Thursday, September 01, 2005

Christian Diversity

As one wanders down the road of Christian life, you will meet many wonderful and interesting people. These people will impact you in some way, however small. The Christian world is so diverse, the spectrum so wide that every day you have the potential of engaging with someone who alters your image of, "a Christian".

Most of my Christian life, the Christians I have met have been servants, with a very big heart to share their faith with those who may not know our Lord as deeply as they do. The Christians I have been used to have been "heart smart", meaning the Word is on their heart and they are not "scholars". I have met a few scholars, and like most people who have spent great amounts of time studying, they are very eager to share their knowledge, but these people also had a degree of "heart smarts" as well, just not as much as the non-scholars.

I had the opportunity to engage a man yesterday who was at first, not appear very knowledgeable in the Word. As a newer Christian, I was moved to share what little I knew with him. It became very evident (very quickly!) that the man was quite knowledgeable in the Word, much more so than I. But something else became evident after engaging him. I appeared to me that this person has spent a degree of time in study of the Word to fill his mind, but that maybe he did not have the gifts of the spirit. He was rather combative when he learned that I did not have the "book smarts" he had. I was getting the impression all he wanted to do was debate.

I will admit I misinterpreted one or 2 comments he made, which may have set him down this path. He did not appear to defend his faith, only his knowledge of it. That is where we are opposites I guess. I realize I do not have the book smarts he has and defend with my heart. He on the other hand has proven his bible knowledge and defends that. I see a bit of pride in his defense, but who among us is without sin? Me? Surely not.

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