It’s Okay to Change Your Mind

I was doing my daily blog reading when I came to Dr. James McGrath's post of a few statements from John Pavlovitz. It is worth your read. He has another that is also worth the time. For those readers who struggle from the degenerative disease of TLDR, here are some statements that give a brief synopsis:

"The first time I questioned my theology, I mean really questioned it I was flat-out terrified. Not terrified of God, per se (because I figured God being God an all, was more than big enough to handle my assorted queries), but the people of God.

My orthodoxy was my membership card in the Club, affording me the perks and privileges that came along with it. As long as my theology didn’t waver greatly from the party line, I remained securely cradled in the bosom of the Body. Stray too far from the narrow path though, and things could get really ugly, really quickly.

It’s okay to question things you used to be sure of, to come to different theological conclusions than those you had previously, or to find yourself in small or large ways challenging orthodoxy. These things are not sins.

Doubts and questions, and changes of heart and mind on issues of faith (even fundamental ones) are not character defects or moral flaws. On the contrary, often they are the bravest and most God-honoring places to reside because they are the most authentic. The bottom line is, that’s really the only thing you’re responsible for.

Life should alter us. It should renovate our souls and adjust our lenses. Time and experience, and the things we read and see and discover should change us or we’re probably more committed to the appearance of consistency than to real growth. I don’t have the understanding of myself and of God and the world that I had twenty years ago, I am not too proud to suspect the same won’t be true two decades from today.

God isn’t as insecure or easily angered as those we share space with or worship beside. God is pleased with the depth of our personal search and the integrity of our road, and understands our conclusions better than anyone.

Imagine if we created church communities where theological deviation and spiritual doubt weren’t red flags or prayer concerns or deal breakers; where everyone could speak the truest true without fear of being pushed to the margins or excluded outright. How different might our journeys be? How much richer might our communities become?"