I recently visited the BLOG of a new friend. I found our journey to truth to be of the same heart. I found this post by Nathan Lee McIntyre (yes another Nathan Lee! ) and added my Comment on his BLOG. I thought the discourse valuable enough to share as a post on my BLOG.
Posted By Nathan Lee McIntyre on his BLOG
"In the beginning God created man, and from there man repeatedly messed up a good thing. I must admit I keep another blog. This one will be treated a bit differently. I am a recovering minister. Born in the church, I left it although there every Sunday. I now find myself curiously enough facing a desire to come back, but to what, I'm not sure. I had to leave the church to find it, and it is this search that now I am consumed with. I am a Christian...the definition of which I hope to one day discover."
Comments By Nathan Lee Lewis
"Thanks for the invite to your BLOG. Your honesty and willingness to bear your soul's yearnings is refreshing. I share your epiphany of just now coming to grips with the fact that you know very little. That does not mean, however that the truth is not obtainable, it may just mean that we have been looking in or were born in the wrong place. I, too, am a recovering minister. The first open sore being the arrogance that comes with the job. "Knowledge puffs up". I am just now learning not to say "I" (Please excuse the irony of this sentence). My approach to truth took on a profound redirect when I switched from the current-to-the-past approach and started with the origins of the Church working my way forward. What I have found so far is more than profound, the least not being the fact that in the ethos of the undivided Church of the apostles there never existed the Reformed view that an individual has the right to interpret scipture or tradition on his own. All truth and tradition stemmed cohesively from the visible Body of Christ as represented by the bishops "in the Church of the living God, pillar and support of the truth." (1Tim. 3:16) So, I am no longer interested, nor do I ask what I believe or what anyone else "believes", I ask, "what has the unified visible church always believed and taught in all places at all times?"
The answer to this pivotal question is found in the documented history of the church contained in the writings of the Early Church Fathers who bled and died to preserve the teachings of the Apostles. "
I know this is really late for a comment. But I wanted to say that I just found your blog and find it interesting so far, especially considering my interest in the Orthodox Church.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to encourage you and all that none of us are ever born in the wrong place. Paul said, "And He made every nation of men of one blood, to live on all the face of the earth, ordaining fore-appointed seasons and boundaries of their dwelling, to seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and might find Him, though indeed He not being far from each one of us." --Acts 17:26-27
I was born into a conservative protestant denomination, but God has a way of using the situations into which we are born to still guide us to Himself. That's grace in action. Just thought I would share my thoughts.
Hey Aaron. No comment is too late on this BLOG. Of course you are right in your comments, but our emphasis is different. "Wrong place" here doesn't infer an "accident." I am grateful for my Baptist heritage, but is was the "wrong place" to find the full faith. By necessity one must leave that place and Journey to find the Orthodox Church. Seems that is what you are doing as well. I will look forward to many discussions with you.
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