Featured Ignorance-OK, Ignorance+Arrogance- EVIL

It is okay to be ignorant and uneducated if you have not had access to that which would make you wiser.

There is nothing evil about that.

But that ignorance becomes EXTREMELY EVIL when it is coupled with arrogance.

That arrogance is revealed when people who have no reason to think that they have sufficient knowledge of something go ahead and preach their ideas anyway.

I think many educated Christians miss this. They see people spew all kinds of ignorance on a site like baptistboard and preach all kinds of ignorance in the pulpit and they think- "Well, that's pretty dumb but there doing the best they can."

But it's darker than that. It takes a tremendous amount of arrogance to be very ignorant of something but speak authoritatively on it anyway.

And to do it when it comes to something as sacred and powerful as the word of God- it's like breaking into and running through a jet fuel refinery loaded with hundreds of people tossing lit torches everywhere. You'd have to be VERY ARROGANT to be so reckless.

Paul was very compassionate towards ignorant people so long as they were humble enough to keep their ignorance to themselves.

But he OBLITERATED ignorant people who lacked the humility to keep it to themselves- who preached their ignorance recklessly.

We see this in the following two passages:

I Corinthians 8

Compassion for ignorant brethren over their ignorance concerning meat.

Now watch the difference in tone here:

I Timothy 4

What's the difference?

In the Timothy passage these people are not just ignorant about meat- they are PREACHING their ignorance. And Paul holds no punches. He says these people have departed from the faith. They are led by demon spirits and they preach doctrines of devils.

It is when you take your personal convictions that are based in ignorance and make them public- go to promoting them. That is when you cross from an ignorance that is ok to a poisonous concoction of ignorance and arrogance that makes it VERY, VERY EVIL. These people have become self-righteous and dangerous.

Now, I get rough on here sometimes. But to be honest, I think Paul would too- particularly when ignorant legalism and phariseeism is preached on here.

 

I want to offer a quick addendum.

What I mean by ignorance is not everybody who has not been to bible college or seminary.

There are people who study the Bible and the commentaries and other helps that God has blessed us with throughout the ages.

These people are rarely ignorant.

I'm talking about people who don't know how to interpret the Scriptures, often people who think the Holy Ghost is all they need and they don't need the help of teachers with which God gifted the church, or people who simply don't have halfway decent biblical support for their positions.

I honestly believe, and I think all Christians OUGHT TO BELIEVE, that these people are very dangerous.

That's why we have books of the Bible like Galatians and Jude.

 

I've addressed your arguments about alcohol on the thread about alcohol.

This is the only point that has to do with this thread.

Phariseeism and arrogant ignorance should make ALL CHRISTIANS angry.

It made Paul angry as we see in the text above.

Jesus was angry about it.

I don't know of anything more worthy of anger than this.

It may be the biggest hindrance to the Kingdom of God and the Great Commission in the history of Christianity.

Christians SHOULD be angry about this.

 

This is not a bad argument. I appreciate it.

It is wrong however.

Peter was most assuredly a Christian and Paul ripped him for the same reason.

The PRINCIPLE is what deserves fierce condemnation REGARDLESS of the PERSONS who are promoting it.

If Christians promote phariseeism- they should be fiercely resisted.

If apostates promote phariseeism- THEY should be fiercely resisted.

This is what Paul taught Timothy and Titus.

And we need a revival of this teaching again.

 

Then you should do this.

I hope it does help you. :thumbsup:

 

You plead guilty for not knowing what you are talking about and still haphazardly promoting it anyway and as it pertains to none other than the BIBLE????


I don't think you are guilty of this.

 

There's really no argument here.

I think whether we all admit it or not we all believe the OP is true.


Think about snake handling pentecostals.

Think about preachers that preach to their communities that women will go to hell if they wear pants.

Think of Fred Phelps.

What is the problem with these people. The first word that comes to mind is hatred. But that just applies to Phelps in this illustration and even with Phelps one ought to ask, "Why is he so hateful?" And it's ignorance coupled with arrogance. He's stupid enough to really believe these things and he is arrogant enough to preach them.

But this is not only true of these people.

It's true of people who have little to no hermeneutical training, little to no knowledge of Christian history, etc...

Such people OUGHT to be humble enough to say, "Since I have so little training in these areas I could very well be wrong about these things. And the LAST thing I want to do is spread error as it pertains to God and his Word!"

But they don't have that humility.

They are VERY arrogant.

And they preach CONSTANTLY for doctrine the traditions of men.

They preach hurtful doctrines like King James Only.

They preach that things are sin which God commends.

They preach that things are right which God condemns.

And they "deceive the hearts of the simple (ignorant)."