Inside Baseball

Have you ever tried to explain the difference between a Catholic and a Baptist to a Buddhist? Believe me, it’s worse than pulling teeth! All they understand is that we both believe Jesus died on a cross and was raised from the dead. The subtleties fly over their heads like inside baseball.

It’s much the same when dealing with what I refer to as “Fundamentalism.” The outside world can’t understand what they view as insignificant subtleties. That’s why I have been called a “Fundamentalist” by non-believers and a “liberal” and unbeliever by good old Baptists, et al.

It’s not a matter, or at least it shouldn’t be, of eschatology or what version of the Bible we prefer. It goes much deeper than that. It really deals with the age old formula: “You don’t believe like I do, so you don’t believe.” It’s much like I’ve taught my daughter, Natalie, about people who “know” things: be afraid; be very afraid! Because, if you don’t know what they “know,” then you’re…pick your poison: lost, stupid, liberal, backslidden. This has been my experience.

We all have our weakness, myself in the lead, but my point is, if there is a worst trap of all, which there appears to be, it’s if we decide that those who don’t agree, don’t believe. When a fellow Christian tells me, by connotation or by plain speech, because I disagree with his or her particular interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, that I don’t believe the Bible, I think you can comprehend the danger contained therein.