A few days ago, I saw a Facebook post from a recently added Indian friend who was convinced of Calvinism and admitting he might soon be a Calvinist. He has already publishing two posts on Calvinism doctrines. However, just in recent past, he was one of many fellows who used to screw and mock Calvinism. But he concluded something weird that sincere reading of the scripture and understanding the Gospel from God's perspective invited him to be a Calvinist.
Personally, I don't prefer any heavy discussion on these kinds of theological issues. Such sort of conclusion varies from person to person. Preachers like Justin Peters, Paul Washer and MacArthur becomes a cessasonist by their sincere reading of the Bible while some others like Dr. Brown becomes a Charismatic by the same measure. Some apologists like Dr. Ross gets conviction that the Bible has foreknowledge of modern science while others like William Craig, Michael Jones, Walton, etc. screw the use of concordism. Every evangelical and serious Christians read the Bible and are cautious regarding interpretation but everybody ends up with varieties of theological conviction. Perhaps today, there might not be any single subject in theology that aren't divided!
Now the question is: what is our focus and what are we really promoting? Are we promoting some sort of "ism" or the Gospel? Is our focus on relationship with God or heavy indoctrination of all kinds of divided topics? Where are we getting ahead and what are we trying to convince one another? Usually everybody says these are just secondary issues and doesn't matter salvation. However, it might not matter to salvation but it matters how we live Christian life and our daily conduct with other fellow believers! Our goal of accepting Christ isn't just about justification and salvation. We are still in a difficult journey of sanctification and character building. So, it really matters for ourselves and for others! Unity in secondary issues are taught because of more common grounds in cardinal doctrines. However today, Christians seem to act opposite to what they talk! Everybody is theologically dogmatic! They talk about tolerance only theoretically but do not practice practically! Here is the issue!
Everybody is at race to promote one's position against the other. There wasn't such mess environment in Nepal few decades ago but today due to theological development, every Christians from every denomination, learn from foreign nations and store the knowledge and establish the framework here in Nepal. Hence today, even Nepal has become mess with all kind of theological dilemma. Its guaranteed that future generation will have issues! The focus is on unnecessarily elevated doctrines rather than relationship with God. Saying this, I am well aware about the significance of doctrines but I am talking about the extreme premise and terrorism. Everybody, literally everybody, are having race in proving their position as Biblical and others as heretic. They show by their outward look as if they are concerned of lost souls and focus on Gospel but within Christian circle, they have messed up the environment. Not just false preachers, but even sound preachers, philosophers, apologists and theologians have messed up the environment. They just teach unity in essential, liberty in non-essential and charity in all but from inside they are dogmatic.
The question is vital: what are we
really focusing and promoting? The Gospel? or our theological position? Why
have we become so obsessed? Why we don't walk the talk?