When was the last time you took a glance back over your life in order to reflect on how you have changed in your beliefs and practices? It can be truly rewarding to see how the Lord has been working in your life.
Do you embrace challenges and reexamine your beliefs with an open heart and mind? Is the truth (which sets us free) worth it to you?
In the following video blog, I share a little of my own journey and encourage my readers to seek the truth above all things.
Brothers and sisters, I implore you to never be afraid to change your mind or the direction of your life for fear of what others might think of you.
Have you have ever been passionate about something, only later to discover that you were wrong? How did you respond? Are you sensitive to the ways God wants to move you along and grow you up into Christ?
D.D. Flowers, 2013.
The Centrality and Supremacy of Jesus Christ 
April 3rd, 2013 at 4:19 pm
Sometimes community is hard to find when you do change your mind. A while back, I stumbled on the early anthology about openness and started going through the bibliography, consuming all I could, starting with Rice’s book on foreknowledge. I went on to Sanders, Basinger, Boyd, etc. and spent 5 years studying and saying aha at every turn. Things concerning suffering and the way we actually experience our world made more sense than at any other time in my Christian upbringing. Hubby eventually came on board, too, after I started follwing Greg B on podcasts. Here’s the BUT. I feel like I’m a closet openness person because there are no like believers that I know, and those who are even aware of this stream treat it as a caricature, as if dismissing the ideas is as easy as name-calling and demonizing. Unless you had a few hours to talk, you can’t say anything because of not being understood and being accused of saying God is not omniscient. Most believers I know practically live the way I believe but still cling to the specific sovereignty doctrines as the catch-all for anything that happens in their lives. I don’t live with the inconsistency of life and belief anymore–at least mostly. But finding a place to belong, well, that is the difficult thing. You are always trying to fly under the radar so as not to be misunderstood and marginalized.
April 3rd, 2013 at 5:03 pm
I enjoy hearing challenging things with regard to the Scriptures and theology. Things that cause me to “deconstruct” my own worldviews and rebuild them stronger are exciting to me. However, I’ve noticed that almost 100% of the time, when someone tells me what they really think about a theologically sensitive subject that runs counter to popular thought, they literally look around first to see if anyone else is listening and then whisper it.
I’ve never really faced the ridicule or scorn that David (to the point he had to leave the church! Ridiculous!) or others who’ve whispered have received so it makes me feel like I’ve got that coming sooner or later. But, I pray when it does, I don’t lose my boldness.
The loudest voice in pop theology today comes from (please forgive these short-hand labels) fundamentalist Calvinists (often of the neo variety). There is a boldness that must come to Anabaptists to counter some of the negative the world is hearing from our brothers so that the sleepers can awake and become relevant non-escapists in a world that needs Christians to act more like Christ.
April 3rd, 2013 at 10:37 pm
That’s so cool! Thanks for sharing that. You’re right… it’s not always easy to find a community that can handle that. It’s very unfortunate, but I do think things are slowly changing. You’re not alone. I appreciate your testimony. Hang in there, sister.
April 8th, 2013 at 4:10 am
David, have you ever thought that He wanted you to deconstruct what you thought the institutional church was so He could show you how to construct what it is supposed to look like? Well, as good as we can.
April 8th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Hey Tim, I would say that for me the deconstructing of the organized church wasn’t in order to construct a perfect model or rigid NT practice, but to freely discover and celebrate ‘Christ in community’ in all its many expressions. So, there is freedom to follow Christ in community while seeking the perfect balance (not the model) of church life that engenders a healthy Body life. If folks are knowing Christ together in real community (shared life)… then we should celebrate that and not concern ourselves with anything else.
Does that make sense?