Choice of doctrine is driven by religious preconception - Spirituality is an individualized journey

[Bruce-Leiter]

ouch that is not his fault . If a man cometh to spread the truth amongst people
but said people reject or fall , it is not the fault of the man who warned and reminded
its the fault and the very fault lies upon those who rejected . keep that in mind .
and let none of us ever heed another word of this seeker friendly lets change the way we evanglize camp .
Cause that way DONT WORK . just speak the truth , if it offends it offends and unto those who recieve it amen .
You aint , I aint , GOD . we cannot give the increase but by grace we can and should and must speak the truth .

You're right, amigo. I've found during my 82 years on the earth that people respond well when I make it clear that it's what I believe without expecting them to believe it, if they don't want to. That approach respects them as a fellow creation of God. I've also found that post-modern people respond best to our stories about our experiences with God and what he has done in our lives.

 

[Bruce-Leiter]

Furthermore, to answer your question at the beginning of the thread, in the Bible, the word "spiritual" means to be led and filled by the Holy Spirit.

 

[St. SteVen]

I see lots of Christian folks that have grown up in a church. Some of them are having a transformative experience.
But lots are just going through the motions. A key indicator for me is when they are asked what they believe.
If they answer that their church believes such and so, I know it is probably not a personal belief.
In fact, they may be opposed to people having personal beliefs. Rather, the church makes these decisions for them.

What happens (IMHO) is that these folks place the church between themselves and God.
They trust the church to take responsibility for their spiritual well-being. Their part is to be a faithful attender.
Show up once every week or two (give or take a month) to polish the pew with their back side.

--- PARODY ---

Scene at the Pearly Gates

St. Peter: Welcome to the Pearly Gates
New Arrival: Wow, pretty amazing.
St. Peter: Are you a Christian?
New Arrival: Of course.
St. Peter: Baptized?
New Arrival: Yes.
St. Peter: Confirmed?
New Arrival: Yes.
St. Peter: Faithful attender?
New Arrival: Pretty much.
St. Peter: What's your position on the Atonement?
New Arrival: Check our church website.
St. Peter: Don't you have your own beliefs?
New Arrival: No, our church is against that.
St. Peter: So, you don't have personal beliefs?
New Arrival: Heavens no.
St. Peter: Why should I let you into heaven?
New Arrival: I told you that I am a Christian.
St. Peter: Everything else you said tells me otherwise.
New Arrival: Maybe you could call the Priest?

[

 

[Bruce-Leiter]

--- PARODY ---

Scene at the Pearly Gates

St. Peter: Welcome to the Pearly Gates
New Arrival: Wow, pretty amazing.
St. Peter: Are you a Christian?
New Arrival: Of course.
St. Peter: Baptized?
New Arrival: Yes.
St. Peter: Confirmed?
New Arrival: Yes.
St. Peter: Faithful attender?
New Arrival: Pretty much.
St. Peter: What's your position on the Atonement?
New Arrival: Check our church website.
St. Peter: Don't you have your own beliefs?
New Arrival: No, our church is against that.
St. Peter: So, you don't have personal beliefs?
New Arrival: Heavens no.
St. Peter: Why should I let you into heaven?
New Arrival: I told you that I am a Christian.
St. Peter: Everything else you said tells me otherwise.
New Arrival: Maybe you could call the Priest?

[

So true! Yeah, I followed the 12-year-old herd into confirmation, immersion, and church membership in a church that didn't really preach the Good News based on the Bible. But, at the age of 16, God led me through an intellectual process based on the Bible to convince me that Jesus' resurrection was a historical event. Then, the 3-in-1 God became real to me, and he gets more real every day 66 years later.