2005-05-17 - 3:05 p.m.
Some thoughts I've been entertaining...
Erasmus: "How do we maintain a balance between orthodoxy and personal experience?"
Parmenides: "We tend to beleive that the substance of Scripture (atleast those that believe it is God-breathed), is greater than the substance of our experience. I'm sure you know what I mean... I'm not completely sure that is the best way to approach God's word because inherent within it, I think there is a lie. The Word of God is not a record of God speaking to me, it's a record of God speaking to others. Don't get me wrong, it affects all men to this day, but it doesn't seem as personal as one on one.
The irony is that 'orthodoxy' seems to be just as much a derivative of God's word as it is human experience. --and we tell ourselves during times of joy and hardship that our 'orthodoxy' is also greater than our experience, because Scripture and orthodoxy have become one and the same... My point is simple:
The reason your question is possible is because there is not a balance between orthodoxy and experience. We are taught to disbelieve in God speaking to us directly or indirectly, we are taught that Scritpure is greater than our experience, and our orthodoxy has become as great as the pure Word of God. It seems impossible to balance when we've been taught that one is greater than the other.
If I can become convinced that God wants to speak to me Today, then I might be able to understand or live the balance. Yet, we've been inadvertently taught that God will speak to us, only through the scriptures; but there's more....so much more. In short, both/and is possible, but only seems impossible because of our paradigm. The balance is maintained when we start to believe that the balance in possible; these things are equal.
That's my conclusion anyway.
