I just recently ran across this blog, BRIDGING THE GRACE DIVIDE. The author, Todd Deaver, explains that he had been a "conservative" church of Christ preacher for 15 yrs. He has come to believe the theological paradigm that undergirds conservative church of Christ assertions is internally flawed. He articulates his reasoning in a book he has authored and on the above referenced blog. Mr. Deaver (as far as I can conclude from a brief exposure to his blog) is not walking away from churches of Christ, rather, he is attempting to engage folks in an open, respectful, and productive dialogue about such issues.

To say that the "theological paradigm" of conservative churches of Christ is flawed is not tantamount to saying the whole of the movement is a failure. However, it is a challenge for all of us to deeply consider what are the presuppositions and assumptions that support the truths we assert. This is not an easy thing to do. Our presuppositions and assumptions about God, the Bible, and NT Christianity are so deeply ingrained, so much apart of our worldview that it seems totally unnatural to question such things. It requires a great deal of research and reflection.

Have you ever been given driving directions by someone instructing you take a particular route, simply stating, stay straight on that road - you can't miss the destination? You think- sounds easy enough! But then you begin driving the route and your thoughts change. The route changes from pavement to gravel. Suddenly you're seeing forks off the route and you are confused about what to do. You ask yourself, "Why did they make it seem so easy?" The reason is that to the person familiar with the route, changes in pavement and forks are consciously ignored. Maybe they have driven that route since childhood, in their mind it's simple and clear. But for you, it's quite confusing. Your instructor can no longer remember what its like to drive the route for the first time.

The analogy applies to religious tradition. So often we refer to convictions and assertions of truth as being plainly supported by Scripture. We fail to acknowledge that in having arrived at our particular conclusion, we have made a number of choices. Choices about which we are either unaware or they seem so obvious that other options seem ridiculous. It's from this position that we often give out instructions to others like the directions in the analogy above.

A theological paradigm refers to the choices we have made, the presuppositions and assumptions without which our approach to Christianity would make no sense.

Sunshine is a congregation founded upon tenets of belief and understanding that typify conservative churches of Christ. However, throughout Sunshine's history, the congregation has always been open to the progressive evolution of CofC thinking. So much so that it has severed our relationships to sister congregations in Scioto County, congregations that have clung more tightly to conservative ideologies. If you have an ear for it, you can hear the competition of these ideologies in our Bible classes. Sometimes the tension is palpable but mostly its very subtle.

My hope and prayer is that we can grow in our self-understanding as individuals and more importantly as a congregation. It for this reason, I link to books and blogs that are addressing these issues. I believe we can greatly profit from the re-examination of our history, especially in gaining a perspective on the forces that have shaped what is today, the noninstrumental churches of Christ.