What causes ‘you’ to change your mind?
Confession…… I love NPR news. I know, some of you were probably thinking I am a FOX man, which I do occasionally listen to. But NPR at least gives me our national news with a little less bias than the networks. By the way if you want a good picture of world news check out BBC.
I was listening to some of the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings. At one point Senator Dianne Feinstein asked her how could the Supreme Court over turn gun legislation based on decades of litigation based on a 5 to 4 decision.
Basically (and I am summarizing here so if I am misquoting please forgive me) Kagan stated that doctrine can be changed. That if the precedents set are found not to be useful or the doctrinal foundations begin to erode then change will happen. Also if some of the original facts that established the doctrinal beliefs are found to be misgiving then it can change.
Meaning, that the beliefs of the High court can change when they find it no longer useful for what they are trying to do. Although, they should respect precedents.
In Honor of God at the Movies Oak Leaf Style 
Now, funny thought comes to mind. I think it’s important to understand something here.
Culture reacts the same way with Biblical Doctrine. Culture will accept long standing biblical doctrine as long as they like it and it helps them in what they want to do. When it stops working for them it is time to change.
Questions that come to mind:
- Is it ok to change doctrine?
- When is it ok to switch from one doctrine to another?
- Can everyone be right? If not, then who has the right answer?
These are just some of the questions that I have been asking myself over the last couple of years. Because, I have found myself changing lately? Am I changing to help myself cope with culture? Or, is God showing me how it really is?
What about you?
July 2nd, 2010 at 9:34 AM
Coming to Oak Leaf was a big change for me.I started seeing and believing things that I had always been told was wrong.It worried me at first.Then it hit me!The things I was changing was not Biblical things.It was things that the traditional Baptist churches came up with.For example simple things like how to dress,how the music should be.I could keep going but you get the picture.I realized all them years I really was not learning much about the Bible.It was rules of the churches.Since coming to Oak Leaf I’m learning and with that God has allowed me to grow as a Christian. So for me in this case I would say change was the best thing I could have done.As long as your changing things to be closer to God and more like him then change is good.Right?Thanks Jody for your blog.As always you make me think and challenge myself more than I really want(the lazy side of me) which in turn helps me grow as a Christian.
July 2nd, 2010 at 9:40 AM
All I know is that I am right there with you. I have undergone SO many changes in the last 6 months. As to whether it is adaptation or God, I don’t know. Maybe a little of both? As humans, I think it is only natural for us to try to adapt to culture. But, I know that God has truly been working and making some changes in me as well. I am very interested in seeing what everyone has to say. These kinds of questions just make me go “hmmmm….”
July 2nd, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Travis hit it on the head for me! I too have changed so much. The fact is I also have changed, growing closer to God. I have learned truth and Biblical Doctrine. I have learned what God wants me to learn, rather than what man wants me to learn. So I believe, just as Travis does, that if you’re changing to be more Christ like and learning biblical truths, that’s ok.
Let’s attack the other side of this. If we are changing the doctrine and the truths to suit our needs, that is completely unacceptable and wrong. That is not the direction I will be headed in. I will also speak out if I see someone else doing that so they don’t fall into that either. I spent so many years walking around saying, God is all loving and all forgiving, which he is, but what I meant was, no matter what I do, how I live, whether I come to him in this life or not, I will have His Grace. What I didn’t want to dig into was that God is a jealous God and a just God. See I left all that out, one because no one really talked to me much about it, and two I guess they didn’t talk about it because that’s not what they wanted to believe. I guess I never really wanted to read the Bible myself in full because then I was surely going to learn things about God that I didn’t want to believe. Amazing is our thought process.
Let’s get one thing straight, the only time it was ok to switch from one doctrine to another is when Old Testament doctrine changed to New Testament doctrine because of what Jesus did for us.
No everyone cannot be right! That’s just the way it is. 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6
The Bible is very clear about what is right and what we must do.
July 6th, 2010 at 7:53 AM
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