I want to thank those of you who responded to my post yesterday “on being non-denominational,” and I’d like to extend our conversation a bit by responding to some of your comments.

First, like Wahoowa, several of my former college classmates (from Samford) have made the switch from SBC to PCA. In explaining his decision to leave an SBC church, Wahoowa notes:

I think the “priest-hood of the believer” tends to encourage separation as there is no higher authority to enforce a common belief or liturgy. I also grew up SBC, but have enjoyed the intellectual teaching and formalism of the PCA church.

I had similar thoughts when I decided to make the break from the SBC. Interestingly, I too was very attracted to the PCA denomination for the same reasons cited by Wahoowa. Indeed, when I left for South Bend in 2001 (to serve my two-year stint as a clerk for Judge Manion) my wife and I made the decision to start attending a PCA church. We did so for about a month, before ultimately joining a Methodist church that my wife stumbled upon and really enjoyed attending (she was in South Bend with my son for a month without me, as I tied things up at my old law firm). I was somewhat disappointed that things didn’t work out with the PCA church, but not entirely surprised. And the truth is, I was still learning about the PCA faith; so my feeling was that I had two years to become better acquainted with it before returning to Macon. What I did know is that I was ready to join a church with (what I considered to be) a more reverential worship environment, and the Methodist church we joined certainly fit that description. But all this did was wet my appeitite for an even more reverential worship service. And then I attended my first Mass. I remember feeling out of place, but strangely at home. I also recall thinking to myself: “So, this is what I’ve been missing all of these years.” In any event, I am rambling. My point is that I believe many Christians have a deep hunger to worship the Triune God in a more traditional manner. I am not suggesting that the mega-church or modern style of praise worship is wrong. I am simply saying that many Christians my age and younger are starting to rethink what it means to worship; and I personally think that is a good thing.

This brings me to Warren’s comment:

I’m not sure if my Methodist background is considered evangelical, but I did join a non-denominational church about 4 years ago. I find the teaching and preaching more relevant and applicable to my life, the environments more engaging, and I am building a much closer, personal relationship with my Lord now that I’m here than I ever had the inkling to do year ago (maybe would’ve known better if I’d been raised SBC?).

What I find interesting is your comment about distancing from tradition; I have no problem with changing or removing traditions. From what I’ve read on the Catholic Encyclopedia, this seems to be a big split between Catholics and Protestants in general, though as you note “we” are becoming less and less traditional. At first I was very uncomfortable with the lack of the symbol, rituals, and traditions I knew from my my Methodist church, but over time I began to think that they were not necessary to be a believer in Christ, to worship our heavenly father, or to be a member of Christ’s body on earth (and eventually in Heaven).

If I need a “talkin’ to” (as my mother used to say), please enlighten me.

I want to thank Warren for his candor. I know a lot of people like Warren, and I suspect that his views are representative of many Christians who have left mainline Protestant churches for non-denominational ones. That having been said, i want to begin by addressing Warren’s statement that he ”find[s] the teaching and preaching more relevant and applicable to my life.” I hear this a lot from my Protestant friends, especially those who attend non-denominational churches. I guess what troubles me about statements like this is that it can (sometimes) reflect a “me-centered” view of God. I am not saying this is the case with Warren, but it is the case with many of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. And in my opinion, this is a misguided brand of Christianity. I truly believe it is imperative that we have a God-centered view of God. To me, the question one should ask when attending a Church service is not “what do I get out of it?”; but rather, “What does God get out of it?” I also have some concerns about “engaging” worship “environments.” In my experience, this type of environment can often times appear to be more about entertainment than worship; which I believe is symptomatic of a “me-centered” view of Christianity. I am not saying this is always the case, but it certainly was how I perceived things to be at the churches I attended during my many years as a Southern Baptist. I am not saying this to be hurtful, but to explain what led me, and I believe is leading others, away from Protestant denominations.

I also think Warren and others should seriously consider whether it is a good idea to jettison Christian traditions without carefully considering the basis of those traditions. While it is true that the issue of tradition is often a sticking point between Catholics and Protestants, it is likewise true that many Protestant denominations have rich traditions of their own (see, e.g., Westminster Confession, 1689 London Baptist Confession). I must confess, however, that in all my time as a Southern Baptist I cannot recall hearing word one about the 1689 London Baptist Confession, or, for that matter, about the Baptist Faith and Message. On the other hand, I strongly suspect that my co-blogger Joel is very familiar with both documents, and that he would agree that his knowledge of the Baptist faith and its traditions has only deepened his faith.

In any event, none of this is to say that one cannot be a Christian without tradition. I do think, however, that many Christians ought to seriously consider the degree to which the history/tradition of the Christian faith impacts or should impact their personal beliefs. Unfortunately, for many Christians, the formation of their faith is often limited to the teachings of their pastors (which may or may not be helpful) and their own personal musings about the meaning of various and sundry Bible passages. And while I do not mean to denigrate either, I think this style of Christianity can be dangerous if it leads the heart to curve inward as opposed to outward (toward God). It certainly was for me. I was so confident in my own personal understanding of scripture during my time as a protestant that I became arrogant in my faith. Who needs Augustine? Why is he any more qualified than me to interpret the Bible? Needless to say, I now look back at that attitude and just shake my head in bewilderment.

I truly hope and pray that this post does not offend any of my readers. That is not my intent at all. My goal is to challenge SA readers, Protestant and Catholic alike, to carefully consider where their faith is rooted, and to initiate a discussion on these matters that will help us all as we proceed on our respective journeys of faith.