May 13, 2004
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I've always been anti-anti-intellectualism. I know, double negative. I speak of anti-intellectualism as a sort of movement in the church. A trend that has failed me in the past, even when I never wanted to be a part of it.
I saw it as a reliance on emotion. Putting to much stock in something that can be fleeting. I saw people lose faith because they had nothing in their head and the retreats ran out.
I think this was God preparing me for my own fall, because fall I did. My emotional footing was pulled right from under my feet. I fell, and all I had to cling to was my mind: the things I knew to be true regardless of how I felt about them.
It was a rough road back up. I don't think I'm even there yet. The climb was done in my mind, however. I didn't have the emotion left to get me anywhere. Not even a retreat could save me at this point.
It's worked though. And I'm thankful to God that my foundation is a little less unstable now. All this has left me with a distaste for emotion though. You see, I need to be anti-anti-intellectualism, it must be so, but I also need to recognise emotion.
I once got on a rant about emotionalism in the attempt to sound spiritual in front of my father when I felt like shit. He told me a story of 3 men: emotion, reason, and faith. They all had to walk along a wall... reason ought to be first, then faith, and then emotion. Ok, well it wasn't a very good story, but somehow I remember it well. Your emotion should be based on your faith, and that on reason. Without emotion, faith can fall behind, leaving reason by himself. It is a package deal.
The whole thing reminds me of freedomize. Not that it's a perfect church, but it has both emotionalism and intellectualism living together, without trying to negate either. Haha, reformed teaching, which, whatever your personal theological leanings are, screams intellectual, and Pentecostal worship, which definitely screams emotionalism.
I think one without the other leaves you lacking. All I need to do is implement this. Anyone know how? Haha, if only I could say something practical for once.
Comments (2)
i agree.
..er.. wait. i agree with what you are saying, not that you need to say something practical.. cuz clearly you are one of the most practical people i know
your father sounds like a wise man. too bad my rents never shell out any advice like that...
all the best with trying to synchronize faith reason and emotions. i suppose i would be one of the people who is suppose to be offering practical advise, coming from pentecostalism and hopefully still being respected as reasonable (although that could be widely debated), but all i can really say is that you can not escape emotions. you just need to be able to realize its limits, just as you must realize the limits of reason and use both in there proper place and time.
i have more thoughts, but i really hate this little box, so this is the end.
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