Solomon said that God made man upright but he has sought out many inventions. Christendom is infused with inventions masquerading ass essential manifestations of the gospel. Early in my Christian life I found those inventions stimulating to the imagination and the emotions but eventually came to the conclusion that they had nothing to feed the soul. I turned away from those inventions 50 years ago to a faith that in harmony with the Sermon on the Mount. 

 Now I am hearing of people who are turning away from that true Christian faith to embrace those inventions. Have we become complacent? We should consider that question. If we hold firmly to the doctrines of the faith but cannot explain the why of those doctrines, what prevents people from deciding that there is no why?

 In my youth I was a member of the Anglican Church of Canada. I don’t regret that time, I learned a great deal in that church. But I eventually concluded that perhaps it was mostly outward and visible signs and lacking the Inward and spiritual grace. That’s when I began searching for the truth among the people known as Anabaptists and Mennonites.

 G.K. Chesterton once said that Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and therefore not tried. There is truth in that statement to the extent that genuine Christian faith is difficult for the flesh. Yet throughout history there have been people who have lived that faith despite difficulties, despite opposition, despite ridicule, despite persecution. I would rather be part of that number than part of those who reject that faith and turn to something that offers endless exercise for the mind but has no food for the soul.

It has been on my heart for a number of years that I need to write an account of what I found in those doctrines that Peter aptly described aptly as wells without water. I don’t think that people deliberately invented doctrines that diverged from the gospel, they thought they had found a part of the truth hidden to other people. The problem was that this truth did not lead to a deeper relationship with God or with their fellow man, it just stimulated endless discussions. The promoters of those doctrines, however much good will and good intentions they may have begun with, soon began a vigorous defense of those doctrines with attitudes and actions that just aren’t in harmony with the gospel, with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

 I would like to write a memoir type exposition of what I discovered along the way, not to condemn other people or poke fun at them, but simply to show that the life-giving water that flows from the throne of God isn’t found in those teachings. I had to look somewhere else and I did find the source of living water. Some people may call that pride or boasting, but I did not invent anything, I just accepted the gospel truth that has been believed and practiced by faithful Christians since the apostolic era. It was possible then and it is possible now. 

I will be posting pieces of my story in the coming weeks and months, some of it will be edited versions of posts from past years. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.