How does your life experience inform your theology and doctrines?

[St. SteVen]

On another thread I made this observation:
"I find it interesting that our life experience informs our theology and doctrines."

The person I was speaking with had a completely different life experience than mine.
And these experiences had shaped their theology and doctrines.

Have you given any thought to how your life experience has helped to shape your beliefs?

And in that light, how should we view the theology and doctrines of other s with different life experiences?

[

 

[Lambano]

Have you given any thought to how your life experience has helped to shape your beliefs?

That's a great question.

Some of the people I met along the way also made me what I am. The hell-and-damnation preacher that taught me to be afraid of God, and the preachers who taught me about God's love. A Calvinist preacher who still had a heart, and a few who didn't. A woman preacher who you'll never convince me wasn't where God called her to be, no matter what Paul wrote to Timothy. A child with learning disabilities. A children's ministry which included a child with an untreatable disease that would eventually kill her. An ex-Buddhist who came to Christ without the usual evangelical baggage. A gay Christian with strong faith. A Christian who had an experience with Jesus completely out of the sphere of orthodox doctrine that changed his life. A flaky Methodist who was a wannabe Pentecostal. An author who wrote about fictional demons and a woman who had experience with real ones. An abused woman who was the unexpected answer to a prayer.

The answered prayers and the unanswered ones.

And a night visit from God that resulted in healing.

 

[St. SteVen]

That's a great question.

Thanks.
Now and then I nail it. - LOL

Some of the people I met along the way also made me what I am. The hell-and-damnation preacher that taught me to be afraid of God, and the preachers who taught me about God's love. A Calvinist preacher who still had a heart, and a few who didn't. A woman preacher who you'll never convince me wasn't where God called her to be, no matter what Paul wrote to Timothy.A child with learning disabilities. A children's ministry which included a child with an untreatable disease that would eventually kill her. An ex-Buddhist who came to Christ without the usual evangelical baggage. A gay Christian with strong faith. A Christian who had an experience with Jesus completely out of the sphere of orthodox doctrine that changed his life. A flaky Methodist who was a wannabe Pentecostal. An author who wrote about fictional demons and a woman who had experience with real ones. An abused woman who was the unexpected answer to a prayer.
The answered prayers and the unanswered ones.

Amazing how all those little twists and turns in life shape us theologically and doctrinally.
And potentially unfortunate if we use them as weapons against other believers.
As if our way is the ONLY way.

And a night visit from God that resulted in healing.

Would you be willing to share more about that?
How did you know it was God?
Was it an immediate healing, or the promise of healing?

[

 

[Deborah_]

Some life experiences have caused me to come down on one side of a debate rather than another.

For example: since the Spirit gave me the gift of tongues, I'm never going to be a cessationist!

But from another angle, the unusual way in which I became a Christian has caused me no end of wrestling with the widespread assumption that you first have to be convicted of sin and convinced that Jesus dies on the cross to save you, then you have to pray "the sinner's prayer". I didn't know or do any of that when I became a Christian. It has led me to question the "normal" way of preaching the Gospel:

Preaching the Gospel

Acts 2:37-39 One of the most striking things about the evangelistic sermons recorded in the book of Acts is the difference in emphasis between 1st-century and 21st-century evangelism. The most impo…

deborahsbiblestudies.wordpress.com

 

[Behold]

Its the NT that is the entire doctrine for the Church.

"life experiences" shape our perspective on life.

 

[Pearl]

I rather think that our 'theology and doctrines' informs our lifestyle. Without our faith in Jesus and our hope of salvation and eternal life our lifestyles would be vastly different.

 

[St. SteVen]

I rather think that our 'theology and doctrines' informs our lifestyle. Without our faith in Jesus and our hope of salvation and eternal life our lifestyles would be vastly different.

That's an interesting view.
I suppose it should work both ways.
Our life experiences inform our theology and doctrines;
and our theology and doctrines inform our lifestyle. (hopefully)

[

 

[Lambano]

Some life experiences have caused me to come down on one side of a debate rather than another.

For example: since the Spirit gave me the gift of tongues, I'm never going to be a cessationist!

But from another angle, the unusual way in which I became a Christian has caused me no end of wrestling with the widespread assumption that you first have to be convicted of sin and convinced that Jesus dies on the cross to save you, then you have to pray "the sinner's prayer". I didn't know or do any of that when I became a Christian. It has led me to question the "normal" way of preaching the Gospel:

Preaching the Gospel

Acts 2:37-39 One of the most striking things about the evangelistic sermons recorded in the book of Acts is the difference in emphasis between 1st-century and 21st-century evangelism. The most impo…

deborahsbiblestudies.wordpress.com

Deborah, thank you for a very thought provoking blog link. The difference between the first century gospel message and modern evangelism has been sitting latent in the back of my mind for a couple of decades now. I may want to take this up in one of the “What is the Gospel?” threads.

 

[David Lamb]

On another thread I made this observation:
"I find it interesting that our life experience informs our theology and doctrines."

The person I was speaking with had a completely different life experience than mine.
And these experiences had shaped their theology and doctrines.

Have you given any thought to how your life experience has helped to shape your beliefs?

And in that light, how should we view the theology and doctrines of other s with different life experiences?

[

I have found that my theology affects how I view life experiences, far more than life experiences affecting my theology.

 

[St. SteVen]

I have found that my theology affects how I view life experiences, far more than life experiences affecting my theology.

How soon we forget?

[

 

[ScottA]

On another thread I made this observation:
"I find it interesting that our life experience informs our theology and doctrines."

The person I was speaking with had a completely different life experience than mine.
And these experiences had shaped their theology and doctrines.

Have you given any thought to how your life experience has helped to shape your beliefs?

And in that light, how should we view the theology and doctrines of other s with different life experiences?

[

Indeed, life experiences play a part in what we will and will not believe. They are foundational....for which Jesus gave the parable of the sower:

“Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13​

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The Parable of the Sower Explained​

18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”