The Devil Made Me Do it!

Stan Mitchell, a Facebook friend of mine, recently made the following observation:

“It is a cruel religious system that attributes the changing of a person's mind to either them being deceived by the Devil or their loss of sincerity. This kind of system of thought is at least as damaging to the people who believe in and perpetuate it as it is to the people who are the objects of its ignorance.”

For anyone who grew up in a Fundamentalist or extremely conservative Christian faith it would not be be easy to miss the irony of Stan’s observation: 

That one’s changing beliefs that result from personal growth may be attributed to either the work of the devil or a loss of sincerity. 

In other words, as one grows in the faith it is highly likely that a shifting of one’ s beliefs may actually occur. It is indeed ironic that these same Fundamentalist churches encourage growth but vilify those whose growth  contributes to changing beliefs. 

There may even be a complete reversal of what one believes concerning a particular doctrine, and let’s remember that our doctrinal beliefs all began as inherited beliefs; in other words: we were told what to believe.  

For example one’s personal growth may lead to a changing view on the relationship between the Christian and war, or the Christian's take on violence, or the relationship between faith and politics, or on one's views on homosexuality, or what it actually means to be saved. 

There may even be a shifting in what one believes about the very nature of heaven and hell. In fact, these two beliefs are fiercely protected against any Satanic intrusion by those who hold very literal views of of the Bible. 

And those whose views on such topics change are often vilified and thought to be weak in the faith. Perhaps this is part of the reason so many are either giving up on their faith altogether or they are moving into more Progressive ways of understanding the Christian faith.

Is growth the work of demonic forces that distorts our view of truth?

I would respond with an unequivocal ‘No!” 

If anything preventing someone from growing in their faith is more demonic in nature since it is a controlling mechanism that often drives good people away from their faith; or in some unfortunate cases it hardens one’s inherited views and they then become guardians of the faith. 

Christian growth is of the Spirit and often leads to a deeper and richer understanding of Christianity, not to mention a broader understanding of one’s beliefs. 

Is the Christian faith static or dynamic?

As our knowledge grows our beliefs take on broader shapes. We do not necessarily throw out the baby with the bathwater as it were, but we change our views in light of new information. Both baby and the bathwater just look different.

Historically speaking, the Fundamentalist movement arose out of the early Science-Faith controversy over Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. For so many years Christians believed Scientific knowledge was the enemy of the Christian faith.

Thank God we are slowly moving beyond that narrow understanding of the relationship between Science and faith. Many today are now accepting that the two compliment one another rather than Science diminishing or threatening our faith.

In fact, many articulate the difference between the two as follows: 

Science explains reality as it is and faith adds meaning to that reality. 

Do not fear Christian growth my friend. Celebrate your growth as fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Remember, God is not opposed to us changing our minds over what we once believed. He is not threatened by a more broadened or even enlightened view of the Christian faith. 

Here is a rule of thumb I might suggest you follow: 

If your personal growth does nothing more than confirm your existing beliefs then you have not experienced real growth. Real growth always stretches us in new directions.