February 27, 2025
One of the qualities that first drew me to Presbyterianism (I was in my mid-20s) was that it allowed questions. When I attended a Presbyterian Bible study we questioned each other. We debated our answers. Together, we sharpened our thoughts and came to a deeper understanding of God’s Word. At the Bible studies, I learned that Presbyterianism has a great appreciation for knowledge and wisdom.
Appreciation for learning and inquiry has been a hallmark of Presbyterianism since our beginning. Our practice has always been marked by deep understanding and technical mastery of languages, background and history. Our father John Calvin, in his masterful Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559/1560) quotes extensively, in Latin and Greek, from the early church fathers. Presbyterianism was not a theology built on passion and exuberance alone. It was also built on wisdom, knowledge, deep understanding and respect for technical expertise.
Sadly, today we are living in a time of growing mistrust for knowledge. Technical expertise is disparaged. Truth is relative. Increasingly, only might makes right.
This trend is not limited to the secular world. It is raising its ugly head in the broader church. The rise of Fundamentalism and Christian Nationalism, both of which privilege certainty over questions and power over peace, are deeply troubling.
This is where Presbyterianism can make a difference. This is where you and I can step in and offer an alternative. In this time when not only democracy but also theology are dying from lack of the light of critical inquiry, we can point to the light the world needs. We can show others that questioning is a sign of strength, not weakness. Debate empowers rather than limits. The Bible is bigger than our questions and when we think we fully understand God we are most wrong.
St. Anselm of Canterbury (r. 1093-1109), famously said that ‘Theology (the study of God) is faith seeking understanding.” We believe in God. We love God. And so, we are driven to know God, and understand God, more and more. Indeed, true faith has nothing in common with indifference to the search for truth, or fear of it, or the arrogant claim to possess it fully. Instead, theology is
the result of the responsibility of the Christian community to inquire about its faith in God.
Now more than ever, the church needs committed Christians who are willing to publicly question widely held beliefs. We need Christians who aren’t afraid to disagree with the power brokers of our culture. We need Christians who are determined to get wisdom and understanding, even though it costs all we have.
May we be the Christians our time needs.
God’s peace, and wisdom, to us all.
Pastor Ken