Preaching...

I decided to blog about something disturbing I overheard at Bible Study tonight. Now, normally I'm not even in Searcy during the summer very much, so Bible Study on Wednesday during the summer is usually just where ever I am that week. Anyway, so I'm sitting there tonight waiting for class to get started, and I hear this conversation between two women. I'm not sure what all was said except what caught my ear. Here's what I heard, "See, I don't understand why we even need preaching. Why can't we just come and praise God through our singing, praying, and have some testimonies." The lady she was talking to obviously didn't agree with her because all she was doing is saying "uh huh" and having this uneasy look on her face. You also have to understand I don't know either of these women. The church has about 1200 members, and I know about 10 people. Please keep that in mind.

So, now here is why I decided to blog about what I heard. Obviously being a "preacher's kid" my view on preaching is slightly different. It's kinda like having a dad who is a doctor and when to school specifically to help people get better, and then listening to all his patients, who went to school to be a flight attendant, constantly complaining about the treatments he prescribes. In a nut shell...it's irritating. Not just because of my dad and the tendency I have to be bias for the need of preaching, but because I was raised to understand my faith in God not just as a emotional high every Sunday but as an intellectual reasoning that is not based on my emotions alone but through study of the scriptures and respect for the purpose for being a Christian. Not to just get a great feeling when I leave worship, although that's not necessarily bad, but a feeling of growth spiriually in knowing more about what I believe and why I believe it. What better way to learn about how to be a better Christian than from a man whose whole job in life is to study the scriptures. I think our culture bleeds into so much of our persepective of this idea of "experiencing God" because it is easier and more comfortable and would be content to do away with any thing that requires them to think deeper than what they feel or sit longer than it takes to hear an entertaining story. I think the key is balancing the importance of an "intellectual understanding" of God and just "experiencing God". I'm gonna go out on a limb and call it...FAITH!

What do you think?