Showdown

Never before have I realized just how much I take what I, as a Christian of the protestant flavor, believe theologically for granted. Through recent discussions with someone very close to me, I have been challenged as never before to give an answer for why I believe and don't believe certain things.

"Growing up in church", I've accepted most of what I've been taught without second thought. I went through a brief period in high school where I doubted the existence of God because some of His attributes didn't line up with what I reasoned God ought to be. Recently, as described in a previous post, my great pitfall of pride came painfully into light after a summer of "triumph" in which I refused to attribute certain victories to the grace of God. After a semester of reeling me back in, I feel like now I am facing the biggest test of my faith to date. It's one thing to argue with yourself why you ought to believe that God exists and that all glory belongs to Him, it is quite another thing to argue with someone of your cousin faith why you believe many of the traditions he holds dear don't line up with scripture and therefore can't be true. This is especially hard to do when you aren't sure exactly why yourself.

I mean, why the heck do we believe what believe, and don't believe what we don't believe anyway? Who's right? Does it even matter? Back in the old days, people were burned at the stake for this stuff. Why is this so important to me anyway? Can't we all just get along?

It's important to me because what I believe about God affects how I view Him and react to Him. It's also important because He's been a huge part of--my whole life, and I've gotten to know Him quite personally lately. I wouldn't say that I'm scared of finding out that what I've believed my entire life is wrong, the pressure comes from wanting to be sure that I've got it right, and I don't want my assumptions that I've grown up with to get in the way, no matter how much I think (or wish) them to be true.

So here I am, starting at near absolute ground zero with this stuff. It's all going through the fine-tooth comb of scripture, prayerfully under God and with the counsel of my pastor to make sure I understand the protestant view of things. Recently, I've acquired the newest catholic catechism so I can do my catholic cousins justice in  researching their beliefs. 

I am approaching this with as open a mind as I can scripturarlly muster, ready to accept the fact that I may very well be wrong in some things. There are certain fundamentals that I know I will never be able to let go of, since I have been so strongly convicted of them such as the inerrancy of scripture, authority of God, salvation through faith in Christ, etc. Perhaps I will find conscience-allowable wiggle room between us.

Whatever the outcome, I know that at the end of all this, my faith will have grown so much stronger, and the Good Lord and I will be closer. I have everything to gain. Let's go.