 |
| Open Theism Discussion Board > Public Forums > Questions about Christianity > Responding to a Skeptic | Forum Quick Jump
|
| 
beachgirl
Registered Member
Date Joined Feb 2002
Total Posts : 26
| Posted 3/6/2002 2:42 AM (GMT -6) |   | yesterday, i had an interesting discussion with my boss who considers himself a Christian yet i believe he is not. he knows where i stand -- very firm in my beliefs -- and he has labeled me as "rigid" in my beliefs (he says he has more flex in his beliefs). he believes that anyone who has rigid beliefs (what i would call firm convictions)is closing himself off intellectually. it's like he thinks i'm not as smart because of my faith. i don't exactly know how to respond in a respectful way. he is my boss and he is my elder. he's so lost and i just don't know how to respond. anyone have any ideas?
"Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done..." C.S. Lewis
| | Back to Top | | |
 |
Mephi2K
Registered Member
Date Joined Jun 2001
Total Posts : 713
| Posted 3/6/2002 3:29 AM (GMT -6) | | Really quick.
If he was open to the discussion, I'd try to explain to him the significant difference between being open minded with conviction and being closed minded and dogmatic. Perhaps a good way to do this is to do something like this. (The following stuff is found in a book I read called Christianity in Culture: A Study in Dynamic Biblical Theologizing in Cross Cultural Perspective by Charles Kraft. Sept 1998 reprinting. Pages 39-40)
Usually people see lines of polarity as like what you say. Either you are open minded with corresponding "flexible" conviction...or you have lots of conviction and are, therefore closed minded. The model below reveals that idea as erroneous.
Two axis model from Page 40.
Closed to Innovation
and Diversity
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Conservative_______________________________________Liberal
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Open to Innovation
and Divesity
There are four quandrants created. It shows visually what I believe is the truth of the matter. Kraft's words on Page 40
quote:
One important fact that this understanding makes clear is that there is a distinction between closed-minded and theological "conservatism." It has often puzzled people in both theological camps to discover open-minded conservatives and closed-minded liberals. If closed-minded conservatives evaluate along a single conservative-liberal axis, they are likely to regard as liberals all those who are open-minded enough to read, discuss without condemning, and occasionally accept ideas from liberals and non-Christians. This is the position of classic fundamentalism. There are, however, rigid, closed-minded persons who are theologically liberal. A single conservative liberal axis does not allow one to distinguish between them and the theological liberal who is open-minded enough to allow for validity of more conservative positions.
See what he's saying? Ever met a theological liberal who was SO HELLBENT on everything being politically correct, gender neutral, and
"non-offensive" to other cultures that they basically ramrod everything so that only ONE theological response is useful? THAT's a closed-minded liberal...and I've experienced that plenty of times. (Personally I take John Shelby Spong to be one of these) On the other hand, Doc would exemplify, to me, what I think we mean by an open-minded consevative. Doc has very strong convictions about Christ and his truth...but Doc is very open to hearing from other perspectives and taking in all aspects of truth. YOU, beachgirl, would be a person of a more conservative theology that is open to innovation and diversity.
Just because one has firm convictions theologically does NOT make them closed minded. Just like someone having very flexible convictions theologically doesn't make them open-minded. I'm sure that if you were to explain this to your friend (in a respectful way, of course), he will see your point. He MAY even find that he is a closed-minded liberal. Wouldn't THAT be an interesting turn of events? 
Hope this helps,
Edited by - Mephi2K on 03/06/2002 08:31:15 AM | | Back to Top | | |
|
beachgirl
Registered Member
Date Joined Feb 2002
Total Posts : 26
| Posted 3/6/2002 11:28 AM (GMT -6) | | Mephi --
He's definitely a close-minded liberal. This chart helps a lot actually. This person is very intimidating and gets very defensive when I challenge him. It's a weird relationship! He once asked me if I was good because I was a Christian. That threw me for a loop because I was like yes, no, uhhhhh. He likes to put folks on the spot. Here's a guy who is "good" in his eyes. He believes in God, but doesn't believe Jesus is the only way. Basically, he judges how good he is compared to others and he thinks, in his own estimation, that he's doing pretty good. It's very sad because he can't see how lost he is.
I appreciate your thoughtful response -- it was quite insightful for me and I actually could wrap my brain around (unlike some of the post on here )
"Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done..." C.S. Lewis
| | Back to Top | | |
| Forum Information | Currently it is Monday, November 09, 2026 2:52 PM (GMT -6)
There are a total of 97,718 posts in 6,040 threads.
In the last 3 days there were 0 new threads and 0 reply posts. View Active Threads
|
Forum powered by dotNetBB v2.42EC SP3
dotNetBB © 2000-2026 |
|
|