I can’t say I’m an expert when it comes to issues like this one, but I do feel that I have at least two cents to offer regarding realistic vs. theoretical faith.
For much of my Christian life (since I was 16) I had theoretical rather than pragmatic beliefs; at least in my own mind. It wasn’t until my mid 20s when I realized that if my beliefs aren’t “practicable” that is, they can’t be practiced in the real world then there perhaps is something wrong with those beliefs. It’s sort of a “rubber meeting the road” idea. Let me give you a couple examples of what I’m talking about.
Example one: At some point as I was attending Bible college I somehow came under the conviction that I should only listen to Christian music; regrettably I threw away a couple dozen CD’s one of which was Led Zeppelin’s ZoSo. Recently I just read an article in a student ministry magazine I get for free that said basically the same thing. Theoretically that’s a great idea, but pragmatically it’s unrealistic. It’s also somewhat unbiblical. Can we, indeed, should we separate ourselves from that part of culture? Is it realistic to only consume “Christian” media? What about the News, books, movies, websites, etc? I ask that because it’s the logical conclusion to only listening to Christian music. It’s not pragmatic. It’s not a livable belief.
Example two: All through college I heard it said that if I (as a youth pastor) run a quality youth program, teaching quality Bible studies, holding quality events then the number of students present at any given activity will naturally increase. Theoretically this makes sense; it even has a catchy phrase: quantity follows quality. But in the real world this is not how it works. In the real world I have to make a concerted effort to go out, and make friends with students on their own turf. There’s no such thing as a “build it and they will come” youth ministry. It’s all about how much you get out there and actively promote yourself and your youth ministry. The theoretical belief is pragmatically inept.
There are more examples I could give but I don’t want to monopolize the conversation. What other instances of pragmatic vs. theoretical beliefs can you think of? Feel free to either put your thoughts in the comment section below or write up your own post on your blog.
