i have noticed a potential problem with Christians who seek to teach others from their experience. i particularly see this when the they teach on issues that have to do with sanctification, or the process of growing in holiness. the problem is that an individual naturally teaches from his or her point of view. more specically, an individual tends to share from his or her specific snapshot of the world at that point in time.
what do i mean by a snapshot? if all people were to take a mental, experience-based picture of their current lives (today, at this hour, at this minute, at this second), then they each would have a unique view of the world based on their experiences. this view pervades all aspects of life, including spiritual growth.
the role of this snapshot impacts an individual's teaching message more than many would like to admit. for example, a pastor can share a message that details how a person should deal with a specific sin. this message may include Biblical references, personal experiences, and, most likely, ways to apply the lesson.
do his specific application points apply to everyone who hears?
what happens if someone in the community is just starting on his or her journey with Christ?
how does the message strike a person who has been a follower of Christ for 60 years?
what is the impact of the application points on someone who tends to be more rules-focused than freedom-focused? or vice versa?
i have witnessed well-intentioned pastors teach convicting messages on sin and then provide very specific application points. this is what pastors are called to do, right?
sounds good, but how does a pastor's specific profile of experiences, lessons, and spiritual growth path impact his or her lesson to the community?
how does the pastor's life journey, including successes, failtures, disappointments, surprises, influence his or her perspective?
would a pastor's message be more effective if he or she included a description of a spiritual path in the sermon, lesson, or writing?
i have witnessed how some pastors share very specific applications which end up serving more as specific laws in the life of the hearers. these laws cause people to focus on the action instead of the attitude (and required maturity) behind the action.
one example i have seen is a pastor taught on immorality in the media and then made the specific call for all people listening to avoid all R-rated movies. this recommendation is a good one but does this simple recommendation undercut a listener's potential journey in coming to this conclusion through his or her spiritual growth over time? would listeners own the idea or behavior if they arrived at it through a process of seeing the harm of going to R-rated movies on their own?
where does this leave the pastor or teacher in terms of how to share specific applications of a message or the Word of God? am i suggesting that a pastor should avoid all references to specific "take home" points? i am not recommending a complete removal of the final 5-10 minutes of a sermon or lesson but i am recommending that these ideas be assessed in light of the specific teacher's personal experiences.
one potential way to account for the teacher and the listener's spiritual journeys in the communication of a lesson is for the teacher to share some (if not all) of the process that he/she went through to arrive at his/her conclusions or perspectives. this would provide the listener with an idea of how the teacher arrived at his or conclusions.
how much more would this reveal the power of God's Word in the process?
how much would this reveal the power of prayer in the process?
how much more would this reveal the power of community in this process?
in conclusion, a snapshot is just that - a single reference point that is understood most initimately by the individual who took the picture. however, the snapshot is best explained to other not by describing the content of that specific picture but the background information that led the individual to arrive at that point.
where did this idea come from? i have experienced the spiritual journey of Augustine through his classic book Confessions. i learned more from walking with him through his life as portrayed in the book then i would from sitting in an Augustine seminar which included the 7 Habits of St. Augustine...
1 comment:
For many people, the experience is as vital to the teaching when it comes to learning and growing. I see the danger in what you suggest, but I think at the root its an issue of teaching vs. sharing vs. challenging.
Oftentimes, a priest or a preacher will use an experience to suppliment a lesson or a teaching. However, there's a difference between saying, "what I learned from this passage, was that I needed to stay away from Rated-R movies", and instruction a congration to do the same. I think you've crossed from teaching into insructing, and like you've said, people just don't get it that way.
The tricky part is bridging teaching into challenging, and motivating a person to examine what changes he or she needs to make in his or her life to apply the lesson that is being taught.
I think a teacher's personal experiences are a valuable tool in his teaching style. Many times people are drawn to a particular teacher, because they identify with them or because they have gone through a similar experience. This definitely encourages and should support regular attendence to one place of worship. But I think God made each and every one of us unique and "gifted" us in certain ways that enable us to relate to certain people through the experiences He has brought his through. Are our personal experiences applicable to everyone else? no, absolutely not - God works with us in different ways. But can they be relevant in encouraging and challenging another person? Yes, I think so.
Henry.
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