Dr. Doctrine meets Mr. Broad

Posted by admin on Nov 18, 2008 in Issues & Ideas | 0 comments

I think you were sitting there with me a few days ago when our professor’s face turned to cherry at the sound of the word “doctrine.” The nervous glance, as though almost caught. Pause. Stop. Backtrack. Now, an allusive skirting. Relieved. The colour returns. And…continue.

I suppose it shouldn’t be that surprising that the “Doc” is avoided; after all, he was the guy in the class with all the answers. If you were short on systems as “sure and shootin’,” Doc would “put some ammo in your gun.” And everyone knows what ammo is for: it’s for shootin’ – to see how many folks you can gun down. You say, “I haven’t met him.” Think for a second, you have. These folks really stick out of the crowd; you can’t brush up against them without being pricked. And they do have their point, I mean, they “get their man,” one way or another.

You know her too, the slow listener behind you with the trigger tongue – the fastest woman in the world to cough up her answer. Or perhaps you know him, the religious zealot, with the “faith” lodged in his forehead having never trickled down to the heart – none of the white, uncontested truth has ever been felt, much less lived.

We join hands, mourning the many dead and oppressed by that gunslinger “Doctrine.” But as we shed tears for them, we ought to let a few fall for Dr. Doc too. After all, we can understand why he would think himself a martyr in our round world.

Yes, our world is very round. No, not the earth. I meant this place: Canada. This city: Langley. The campus: Trinity Western University.

And we know very well the dangers of the round world too. They teach us that our Lady Truth has no curves or contours. I mean the deconstructionists, those convinced they have no shape, no point of view, no belief, no meaning. The Mr. Broads, living in the land of questions, not wanting to squelch the post-modern mood by “asserting” themselves and coming off as rude. This is his religious advice: “Your so called ‘doctrine’ will always err as long as you are trying to define infinitude.”

Mr. Broad, you need to hear: this infinitude is indefinable as you say, but God became flesh. He limited Himself. This is both mystery and proof you can put between your teeth. Doctrine is nothing more or less than right views about God. You say, “It’s okay. You do the thinking and arguing about beliefs, I’ll do the living of them.” Wait a second, didn’t you just separate the body and spirit of Christ?

Right action follows right views about God. Thinking about God’s character is not for scholars – it is for every Christian. “Of course,” you say. “The Holy Spirit will teach me all I need to know.” Yes, that’s true but not by osmosis – by thinking. “Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything” (2 Tm 2:7). Thinking and discussion is one of the ways faith seeks understanding. What do you say we forgive Dr. Doctrine and his bad first impression and give him another chance? When he puts down his guns, he might have the medicine you need.