Imagine a school in which a number of children, year after year, refused to leave kindergarten. Eventually, being older and stronger, and hearing terrifying rumors about how children who progressed into higher grades eventually came to abandon some of the beliefs – nay, the certainties – they used to be certain of in kindergarten. And so, unable to get themselves to repeat kindergarten another year, they stage a coup, take control of the school and demand that everyone be taught the certainties of kindergarten.
This seems to me to be precisely what we’ve allowed to happen to the church. Those of us who, motivated by devotion to God and Christ, undertake to study the Scriptures, and in the process discover that their contents are far more complex and far less inerrant than we once believed, are berated by those who have never undertaken such detailed or in-depth study as being apostates, renegades, or (most ironically) not understanding the Scriptures!
Many pastors and leaders give in to the demands of such overgrown kindergartners. After all, they are often quite big and strong by this stage, and just as often lacking the self-control that comes with maturity. Sometimes the reason for giving in to such bullies is pragmatic. Sometimes they are also generous supporters of the church. But for every such generous supporter, how many others who would give the same amout are driven away because church leadership allows the “kindergarten bullies” undue influence? At any rate, selling out to conservatives is no better than any other form of selling out (and I looked for an image from inside the church in the Simpson’s episode “She Of Little Faith” to accompany this point, but alas didn’t find one).
I think it is time to take back the school. There are many of us who would not agree on a great number of issues about doctrine and practice, about history and theology. But we ought to be able to agree on this: that which is complex should not be treated as though it were simple in a way that does harm to people’s understanding and growth towards maturity in their thinking.
Oversimplification is fine when you are in kindergarten. But I think that a whole range of liberals and moderates and probably even educated conservatives ought to be able to agree in standing opposed to those who think that everyone should or must remain at a kindergarten level of understanding of Christianity throughout their lives.
What do you think?
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