August 6, 2024
General Superintendent
Max Edwards
It’s rather interesting how time changes the connotations and sometimes even actual definitions of words. A few hundred years ago, the word “Awful” meant wonderful – “full of awe”. Today, it is synonymous with terrible. The English word “Bully” actually originated from a Dutch word, and meant “sweetheart” or lover of either gender. Today, of course, the noun and verb form have to do with being mercilessly cruel.
I believe the word “doctrine” is in the middle of a similar transformation. It still remains mostly positive in connotation, but more and more, it has come to be viewed as stodgy … stuffy … and pretty negative. Consider, for example, that the word “indoctrination” is almost universally negative to most people. If a person is asked today, “What do you believe?”, that is an acceptable and positive feeling question. But if you asked most folks, “What is your doctrine?” or “Do you focus much on the doctrine of your church?”, the reaction might very well be negative.
What’s the point? It is this - Doctrine is simply a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church. And it would be a terrible loss if doctrine were to get put on the back burner in church life, because truth matters. Jesus boldly declared that truth matters. He said to Pontius Pilate, “ … the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.” (Matthew 18:37)
One of the most critical activities of the early church was to pass on the teachings of Christ to the newly initiated. The truths of the faith CANNOT be set aside as semi-important. The modern church must be as intentional about the core teachings of Jesus as the early church was. The Acts 2 account notes that the first believers “continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine…” It seems to me that today, there is a reduced focus on basic core truths, partly because the whole concept of TRUTH is under seige. Instead of teaching objective truth, it is easier to focus on feelings and subjective concepts, resulting in a kind-of “you’re okay, I’m okay” world. This is precisely why many believers are misled to think they can act in ways they would describe as “loving”, but which are not actually loving at all, because truth has been abandoned.
How can we love people, but leave them in dangerous places with no warnings, no cautions, no boundaries? Would it be loving to let someone eat spoiled food without so much as a mention of the danger? And how will we know what is dangerous ourselves if we don’t take the time to study the manual?
Paul’s words to Timothy were clear, and they still ring clear for us today: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (1 Timothy 2:15)