knowledge has become rather Godless, and the faith is kinda superficial. I swore to myself and to God that after seminary my primary focus would be to bridge the gap. My goal has been met with hostility. And why not? Let's pretend that seminary knowledge is like a knife. Congregants have seen that information and remember that places like the History Channel have used it like a weapon. When they see me wielding it they are quick to remind me what it was used for: "Woah now! I was stabbed with that knowledge. I want nothing to do with it!" Only, that's not the only way the knowledge can be used. Just as a knife can also be used to cook, create, prepare; I want to strengthen faith, by using knowledge as a tool. Two weeks ago I went over safety rules for knives with a bunch of Cub Scout Bears. So consider the next 1-2 months theology safety training. We are going to learn how to safely use theology like a tool to strengthen our faith. This is all part of getting everyone on the same page. Gird your loins, we are going on a journey!
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