Are Christians A Mile Wide And An Inch Thick?

I have tried to teach theology to Christians. They didn't want it. In fact, it made them mad. Many want to keep their options open. They don't care what the Bible says. Instead of having any standard at all, they like to do what they like which fits the circumstances they are in.

For example, they like preaching which says that they will receive lots of money from God if they just have enough faith. It allows them to control the situation. It gives them something to strive for. Unfortunately, they are not striving to know God. They strive to receive from God. They do not take into account that Paul said that he had learned to be content with little or much. They think that having little is just a lack of faith.

Some have liked the idea that even God had to access faith in order to create the universe. This makes faith an entity to itself. It sounds like something out of Star Wars. "The Force is all around you. It is powerful and gives you great strength," says Rev. Obi Wan Kenobe. Faith itself is god if God had to access faith Himself.

Most Christians are biblically illiterate. They don't know what the Bible says. They are completely dependent on what others tell them. They do not read the Bible and their understanding comes in snippets read on Sunday mornings from the pulpit. They keep waiting for the movie to come out so that they don't have to read the book.

Many Christians are also tied to their traditions. Their beliefs are based on the way things have always been done and always been taught. Its amazing to hear Christians make a method into something spiritual. Many Christians believe the offering must be taken right after the special music. They somehow see this as spiritual. They have no idea that much of what we do has more to do with tradition than theology.

Some Christians will believe two opposing theologies at one time. They don't even see the conflict. I personally heard a famous evangelist do this once. One night he preached to us about the miracles that happened when he first went into the ministry. The next night he preached that the miracles ended with the completion of the New Testament. This man was also a pastor for many years. I wondered how confused his congregation must be. I learned they didn't think of themselves as confused at all. They were quite happy believing two opposing thoughts at the same time.

The confusion many Christians have experienced comes from having many pastors at their churches. The average pastor only moves to a new church every couple of years. Seminaries do not major in theology. They major in methodology. These pastors make up their own theology. They preach this theology to their congregants. These members will receive another pastor in a few years who will teach them something else. They get comfortable making up their own theology. They will believe the pastor they have if they like him. If not, their theology goes back to the last pastor they liked. Therefore, a single congregation can have several opposing theologies.

I would like to challenge Christians to develop a solid theology. I would like to challenge them to get with other Christians and discuss things like: How does someone get to heaven?, Is Jesus Christ God?, Are all people born sinners?, What is the meaning of total depravity?, What is substitutionary atonement?, Does God help those who help themselves?, Why doesn't God heal everyone? and many other questions.

The real problem is that most Christians Bible is not read and studied. It is an ornament rather than a map. It is owned but not lived. It is carried but not held.

The Bible says there will be people to will want their ears tickled some day. I think that day has come. God bless you as you get to know the True God.