Do you even care?

For those of you who know me well you must be aware of my desire to read historical works, particularly the Church Fathers (I admit I'm a nerd who named his son after Athanasius). I've spent time on this blog challenging all who read to pick up something ancient rather than Christianbook.com's top seller, as it stands the tests of time. I believe that great men and women of the faith from other time periods in other parts of the world can contribute something to our walk with the Lord that Chuck Swindoll and John MacArthur simply cannot.

I've recently been reading The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll, a book describing the failure of evangelical churches in the United States from emphasizing the worship of the Lord with one's mind. Noll is a brilliant historian who chronicles the history of the church in America and the foundations that led to this problem. I came across a quote describing two revivalists in the early 19th Century and their response to;

When quotations from Calvin were used to argue against Robert Marshall and J. Thompson, they replied, "We are not personally acquainted with the writings of John Calvin, nor are we certain how nearly we agree with his views of divine truth; neither do we care."

Ouch. They don't even care? Now regardless of your perspective on Calvin I think we can agree that his writings and teachings can provide wonderful defense and explanation for so much of basic Christian beliefs.

The sad truth is that often times we emphasize the individual response of a person so much that they begin to feel that their own competence is all they need. In many ways American individualism contributes to the problem we have with people claiming to be Christians who see no point in attending church or gathering with other believers. Their opinion is that they have Christ and their Bible, what else is necessary?

Despite the fact that salvation is an individual response in faith, and that one is saved individually by Christ, what they are saved into is a corporate body. That's the beauty of the body of Christ, we each are lacking and made with a need for others to be complete (1 Cor. 12). But, we also are made and gifted with something to contribute to the rest of the Body of believers. This contribution can be in the form of encouragement, teaching, service, or a number of other possibilities. Calvin stated that the church was the body of believers from all time and although I may have some hesitancy saying the church includes believers before Christ, it stands to reason that even those who came before us can contribute to our growth in the Lord through their example and writings.

So, in conclusion, do you care what those brothers and sisters in Christ who came before studied, learned, and taught? There's a challenge for the weekend!

Go Pack Go!

J