Against the Tide

I recently reread Against the Tide, Angus Kinnear’s biography of Watchman Nee.

The Church’s freedom was taken away when the Communists took over China. Sadly, many believers turned on brothers and sisters through fear and intimidation. Many joined the state-sponsored “Church” despite drastic measures of control by the political powers.

The initial stages of state control were relatively gentle, with implied promises of continued freedom and relatively few limitations. With time, the dark reality was fully evident, but by then the changes and the loss of freedom were permanent.

But, the underground church in China since then has flourished tremendously and been an inspiration to believers all over the world. Is there a similar scenario in the future of the church in America? When there are legal limits imposed on the free expression of the Gospel will that deplete, or create, spiritual vitality among true believers?

Will the loss of our religious civil “rights” be contrary to God's providential plan, or will it be in accord with God’s providential plan?

Positions

In certain Christians, self-described as "Reformed," there tends to be an emphasis on theology and having correct theological views. (By "correct" I don't mean the distinction between orthodoxy and heresy, but rather the "correct" theological views about secondary issues that are seen as central to the Reformed way of thinking.)

A phrase that one hears often includes the idea of "holding a position," as in, "What position do you hold regarding sovereign election?" In other words, do you agree with us, the Reformed, about our favorite topics, or not?

But I think a lot of this well-intentioned theological vetting misses the point. In fact, I think that when it comes to the ins and outs of Reformed Theology (or any Theology), the only "position" that Jesus cares about is our being on our knees before him.

A willingness, or more importantly an eagerness, to live sacrificially for him above all else is what matters now, and it is all that will matter later. If one wants to add deep theological study to that, fine. If not, that's probably ok, too.