:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

During the NHL playoffs I watch a lot of games through Canadian web sites that broadcast Hockey Night in Canada. It’s like I’m watching a different sport. The announcers are really into the game, commentators offer unfiltered opinions on the players, and features in between periods share interviews with the game’s best players.

The interviews of players add an element of human interest that makes it feel like HGTV for men. The sport of hockey is glorified, and you feel swept along by this great, amazing game with so many noble representatives.

Part of me wants to drive off to the nearest rink to practice skating backwards.

About a year ago, I spoke with a friend whose talented son considered taking a shot at professional hockey, but he decided against it. He offered a completely different perspective on the culture of hockey that didn’t necessarily spoil my Hockey Night in Canada moments, but revised the way I view the sport.

His angle gave me a dose of reality.

And honestly, why wouldn’t we want a dose of reality? Sometimes it hurts to realize we’ve had something wrong, but in the long run, we are usually better off, even if we’re a bit disillusioned.

As a growing Christian, I value doses of reality and challenges to my beliefs because I want to be sure I’m placing my faith in something solid. If my faith in Jesus is real, then it should stand testing. If it can’t, then perhaps I’ve had my faith in something other than Jesus.

Growing in Christ means changing our beliefs sometimes. That’s something that Peter, Paul, and John all had to learn. We’re in good company.

Our interpretations of the Bible and our theology may change sometimes, but how do we know we’re making a wise change? Here are some thoughts on how we can revise our beliefs faithfully:

Are We Departing from Tradition and the Global Church?

If we’re aware of what the majority of Christians throughout history and the world believe, then we should find out whether our revisions move us closer or further away from them. While joining the majority doesn’t always lead to the truth, it is proper to recognize the work of God’s Spirit among believers outside of our culture as a critical guide (see my book Coffeehouse Theology for more on this).

If we choose to depart from tradition or the global church, then we should have some really, really good reasons for doing so. Christians have been wrong about slavery, women’s rights, and colonialism, and there’s a chance we’ve made some other mistakes as well.

Are We Represented by a Minority in Christian History?

There are some church fathers who have both laid the foundation for our faith and held to some views that we would find quite disturbing today. Origen is one who preserved the Christian faith at a critical time and suffered for it, while also holding some views that would later be declared heretical.

Beliefs are tricky things, and sometimes our lines between heresy and orthodoxy are not as clear as we’d prefer. There are some church fathers who would probably like to have another shot at reframing some of their beliefs, and if the greatest minds of the church are in that boat, we’re in good company, even if we’re in the minority on a particular issue.

Are We Overreacting?

Christians are really good at swinging too far in one direction. Our latest trend is a movement away from certainty to doubt and questions. The danger is that we’ll embrace doubt, deconstruction, and questions to the point that we’ll never put in the hard work and faith required to find answers and to consequently do anything.

We can do this in our shifts over theology. On Friday I hope to apply some of these questions to our beliefs about hell, who goes there, and why. We’re at a time when perhaps an overemphasis on hell and punishment could be countered by an overemphasis on grace and salvation for everyone.

I’m not particularly interested in landing in the dead center of the two extremes, but I think it’s helpful to remember that in every time of shifting, we’ll be tempted to shift too far.

Friday’s Post: Perhaps we’ve made too much of hell in relation to the Gospel message, but let’s be careful that we don’t make too little of God’s justice, judgment, and the reality that anyone can reject God’s love and forgiveness