To Step Out of the Classroom...

I was asked by one of our college students if I had ever read the Essay by Emerson titled "The American Scholar"? I had not. That is, until today. What I discovered was an address in Cambridge to a college fraternity. How it affected me will be what follows.

This past Sunday I shared a message from 1 John 1:1-4. In his introduction, John instructs the readers that what he is sharing with them comes from first hand account: What he heard, saw with his own eyes, and handled with his own hands concerning the Word of Life (Jesus). I am personally challenged by John & Peter's letters to the church because they do not speak of "cunningly devised fables." They preach, teach, and share from experience.

How does any of this relate to Emerson's "American Scholar"? I'm glad you asked.

Without going into great length about the nature of this essay (many have done a much better job of it than I could), I would like to go into a deeper understanding of man that seems to drive what Emerson is really saying. Emerson has always been viewed as one who celebrates the individual. The internet is full of these types of quotes. What I saw in this essay, however, is how humanity is linked together. Every individual coming from the same "root" as he puts it. He sees Man on the Farm, Man in the classroom, Man in the studio, etc. What he believes has been lost in all of this is the fact that the Scholar is first of all a man. Here's a quote that might be helpful: "In the right state (speaking of the scholar) he is Man Thinking. In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or still worse, the parrot of other men's thinking."

Emerson then goes on to talk about the way in which the scholar should learn & experience life. He puts forward the idea of Nature, Books, & Action as the great teachers/educators of life. He longs to impart the need for DISCOVERY into the hearers. He wants them to honor the past but look into the future. What he warns against is the idolatry of heroes, the misappropriation of inspiration, & the bookworm mentality. It is not appropriate for the scholar (whatever form he may take) to exclude himself from life or to cast himself into some ivory tower. There is so much more to be learned through the first hand experience.

And this is where I see the comparison with what John spoke to the church. The knowledge he had gained about Jesus was through firsthand experience. He shared in the life of the Christ. Every day was a new adventure. He heard Him speak, saw how He ministered to others, and he embraced Him. He learned about the WORD OF LIFE through experience. Something that seems to have been lost through the years.

Most of my life I have heard that we need to question the experiences of others. Even if their experience seemed to bring them closer to the Lord, we should cast a doubtful eye. This type of leading in our spiritual lives creates a strong skepticism within the Body of Christ. Has anyone every considered how the early church learned Jesus? Sure...they had the teaching of the Apostles, but until the letters were written they were simply feeling their way through. Many of the corrective language in the New Testament is there to help these new believers better function as the Body of Christ. They didn't have Bible verses to throw around to one another. They were learning how to edify, encourage, & comfort one another in the Holy Spirit.

In today's Christianity much is made about the Bible and how our churches and lives are directed by it. This is not a bad thing. However, if we are not careful, we will simply become scholars of the book without any encounter of the Divine. Not only that, but we will interpret the Scriptures through our culture, our preconceived ideas, and our own dogma. In this way we become what Emerson described as the degenerate thinker: "the parrot of other men's thinking." Jesus made a profound statement in John 8:31-32, "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." To KNOW is through intimate relationship. This comes as we walk with Him, talk with Him, and encounter Him in our daily lives. It is through the hearing, seeing, and experiencing of the truth that we come into true freedom. This is not something that can just be learned through the book. It's one thing to be able to talk about freedom & quite another thing to experience it for yourself.

Ask yourself these questions:
What do I know about Jesus from firsthand experience?
What will I pass on to my children: Book Knowledge or an Experiential Relationship?
What do I know about the Bible that the Lord taught me versus what someone else taught me?
What have I learned about the ministry of the Holy Spirit?
What is my testimony about the nature of God?

These are all questions that force us to look into relationship. To look into our own personal relationship with the Lord. To step out of the "classroom" and into real life. This is Experiential Christianity. It transcends routine & ritual. It produces life. Until we step out of the classroom then all the knowledge we gained is theory. It must be experienced. It must be lieved out. Wouldn't it be wonderful if people peered into our individual & collective lives and say "Man...they really know how to live!"?