Shawn emphasizes that many traditional Christian practices are more aligned with human-made traditions than with the core truths of the faith, as examined through scripture. He argues that while these traditions provide stability and answers for believers, they often overshadow the true spiritual pursuit of understanding God, suggesting many may be unknowingly adhering to misconceptions within Christianity.
Examining the Traditions of Christianity
Thank you, Steve.
Show 23 Why We are Probably Wrong
CHRISTIANARCHYTODAY
May 22nd 2018
So welcome to another edition of ChristiAnarchytoday – where we say: “If you think you understand Christianity you are probably wrong.”
You know, that’s not because YOU are wrong or stupid or that we are smart. It's just we have taken the time to test the traditions of the faith by the Word of God and found them exactly that – traditions of Man.
See, traditions have a way of trumping the truth in our world because they provide something that most people seek to have in their lives – certainty, stability, and somewhere where there are answers that do not change.
The Power of Tradition
Let’s suppose that back in 1545 there was a man who was a believer in Christ and he starts a little house gathering of people. At the gathering, he practices communion every week, singing of songs, healings, and speaking in tongues. He teaches the Trinitarian God, eternal hell and the soon to be returning Jesus Christ. His delivery is emphatic and demanding and people love it. So the group grows and in time it gets so large they need a building.
So they buy one. Donations are required to make payments. So stability and consistency begin to become important – especially to the faithful donors who are paying for just that – stability and consistency. In time young people in the church mature and want to go into ministry. They take the tradition of the XYZ church and with the original pastor's ways, open another church.
Establishing Consistency Through Expansion
They call it the XYZ church and they perpetuate the traditions taught therein. And more people join that. And so on and so on and so on. Over the years the XYZ church has hundreds of locations in the world, all based on the original model, all perpetuating the model without deviation. Like a McDonalds, an XYZ church cannot deviate from the menu or operational model. It is what people want when they come to XYZ. What they expect, damn it.
In Philadelphia a man in 1984 launched yet another XYZ branch. Today it has grown to enormous size – ten thousand members bringing in 300,000 dollars a week in income and supporting all manner of important causes – homeless shelters, food for the indigent and unemployed, missions trips for dozens of people across the world.
One afternoon the pastor realizes, through a study of scripture and the Spirit, that he has misunderstood one of the traditions that his denomination has perpetuated. Now he sees the topic MUCH differently. He has a decision to make – teach the new view which he is convinced is true and lose a great deal of support and membership – or maintain the traditions in the name of ALLLLLLL the good they are doing.
Good vs. Truth
And it is here when Good takes a back seat to truth. It's what most denominations stand upon – GOOD over truth. But God wants His children to seek Him in SPIRIT and TRUTH. It is for the aforementioned story that we say, “if you think you know Christianity you are probably wrong.”
The traditions are POWERFUL and are defended MIGHTILY with money, and consternation upon those who question it. Add in the fact that most people want to be pleasing to God, and are fearful of doing something that everyone else says God wants us to know, and it becomes REALLY difficult to kick against the established order – and those who follow and listen to those who perpetuate the established order are therefore under the impression that they understand the faith.
But because of all the reasons I just mentioned . . . they probably don’t.
Out.
