This high profile bloggers says one thing. That high profile blogger says another. But what are we (including me, the non-high profile blogger) supposed to think?
Every once in a while, my kids and I will have the same thought at the same time. You can accuse me of thinking like a child all you want, but I believe this is a direct result of great teaching, from me to them. Anyways, we may end up saying the same thing at the same time. This inevitably leads them to declare that great minds think alike.
Whenever I hear this, my memory recalls my college Saturdays when I, of course, was watching One Saturday Morning on ABC. It was a collection of cartoons and shorts, one which included the Genie from Aladdin. Still voiced by Robin Williams, someone would spout some common thinking with the adage that 'great minds think alike.' Then the Genie would appear and declare, 'No, great minds think for themselves!'
I couldn't agree more.
We come across so many ideas and opinions in any given day, it is enough to make us wonder what God actually wants us to believe. I said yesterday that I think we link to way too many stories without first verifying the truth in those stories. The same could be said for Christian pastors, authors and bloggers who share their interpretation of scripture.
Whether the topic is views on marriage, the war, politics, freedom of speech or anything else, there are going to be differences of opinion. So what are we to do?
Instead of choosing sides based on superficial characteristics, we should choose to investigate the truth ourselves. We can't simply choose which presenter of opinions is better looking, more schooled, from the West coast or East coast, has fancy rimmed glasses or if their church is bigger than another.
Since all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), perhaps it is valuable enough for us to read it for ourselves.
Our sole interpretations should not be based on the interpretations of any other single person, no matter how much we like them or want to agree with them. We do those who have gone before us a great disservice if we rely only on those voices speaking out today.
So this is going to involve some time on our parts. Not everything can be found out on snopes.com. Not everything is a simple Google search away. In fact, much of what we are going to believe will need to be researched and thought about.
After all, it is the truth that matters.
Every once in a while, my kids and I will have the same thought at the same time. You can accuse me of thinking like a child all you want, but I believe this is a direct result of great teaching, from me to them. Anyways, we may end up saying the same thing at the same time. This inevitably leads them to declare that great minds think alike.
Whenever I hear this, my memory recalls my college Saturdays when I, of course, was watching One Saturday Morning on ABC. It was a collection of cartoons and shorts, one which included the Genie from Aladdin. Still voiced by Robin Williams, someone would spout some common thinking with the adage that 'great minds think alike.' Then the Genie would appear and declare, 'No, great minds think for themselves!'
We come across so many ideas and opinions in any given day, it is enough to make us wonder what God actually wants us to believe. I said yesterday that I think we link to way too many stories without first verifying the truth in those stories. The same could be said for Christian pastors, authors and bloggers who share their interpretation of scripture.
Whether the topic is views on marriage, the war, politics, freedom of speech or anything else, there are going to be differences of opinion. So what are we to do?
Instead of choosing sides based on superficial characteristics, we should choose to investigate the truth ourselves. We can't simply choose which presenter of opinions is better looking, more schooled, from the West coast or East coast, has fancy rimmed glasses or if their church is bigger than another.
Since all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), perhaps it is valuable enough for us to read it for ourselves.
Our sole interpretations should not be based on the interpretations of any other single person, no matter how much we like them or want to agree with them. We do those who have gone before us a great disservice if we rely only on those voices speaking out today.
So this is going to involve some time on our parts. Not everything can be found out on snopes.com. Not everything is a simple Google search away. In fact, much of what we are going to believe will need to be researched and thought about.
After all, it is the truth that matters.
Comments
There is a story of 3 blind men who are trying to figure out what an elephant is. The first blind guy is by the tail, so he describes the elephant as being thing and furry. The second guy is in the middle and can only feel the belly of the elephant, so he describes an elephant as being a large smooth canvas. The third blind man is by the trunk, so he describes the elephant as long and bumpy.
They each had a perspective of the truth, but the actual truth is what we see to be an elephant. Truth doesn't change. Jesus is the Truth. We need to take time to seek Him out.
But you're right that each person's perspective is different, which is why we should take the time to study for ourselves.