Assumptions

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a couple ladies who I had never met before.  The unique thing about meeting people at a conference is you often times get into deep discussions with people who you would normally just be exchanging pleasantries with.  I really cannot get this conversation out of my head, it surprised me, but also reminded me of my default way of thinking.  The way of thinking most people have, but have to work very hard to overcome it.  Here is the skelton of the conversation:

Lady #1: You should never ever go to an Orthodox Church, because they only teach works.  It’s all works, works, works.  You never hear the Gospel.

Me: How do you know this?

Lady #1: I know someone who goes to an Orthodox Church.

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Lady #2: You also would never want to go to a Roman Catholic Church, because they believe in baby baptism, and they believe that is saves you.  That’s all you need!  Plus, it’s baby baptism, which is just wrong!

Me: I don’t think they believe it saves you…

Lady #2: Oh, yes they do! My mom was rasied Roman Catholic, so I know.

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How often do we assume something negative about another branch of Christianity because “we know someone who told us”?  I am not trying to negate that particular person’s experience, on the contrary.  I am trying to point out that there are such varying degrees of experience/knowledge with every person, in every church, that you cannot make judgments about that particular church as a whole solely based off of what someone you know knows.

The thing is, every denomination has doctrines, a catechism, creeds, etc that they believe and are supposed to follow.  But who makes up the church?  Fallible sinners.  The Pastors and Priests are fallible sinners.  Which means, they don’t always do justice to the doctrines of the church.  Not only that, but sometimes you get a Pastor/Priest who actually teaches against the doctrine.

But that doesn’t mean that the whole denomination believes that way.  That doesn’t mean that every church/parish you go to in that denomination would teach the same way.  Maybe the friend who you are getting your information from has been under aberrant teaching.  Maybe they are receiving good teaching, but have done some studying on their own and come up with their own ideas.  Maybe they have been sitting in church for years and years, faithfully attending every week, but their ears are closed to what is being taught from the pulpit.  There are many reasons why their beliefs may not track with their church’s doctrines/catechisms.

So, how do we respond to conversations like this?  Do not deny their experience.  What they went through and learned was probably very real.  Ask them if they know where it is written that their church teaches that.  For a Reformed Protestant, you might ask about the Creeds or the Westminster Confession of Faith, or your Church’s Mission Statement.  Find something solid that both of you can read and discover the answer from.  Don’t assume that just because they believe in, say, Double Predestination, that that is what the denomination is teaching.  “Oh, that’s a bad church.  I know a guy who went there, and he believed witnessing wasn’t necessary because of Double Predestination.  I would never go to that church, and you shouldn’t either.”  But how many times have we said something like this?  How many times have we assumed we know the whole story, because we heard one person’s part of it?  I know I have been guilty of this.  And honestly (but regrettably) will probably be guilty of this in the future.  It is a default way of thinking that takes hard work to overcome.  It is not a passive way of thinking, it is an active one.  Actively give other Christians and their churches the benefit of the doubt.  Do more studying.  Don’t take one person’s word for it and as a result condemn a whole church or a whole denomination.  I don’t think that is how God wants us to treat our fellow Christians.

Addendum:  Please do not take this to mean I think Christians won’t have valid disagreements.  I am trying to address the problem of condemning or writing off a Christian Church because of experiential assumptions.  This, to me, is entirely different than having well thought out, well studied disagreements, and therefore deciding certain churches are not for you or your family.

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