I had an interesting conversation with my son recently. He’s 18, and was telling me he was dissatisfied with the church we are attending. Now, the reasons of his dissatisfaction aren’t relevant here, because I want to focus on an amazing remark he made.
In one sense, it doesn’t much matter to me where my son goes to church; he can go anywhere as long as he goes! I’m one of those who believes that an integral part of one’s Christian faith is a commitment to a particular group of other Christians. This is the only way we can fulfill our mission of being essential body parts, a la 1 Corinthians 12.
Another reason I want him to be committed to a group of Christians is that it will help him keep his faith. I have seen — and I bet you have as well — too many people stop going to church, stop hanging around other Christians, and eventually their commitment to Jesus withers and sometimes dies altogether. And this is what I told him I didn’t want to happen.
And that’s when he dropped this bomb:
“Oh, that will never happen. I know too much.”
What?
He went on to explain, and this is what he meant. He has been exposed to facts, to reasoning, to argumentation, to logic, all from brilliant minds, and all affirming the truth of Christianity. He didn’t convert to the faith as a result of an emotionally charged experience on the last night of Christian camp (as valid as that can be), nor did he just believe everything his mom and I said (as valid as that can be). His faith is grounded, not in emotionalism or familial loyalty, but in truth. And, he explained, he can never turn his back on that.
In truth, he knows too much.