25. Why I Am a Drewid – and you should be too.

Before I stumble too far into this offering, the term Drewid is meant to be a play on my name and the nature based spirituality of the British Isles.  I know that this is probably more than obvious for most of you, but I just never know, and do not want to worry or offend people.

          Oh and this posting will see my 1,000^th page view.  Yes I do keep track, and yes it is kind of a success, or rather an accomplishment.

          I was baptized Anglican, spent my youth as a Drunken Charismatic Lutheran, then went to a quasi Mennonite - Non Denominational Church and now I attend a Baptist church with Southern Baptist roots - but those Southern Baptists don't like cold and snow - so the church is Canadian Baptist.  One of my heroes is Presbyterian another is a Methodist. This is why I am a Drewid.

          I don’t want you to be a Drewid, I would like you to be a whatever you are.  A Kennetheran, Danielist, Janerian.  I want you to have a personal understanding, theology of your own, and for some very good reasons other than my own meandering through the various denominations.

          One reason.  Jesus tells the parable of a master who entrusts his servants with money - the original translation, which I thought was more relevant, was talent.  After giving his servants what has value - he leaves. When the master returns he asks each servant what he or she has done with the wealth entrusted.  I am a Drewid because I will have that conversation, it will be me, not my pastor, not the author of the latest book, who will account for what I have done.

          Yet another reason, we are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  The use of fear and trembling is a hyperbole, an emphasis of the conscientiousness that we are to use in our relationship with God. Also, I truly believe that Jesus worked out my salvation, so I think this reference is to how the Grace of God is lived out in me.

Consider:

          I have heard two doctrines on Baptism, both from those who were sincere in their belief.  Yet it is me that gets wet and water up my nose.  My baptism is a matter of a personal expression of faith. 

          I have heard a number of different doctrines on Communion, all from people who believe what they teach.  It is I, and you, who partake of this sacrament. 

          I have heard a number of theologies of Hell, all presented honestly, some I vehemently reject. 

          There are at least four theologies about the Crucifixion, one of which I believe is heresy.  It is the events on Golgatha that are central to my faith, and I think to yours.

          It does not cut it to believe simply because it is taught from the pulpit.  We are not asked if we believed points of doctrine.  But, just as with Peter, I believe that we will be asked, “Who do you say I am?”

          And who do you say Christ is?

          We have Christ the Son of God, Christ the Word of God, Christ the Good Shepherd, Christ the King, Christ the Redeemer, Christ the Gardner, Christ the Reaper, Christ the Judge, Christ the Saviour, Christ the Activist and I am sure there are more.  And while all those images of Christ are complementary and of themselves legitimate; they also tend to emphasize one part of him over the others.  And thus will impact your faith.

Not to be legalistic – I see no point in creating rules, even my own, when I know that I am going to be the first to foul them up.  I offer these principles.

1. Strive to Love God.  One of the commandments is to have before you no man made idols.  I hate to break it to you, no I don’t, but your concept of God is an idol.  It is based upon your limited understanding, and experience.  Your concept of God, is man or woman, person, made.  Our efforts should always be to love and obey the power that lies behind our beliefs, not what our beliefs had limited God to be.

2. My faith is not a competition.  I love horror movies, and one of the better ones is “Prophecy” the second war in heaven.  Gabriel talks of the war, and the effort to get things back to when God loved them, the angels, best.  This is not about God loving me best.  It is not about God loving me more.  This is about, surrendering myself to him, and allowing him to develop in me what he wants. 

3. Respect contradiction.  One of the aspects of the bible that I love is the apparent contradictions within it.  So, if the bible has contradictions in it, then must not our personal expression of faith have points of contradictions with each other?  Just as contradictions within the bible lends a credibility to it, then contradictions with those around me should lend credibility to our faiths.  Respecting contradictions is about allowing God to develop in you what he wants.

4. Know that the best that you can hope for is to be not wrong.  St. Paul wrote that now he sees through a glass darkly.  If he could not hope but to see things dimly and backwards, well, I certainly don’t have an ability to know with certainty much about a life with Christ.  So many of us try to rest our arguments on the bible.  See above, and understand that the best can hope for is to be not wrong.  It is impossible to know the complete and total mind and will of God.

5. Love each other.  If the best I can do is to hope to be not wrong, then you might be right, even if you are wrong, then we both might be wrong, and just to mess with you, if I am right we both might be right.  We are both struggling to live life as we should, I need to be gentle and loving with you, cause you are part of what I love.

Over the next part of this blog I will cover my personal beliefs, some of them I have already written about, others not.  They are the tenants of my faith, Drewidism.  Someone suggested that maybe I should call myself Drewish.  That would just be silly.