Stretching Our Hearts and Minds
By Walter T. Norris, Plano, TX
In the men`s room where I used to work as a caseworker is a poster sign with different quotes. Each quote has an age level beside it where this quote might be a reality. The quote that matches my age level goes like this: "I`ve learned that we grow only when we push ourselves beyond what we already know-age 53."
I wonder how many of us are willing to stretch in this fast paced, comfort and convenient seeking society? How many of us are willing to go beyond what we already know to find the truth? Do we seek out the truth or do we wait around for someone to dictate to us his or her dogma or philosophy? Why should we grow in this manner?
It is through this process of stretching our hearts and minds that we mature. This is where we have those important "aha" moments. These are the times when we acquire a certain insight or realize the wisdom of a certain concept or action. This is where we really start to think for ourselves. We have come to a certain reality and learned for ourselves what is important. Wisdom starts to take hold.
I am somewhat concerned with what I see going on in the conservative evangelical movement. I see evangelical leaders telling people what they have to read, what to watch on TV or at the movies, who to vote for, and even what preachers to hear. These leaders claim to have some kind of authority with which they manipulate their people. They even hold Sunday night rallies to tell people what judges are bad for America. I wonder how much money they spent on these rallies. Could they have used this money for a better cause, like feeding the hungry in Christ`s name?
Sometime back I read an article in a newspaper where the author, who was a woman, stated that she did not agree with her pastor. However, she stated that she would do what he asked, because he had authority over her. This minister is the pastor of a very prominent church in the Dallas area.
That article caused me to shiver because she gave up her right to openly disagree with someone because she thought they had authority over her. Many of the ministers in mega churches are extremely powerful and are beginning to dictate in the political realm.
Several years ago I returned to a particular seminary to work on a master`s degree where I had done undergraduate work. However, this particular seminary had changed drastically since I was there in the early 1980s. It had been caught up in a political battle within the Southern Baptist denomination and was now dominated and controlled by a very right wing group that I did not agree with personally. Even though there were still professors at the seminary from when I was there before, the climate and direction of the seminary had changed.
Since I did not agree with their authoritarian and dogmatic philosophy, I was going to have to be able to challenge their extreme ideas. I pushed myself to study diligently to affirm what I believed and then to set forth those ideas in a clear systematic fashion. This challenge really helped me shape a clear view of my basic beliefs, founded upon what I had learned through studying the Bible and other related disciplines.
I was able to honestly say, "I believe this because this is what I have learned and not because someone told me to accept it." In my position as a Bible study leader in my church, I have tried to present various views to stretch the hearts and minds of those in the class. I have taken different approaches in my teaching, but always it has been biblically based.
We also have done various ministry projects that have helped us to see more needs in the community than we ever imagined. Stretching ourselves means getting out and doing ministry, not just sitting around talking about it. We have gathered food for our local food pantry, we supported a teenage single mother for a year, we have supported and participated in helping a local church whose members have a serious mental illness, we have supported a local free children`s clinic, and we have collected items for a local AIDS/HIV Center.
A few years ago, I heard a story over the radio about the oldest practicing attorney in the United States. He had just died. He was 100 years old, an African-American, lived in Indiana, and had seven educational degrees, the last being acquired when he was 78 years old. Someone asked him once what was the secret to longevity. He remarked, "Once a person quits learning, it is all over."
In the book, Who Needs Theology?, Stanley Grenz and Roger Olsen invite lay people to engage theology and to practice sound theology. They give a three-step journey to being a theologian:
Seek to know the heart of God.
Be dissatisfied with our current level of understanding.
Be willing to work.
We will never know the truth without stretching our hearts and minds as we encounter Jesus Christ in the world.
Walter Norris is a caseworker with the Dallas County Public Defender`s Office, defending the indigent mentally ill. He also teaches an adult Bible class at FBC Plano and is chair of their Missions Committee.
