belief vs practice

“We must move from a belief-based religion to a practice-based religion, or little will change. We will merely continue to argue about what we are supposed to believe and who the unbelievers are.”

Richard Rohr

In my 30- some years as a believer I’ve had a lot of interactions with Christians…some good, some not so good. Many of them were very sure that they had all the right answers, that their theology was superior to anyone else’s. If someone threatened or brought any part of that theology into question, it was reason for a defense to be mounted. It might even lead one to discredit their ‘opponent’ to fortify their own position. This is the result of a belief-based religion. Our beliefs become more important than our actions.
A practice-based religion will always put more emphasis on how others are treated, how one moves in the world, how they reflect Jesus. They understand that actions speak louder than words. They believe that how they act is more important than what their theology may be.

Now – there is no doubt that what we believe informs how we practice our faith. But if our beliefs eclipse our practice, we have our emphasis in the wrong place. Does the term ‘Pharisee’ ring a bell? They certainly had their doctrine right but totally missed the mark in practice. And Jesus dressed them down for it (and that may be putting it mildly). Yet, some uneducated fishermen and – believe it or not – women, lived out ‘right practice’ and were seen and acknowledged by Jesus.

Perhaps it may be a good idea to take some time and ask yourself what has been more important to you – right doctrine/theology or right practice.

Grace and peace,
Deb