Are the Narrow Minded Always Wrong?

I sometimes wonder what we really mean when we say that something is "too narrow," or that someone is "narrow-minded." I've been accused on more than one occasion of being this way. I don't try to be, but there are some things that Scripture teaches very clearly, and on those things I will not bend unless I am shown truth beyond what God's Holy Spirit has already revealed to me.

It seems like we put a lot of emphasis on being "open minded" within the church today. We've got liberal Christians telling those who are conservative that they're "narrow" and the emergent church movement telling everyone that they're "too narrow" among other things. Now I understand that there are people who are more narrow than the truth, and that is certainly not a good thing. But if the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is authoritative in our lives, then should we really be more "broad" in our beliefs than the Bible?

This, again, comes back to convictions. After some conversations that I have had over the past couple of weeks, I wonder if we just use "narrow-minded" as a derogatory title for those who have firm convictions. I'm not trying to say that we all need to be as narrow as we can be, but maybe it wouldn't hurt us to learn to bend a little bit less on firm convictions that come from God's Witnesses, His Word and Spirit. This does not mean that we shouldn't be open to new truth, but it's time that the church (especially the holiness movements) stand firm in their convictions. There are people that can move from holiness churches to Calvinist congregations and not even know the difference. Why are we so willing to bend on holiness? Is it not a clear command in Scripture? Regardless of what background you come from, it is an indisputable truth that the Bible says, "Be holy for I am holy" (Lev. 11:45 among others).

Maybe the problem within the Holiness Movement is that we are not "narrow-minded" enough. Maybe our lack of conviction (along with a desire for everyone to pastor a mega church) has allowed us to become more "broad" in our thinking than Scripture intended.

With Conviction

Do you have any convictions? We all claim to believe things, but we seem to have fewer and fewer convictions. Webster's dictionary defines conviction as "firm belief, convincing or being convinced to carry conviction, to bear the clear mark of convincing truth."

It seems to me that if we have convictions they should be obvious. They should be something that people see in us as we interact at the workplace, or at school, or with our family and friends. So often we have a weak set of beliefs that are little more than theoretical. They aren't really convictions that guide us, and they certainly aren't apparent to those around.

I wonder if this is a problem within the church. We hear preaching and teaching that doesn't really take a stand for anything. We don't like to talk about the things of which God has convicted us for fear of offending or making people uncomfortable. To be completely honest, I've come to a point where I would rather be offended than continue to hear people attempt to talk about God like He's simply a philosophy. If we can't find something about God to drive us and convict us, should we even attempt to be vessels to carry His Word? Is it possible that many of the issues we face as Christians come from a lack of clear conviction from God's Holy Spirit?

The Burden for Holiness

I have a burden. Do we get burdens anymore? It seems like we jump from church to church looking for places that will give us an emotional high without any burden. I wonder if that's possibly something that hinders the holines of the church. Can we be holy people when we really have no burden to know God, or to understand Him? Why do we have this aversion to feeling like we have to know our creator more? The more I think about it, the more I believe that a little bit of burden and discomfort might help to push our spiritual lives in the right direction.

That's what has started this blog. God has given me a burden to teach what He has inspired through His Word. The command to "be holy for I am holy" is pretty plain. I realize that holiness offends people and makes them uncomfortable, but the Bible teaches it. I think that the time has come for God's people to come together with scriptural holiness, or the command to "go and sin no more," as the motive. I know that some don't think there's any way it can happen in this life, but if that's the case why did Jesus command it? That's what it all comes down to. When will the body follow the commands of the head, Jesus Christ?