1 John 1:1-4 (1 of 14)
Series: 1 John: Jesus Our Light and Life
Wyman Richardson
1 John 1:1-4
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life- 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us- 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
I would like to begin by sharing three book titles.
- Peace at the Edge of Uncertainty: Finding Beauty in Mystery, Reclaiming Truth From the Myth of Certainty
- The Myth of Certainty: The Reflective Christian and The Risk of Commitment
- The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our ''Correct'' Beliefs
My point is not to comment on the contents of these books, but rather on what their titles suggest about the current religious mood with Evangelicalism. Regardless of the actual arguments of these books, the hook of these titles is clearly the instinctive revulsion to dogmatism that many Christians feel today. By ''dogmatism'' I am referring to a kind of mindless belief that accepts something as true just because an authority figure says it's true.
But I wonder if these titles do not point something more subtle and more pernicious, namely a growing sense among modern people that there really is something distasteful about the concept of certainty itself, whether it be dogmatic or not. I wonder if we are entering an age in which not only mindless acquiescence is condemned but also quiet confidence as well? In other words, I wonder if any and all certainty is now being viewed as so much arrogance by those who profess to have it.
John begins his epistle with a st ...
Series: 1 John: Jesus Our Light and Life
Wyman Richardson
1 John 1:1-4
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life- 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us- 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
I would like to begin by sharing three book titles.
- Peace at the Edge of Uncertainty: Finding Beauty in Mystery, Reclaiming Truth From the Myth of Certainty
- The Myth of Certainty: The Reflective Christian and The Risk of Commitment
- The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our ''Correct'' Beliefs
My point is not to comment on the contents of these books, but rather on what their titles suggest about the current religious mood with Evangelicalism. Regardless of the actual arguments of these books, the hook of these titles is clearly the instinctive revulsion to dogmatism that many Christians feel today. By ''dogmatism'' I am referring to a kind of mindless belief that accepts something as true just because an authority figure says it's true.
But I wonder if these titles do not point something more subtle and more pernicious, namely a growing sense among modern people that there really is something distasteful about the concept of certainty itself, whether it be dogmatic or not. I wonder if we are entering an age in which not only mindless acquiescence is condemned but also quiet confidence as well? In other words, I wonder if any and all certainty is now being viewed as so much arrogance by those who profess to have it.
John begins his epistle with a st ...
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