Back Then, I Had No Idea
Wednesday Inspiration
Back in my twenties, I entered what I call my “fundamentalist phase”. While it didn't last very long, I had fully bought into this whole idea that the scriptures were divinely inspired in a way that made them the literal Word of God.
Here's the thing: all of the Christians around me basically believed the same thing, or at least something similar. As a result, I was living in a theological, self-reinforcing echo chamber.
Because the perspective emphasized the importance of the Bible, I spent a lot of time, energy, and resources learning what it said and what it meant (at least from the fundamentalist perspective).
Then the dreaded day came…
I encountered a Christian voice that didn't exist in my echo chamber.
That voice said that the scriptures were not the literal Word of God. It said they were historical documents written by ancient communities of faith. These texts testify to the faith of the writers within their context, which does not necessarily translate to our context.
Mind. Blown.
I did not handle this very well at all. As far as I was concerned, it was all heresy.
I looked into more biblical scholars, though.
It turned out they were all saying the same thing.
Yikes! This heresy was far more widespread than I first believed!
Despite my reaction, I continued to pursue this strange thought. And, through time and exposure, I came to understand where these scholars were coming from. As a result, I discovered it wasn't heresy at all, and I started looking into the historical-critical perspective on the Bible.
This triggered my next growth spurt.
When I look back at my short stint as a fundamentalist, a part of me is embarrassed and ashamed. How could I flip my brain off as thoroughly as I had? How could I have said the things that I did to people around me? It's not exactly one of the brightest times of my life.
But I have to be careful. Truth be told, that time served me very well.
In fact, that time of intense study gave me significant depth in my biblical knowledge and is, in part, foundational to the work I do today. Unfortunately, for a while, I was trapped there.
And I am thankful for these scholars who wrote what I needed to hear to call me out of that fundamentalist echo chamber. They gave me the opportunity to grow by widening my perspective.
So, while I still feel a little embarrassed and guilty for the way I behaved, I choose primarily to be thankful for that time in my life because it contributed greatly to me growing more into who I was meant to be.
I hope you too can look back at times in your life that you aren't particularly proud of and see how they helped you grow.
Once you can do that, I suspect you will find you can choose to move beyond the guilt and look back upon your personal history with a greater sense of appreciation and gratitude.
Peace, Bo
www.evolvingchristianfaith.net
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