Thursday, May 12, 2011

Dutiful & Affectionate - are both loved by God?

When living in New Zealand, I taught some courses for a couple of Bible Colleges. The enrollment was not the 21 year old collegiate, but rather, pastors doing continuing development training. In one course, we studied how types of people are attracted to different traditions; charismatic & worship centered, Word pietistic, justice, acts of mercy, etc are attracted to types of churches and when a personality is at odds with the traditions mores, he/she ends up either angry, an iconoclast (sometimes needed!) or leaving disillusioned and often hurt.

Recently Donald Miller wrote on this subject, but looked at it from a broader perspective: conservatives and liberals. Noting "control" vs "understanding", "dutiful" vs "affection" Don notes some trends by these two groups. Here is Don's link to this article

http://donmilleris.com/2011/05/11/do-liberal-theologians-feel-more-at-home-with-god/

Before I am skerwered yet again, may I suggest one considers is a) there is something to learn about myself? b) others different from me, c) new about God, and d) maybe treat other saints differently as a result of a-c.

Peace and grace, your humble and far from perfect servant,
Mike