Theological Ambush

I know, how amazing, two posts in the one day! My brain must be beginning to wake up from the new-baby-experience!

Yesterday, I was theologically ambushed by the doctrine police. It was my first such experience (Jools is the normal target!), and left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Leaving personalities and the actual topic aside for the moment, may I take this opportunity to plea for warmth and integrity in relationships when you feel you’re right and I’m wrong?

As I get older I realise more and more that I don’t know everything, and the things I do know may not always be right. So if I waver on a doctrine it’s not because I’m unsound, it’s because at the moment I’m not fully persuaded one way or the other. For someone to then procede to intentionally intellectually crush me in order to prove that they’re right, do you think I am warmed to their perspective?

Do I say, “Because you demanded an answer without giving space to reflect, because you undermined me in front of friends, because you cast doubt on my belief-system, I shall now acquiesce and agree with you and believe everything you believe, as your way is far better”? If the way I was treated reflects the person’s evangelism style I truly pity the people they witness to.

Now I have vented (and let me assure you that it was no-one in this fine educational establishment), the hard part comes. Forgiveness.

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