Young, Impetuous, Reformed

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels."

It was pointed out to me a little while back that these verses from 2 Timothy are probably almost always misapplied. The command of Paul to "flee youthful passions" is usually read "don't have premarital sex." However, the following verse means that Paul probably has something else in mind. In my own life, and in the lives of many of the young and theologically inclined, there is a tendency to abandon faith, love and peace in favor of disputing points of doctrine. In people my age this is doubly dangerous. In the first place, it has led to all sorts of disputes that really aren't important, and while I might well be right, I've been more than happy to leave batter brothers and sisters lying in my wake as I've careened forward on the path to theological "enlightenment." What's more, youth are even more dangerous here because they do not have the perspective and humility that comes with age. I am often willing to jump on a doctrinal bandwagon simply because its novel, exciting or controversial. In my pride I think that I'm just being a student of scripture, but in truth its an ideas newness, rather than its soundness, which usually catches my eye.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not proposing that we shouldn't do theology, nor that there isn't a time for opposing unbiblical teaching. Indeed, Paul also tells Timothy to "watch his... doctrine closely." However, I am convinced in my own life, and probably in the lives of most young men like me, that the following correctives should be applied:

1. Do theology slowly. It took 2000 years to arrive at the conclusions and systems we have today. It is an admirable rather than a bad thing to wait to draw a conclusion on an issue for several months, if not years.

2. Do theology in community. This means two things. First, seek out adults who read and think. Talk to them about the things you're processing, and give their responses at least as much weight as you give your own opinions. I'm afraid that, since many adults have never engaged their minds very much in the study of the word, that I've developed a tendency to be heedless of adult opinions in my theology.

Secondly, always do theology in the community of history. There are hundreds of men who are far smarter, holier and wiser than me. If they are generally in agreement, I ought to only cautiously and with much prayerful study be willing to tender disagreement with them. If they generally disagree, I ought to always hold both sides in tension and not decide that one view is full of morons and heretics, when it may well be mine.

3. Discuss theology carefully. Always pause and consider whether the discussion you are or are about to be engaged in is truly for the edification and building up of the body. If this is not your motive, do not do it.

4. Discuss theology worshipfully. If, at any point in the conversation, you are not able to immediately see something in the topic under consideration which displays the glory of Jesus Christ, cease it immediately. To talk about Him in any other way is at best foolish chatter and at worst blasphemy.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts. I'm neither claiming that I succeed in these areas nor condemning others for failure; I've simply been thinking in my own life what a humble orthodoxy should look like, and these are a few of my ponderings as to the form it should take.