We set down our cameras and water bottles and after suggesting: "Let's not talk during this time!", off Andrew went with me following. Andrew stands about 5' 7 or 8", a proper British gentleman with short legs and he's fast. The distance between us grew as his altitude trained lungs (he lives just south of Denver) propelled him upward. It was not unlike running inclined hurdles as the horizontal boards seemed to get higher as the trail gained altitude. We walked down and agreed a second time was needed and Andrew suggested I go first. Uh, oh, I thought. I'd been hiking or running each morning but this altitude was really kicking my butt.
Off I went, working harder, stretching longer, encouraged by the voice behind me to dig in and keep going. I didn't quite make it to the top before my legs felt completely conquered and my friend strode past me.
I've read about the benefits of training at altitude. I know all about the Olympic Training Center and why it is where it is. I've never trained at altitude until this weekend. I now know what I knew. Experience.
Experience helps us confirm the knowledge we gain through reading and teaching. By itself, experience isn't as enlightening. If I knew nothing about altitude training, didn't know where the OTC was and knew no athletes who had trained at altitude, then for all I know I'm just simply not cut out for hiking and running in the mountains. Because I have some facts locked away in my head, my experience enlarges my understanding.
Christians often use experience as the authority in their lives. If an experience has been good and positive then it is often seen as authoritative without consulting Scripture.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, had a way of "doing theology" called the Quadrilateral. These four things helped him - and us - understand God's and His will more completely: Scripture, Tradition, Reason & Experience with Scripture always being the first and primary resource, the top of the pyramid.
If Scripture said something, Wesley felt like the other three could help shed light on the depth of meaning as well as application. If, on the other hand, through Tradition, Reason or Experience we came to a conclusion about God or God's will, that wasn't enough without the confirmation of Scripture. To do something because of Tradition, Reason or Experience alone was not enough to assure Wesley that it was of God.
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path."
Meeting several adulterers, a Christian comes to the conclusion that they are nice people and therefore adultery can't be that bad. Some friends find that using crystals helps them meditate and feel better, therefore crystals can't be a bad thing. You know people who cheat on their taxes and they are nice people, go to church, serve in ministry and besides the government is corrupt anyway, so it's not really cheating, right?
A church decides to continue a ministry even though it makes no difference in people's lives but is just a social club. If anyone suggests stopping it, there is hell to pay. Tradition triumphs.
Scripture always trumps experience, tradition and reason. These three can help us in our discernment process but it's never strong enough on its own to support truth.
"For no one can lay any foundation other than
the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."
What's at the top of your pyramid? What is your authority for determining truth? On what do you base your personal core values?
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