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From: hedrick@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Charles Hedrick)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: the need for correct doctrine
Message-ID: <3762@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Tue, 24-Sep-85 00:03:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.3762
Posted: Tue Sep 24 00:03:40 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Sep-85 06:31:14 EDT
References: <304@cylixd.UUCP>
Reply-To: hedrick@topaz.UUCP (Charles Hedrick)
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 56

On the Athanasian Creed: You've got to be kidding.  If the creed can
be read as teaching faith as a work, the best approach is for
theologians to say that the 20th Church does not read it in this way.
The last thing we need is to go around modifying historical documents.
Look at what a seemingly innocent change like filioque did to us.  As
I am sure you know, the whole issue of faith and works has been one of
the most difficult issues between Protestants and Catholics.  I think
there has been a remarkable convergence in recent decades.  Catholic
comments on Romans (e.g. in the notes to the Jerusalem Bible) can look
amazingly Lutheran.  And books such as Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of
Discipleship" make it clear that Protestants cannot be satisfied with
bare faith.  But I am not convinced that we are yet to the point where
we could agree on common language on this subject.  I am believe we
are seeing roughly the same thing, but I am also conscious that we are
seeing it from somewhat different viewpoints.

On the importance of right faith and right doctrine.  I think "The
Cost of Discipleship" has the right emphasis here.  In it, Bonhoeffer
continually directs our attention to the call of God and our response
to it.  In commenting on "The Rich Young Man" (Mat. 19:16-20)
Bonhoeffer says: "The young man is trapped once more.  He had hoped to
avoid committing himself to any definite moral obligations by forcing
Jesus to discuss his spiritual problems.  He had hoped Jesus would
offer him a solution of his moral difficulties.  But instead he finds
Jesus attacking not his question but himself.  The only answer to his
difficulties is the very commandment of God, which challenges him to
have done with academic discussion and to get on with the task of
obedience."   Faith and doctrine are very important.  If we
misunderstand God, we may react inappropriately to him.  A widespread
misunderstanding may cause large numbers of people to reject God.  But
we should not imagine that the power of the Educational Testing
Service extends to the point where entrance through the pearly gates
is controlled by a multiple-choice exam in theology.  I believe that
God will call every person.  This call may take very different forms
for different people.  In some cases the Church may have botched
things so badly that God's call will actually be away from
Christianity.  (Consider for example the case of a Jew being
persecuted by Christians, wherein accepting Christianity may in fact
be giving in to worldly pressure and rejecting God.)

There are two extremes to avoid.  One says "it does not matter what
you believe so long as you are sincere."  It does matter.  If you do
not believe you stand in need of God's forgiveness, or if you do not
accept God's way of dealing with your sins, this is obviously a grave
handicap in dealing with God.  In certain cases the handicap can even
be fatal.  On the other hand, we do not want to go so far in our
orthodoxy that we limit God's freedom to call who he wants.  God can
get around the stumbling blocks set up by our misunderstanding or
incorrect beliefs.  After all, he gets around the stumbling blocks set
up by our sin, and surely that is a more serious problem than any
theological errors.  In a book called "Christian Doctrine", Guthrie
suggested an interesting analogy.  Consider a doctor.  If you want to
find the doctor to help you, you go to his office.  This doesn't limit
the doctor.  He can still react to emergencies whereever they may be
found.  But only a fool would look for the doctor by running around
the countryside at random hoping to run into him.