Why Intellectual Assent could be hurting the Church

I remember the sight of people entering the building when I first went along to Church again.

They had a look.

Especially the guys.

Picture if you can a clean shaved guy, wearing a floral or highly patterned shirt, complete with a large Bible under their arm.

We are aren't just talking a pocket version or something subtle.

Back in those days it was as large as you could get, generally with a faux leather zip cover thingy that held not only the Bible, but church notices, notes and other assorted things.

Fast forward a decade or more and we seem to have shifted to something more sophisticated.

Most of us dressed down while "tech-ing" up. 

Those under the arm masses of church materials replaced with a phone using a Bible app.

When we lead our Church we added physical message notes to our Sundays.

A5 pieces of paper were given out as you arrived which included all the Bible verse that the message would cover, along with fill-in-the-gap sections to help you take notes.

We actively encouraged thinking, taking your own notes, asking God what He might be saying in the middle of what was being said from the front.

What is my point with this long winded intro?

One of my current concerns is that we may have in general lurched towards a more intellectual assent model. I'll explain what that term means in a moment...

I don't see people carrying Bibles as much.

I don't see people looking at the Bible apps as much.

And I definitely do not see people taking notes during the sermon as much.

Why?

Maybe a few reasons:

1. When we embraced the above model of teaching, people called it "life application".

It was based on the simple idea that what we taught one day should be able to be applied to any day.

There were many who didn't like this style of teaching and who would tell me "expository teaching" was the only valid way to teach the Bible (the systematic verse by verse style of teaching).

Here is my problem with the argument. 

If it is bad teaching, neither teaching style works.

And if people can't relate to what is taught, you can't apply it to your life. Your faith expression, how your live each day "out there" (world) doesn't ever seem to correlate with what happens "in there" (Church).

Knowledge is seen as king.

My problem with this is that you teach, but without power. 

1 Corinthians 2:4 states: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power," NIV

I see today many craving wise words, clever presentation, engaging presentation and avoidance of the "proof" of the word via demonstration.

Paul even goes on to explain in Chapter 8 that knowledge can puff us up. 

This isn't a good thing. 

It speaks of pride and of missing the point of learning all together.

2. We have what I call age-up push-back.

This is the challenge many Christians have. 

Where as you apparently mature in the faith, you actually very easily begin to push back against teaching that challenges you. You feel above what the "newby's" are learning because "you have heard it all before". You desire encouragement without conviction, more information over more faith in action.

When you add "it is all about me" attitudes prevalent in modern church, where the preferences of the long term believer are demanded, the teaching style gets push back, gets dumbed down, removes all challenge or faith expectation.

So what is intellectual assent?

It relates to the mind, deep thinking, and the use of reason rather than emotions - Merriam Webster

In Church, it relates to learning and adding to knowledge, thinking that the more we learn and the more knowledge we gain that will equal growth.

This is why it is so dangerous!

It potentially destroys your faith, it destroys even the childlike faith we have been encouraged to have.

It takes the supernatural and replaces it with logic arguments and what is consider culturally natural.

So here is my encouragement today for you and me.

Study yes. But also look to apply more. Try more. Step out in faith more.

I don't believe you don't age out of faith

Avoid stupid church arguments and embrace faith based action.

Keep a gentle heart and avoid comfort only based communities.

Be part of the action instead of watching from the sideline.

Something to think about...