I have been appreciating both of these creators for some time. So when they started a back and forth debate, I was excited to hear what they had to say. I think I learn more hearing for both sides of a well articulated argument than so many other situations.
One: A Question Protestants Can't Answer.
Two: Yep, I have an Answer
Three: Responding to Dr. Gavin Ortland
As much as I love books, you are still only hearing one argument. When you listen to a thoughtful debate, you get to have a balanced view and then draw your own conclusions.
This video from two years ago in which Dr. Gavin Ortland is one of the videos I appreciated his content the most. The way he embraced his own faith deconstruction with honesty and integrity was and is inspiring to me.
Over the years, I have attended various nondenominational churches, and I have seen many of these churches stray from their original mission. I've observed two primary reasons for this: scandals and corruption within the leadership of the church, or a slow drift away from the church's original mission and adapting to the culture so much that it become just another social club. In both cases, the result is a weakened sense of community and a diminished focus on the core principles of the faith.
After stepping away from churches altogether, I began to realized that I too was drifting toward my weakness. I also began to realize the importance of a faith community and the role it plays in helping us stay accountable to our faith. This prompted me to explore the history of the church and to reexamine my own theological beliefs. I want to understand the ways in which our culture has influenced Christian beliefs and as a result it has drifted away from the Christianity Christ himself taught. I no longer believe that a pastor who opened his church to hippies to accommodate them is the source of historical truth.
Don't get me wrong, I am all about opening church to any and all, but not at the expense of adapting our beliefs to a broken culture.
As I've delved deeper into the history of Christianity, I have come to appreciate so much of the aesthetic beauty of the Catholic church and the Christian Orthodox church and have come to see those things as beautiful tools that have the potential of helping someone keep their faith healthy. This has caused me to question whether the modern nondenominational church is truly sustainable in the long run. Without accountability above the leadership of the church, it's easy for these communities to drift away from their original mission and become vulnerable to the weaknesses of their pastors.
The thousands of denominations that have emerged within Protestantism also raise questions about whether the split from the Catholic Church was a success. It's important to consider whether the Catholic Church has truly reformed on the issues that Martin Luther protested, and whether the nondenominational church is truly closer to the truth. I have also come to realize that much of what I was told about what Catholic's believe is simply not true.
Orthodox Christians would say that protestants seeking to rediscover early Christianity that has not been tainted by a modern society and look to the Catholic church, didn't go back in history far enough.
I am not a Catholic, but beyond aesthetics, I can appreciate their acknowledgment of the need for authority. I have really appreciated some of the creators on YouTube out there diving into these topics and hashing them out.
I don't have all the answers, and I have so many questions about Catholicism, Orthodoxy and many protestant denominations, but I believe that asking these questions and exploring the history of the church is an important part of strengthening our faith and finding the right community to support us on our spiritual journey. What I know for now, is that I no longer believe a church can live as an island with no authority or accountability. Just like there was wisdom in the American founders to account for human weakness, and so they endeavored to set up checks and balances for those weaknesses, Churches need that as well.
