The Doctrine of FAQ

We have this coffee maker that was leaking and I consulted the owners guide frequently asked questions (FAQ). There is something satisfying about FAQ’s in my life. Not only do I get the satisfaction by getting an answer to my question, I feel normal because I discover that the problem that I have is not unique to me. Others have had the problem and have asked the question so often that smart people generated a list of these questions and provided satisfying answers. FAQ’s are great for coffee makers, but not for Christianity.

Many of us in the Christian faith approach the faith as a sort of ultimate FAQ. As though the Bible is a set of Jeopardy board answers and all we have to do is find the correct question:

“The Lord is my Shepard” - What is security?

“Do not worry about tomorrow.” - What should I do with my anxiety?

I am asked for scripture for a number of situations all of the time. It is not a problem that we turn to the Bible for guidance but the Bible is not an FAQ. It is not “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” It is more a little library curated over centuries than a single book written on one subject.

Many times we turn to the Christian faith as a sort of FAQ on what is happening in their life and the world. It makes sense to look to tradition for guidance because we can learn from the past, but we are not held hostage to the past.

It is not just the Bible that is treated as a FAQ, it is also Christian doctrine. It is assumed that there are some questions that have been asked over the years, for instance, “What did the death of Jesus do?” There is a lot of Christian doctrine that attempts to answer this question. There are some very good responses to these questions. Doctrine is helpful and very informative, however doctrine is not an FAQ the the Christian faith.

Doctrine is a point of entry to the faith, not the point of arrival. Doctrine is a street that takes you to new places, not a cul de sac of certainty. It is a thought and responses to life’s questions using a Christian perspective, but the Christian perspective is not monolithic. There is no singular “Christian Perspective”. Do not let anyone tell you that this must mean that if there is not a singular Christian perceptive, then it must mean that ALL perspectives are Christian. This is a false choice because clearly there are many perspectives that are not Christian (colonialism, imperialism, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism, patriarchal, consumerism, etc.).

I offer up one Christian perspective on doctrine - doctrine is not a FAQ and it is harmful to all to treat it as such.

Doctrine. I have been doing it wrong.

Doctrine in the Church is important. I am a fan. The doctrines of the Church have helped me better understand the nature of sin, the salvific work of Jesus Christ, the function of the Holy Spirit and how the Church is to be in relationship with the world. I am going back to school in fact to study doctrine, specifically the doctrines come out of the late antiquity period.

In my studies thus far I have discovered something about doctrine that has deeply affected how I understand that conversations around doctrine. I am embarrassed that I had not seen this before, and in many ways am disappointed in myself for not seeing it sooner.

So what is the discovery? Here it is:

Doctrine is the point of entry.

That is it. Doctrine is the point of entry into the conversation and understanding of the Christian faith. So why is this “discovery” worth noting? It is because I the primary problem I have had with theologians who cite doctrine is doctrine is used as a point of arrival.

It is like when you have a math book in school and all the answers are in the back of the book. There are many ways to get to the solution that is provided in the back of the book, but what is important is that you get the correct answer. Doctrines are often treated as an answer in the back of the book, and you can have many ways to get there, but ultimately you have to come to already stated position.

For example, Christians have a doctrine of the virgin birth. There are many people who will work to prove this doctrine, because the doctrine is the point of arrival - not the point of entry. When doctrines are points of arrival, then we have to defend and prove them. When doctrines are points of entry then we discover more than the doctrine teaches.

If the virgin birth is not the point of arrival, but the point of entry then the questions change. Rather than asking “how did the virgin birth happen?”, we get to ask “what sort of claim is being made about Jesus through the doctrine of the virgin birth?” Oddly enough when I ask the second question, I come to a deeper understanding of God in Jesus than I do when I just search for reasons to justify the virgin birth.

Doctrines are important, because they invite the disciple to enter into the transforming story of God. The irony is when we insist doctrines are the point of arrival, many discover those same doctrines as their point of exit.