“I discovered that intellectual assent does not necessarily lead to personal transformation. People will give intellectual assent to the faith. However, their newfound intellectual clarity about God can remain mixed with the same old manner of life. Many Christians hide behind the intellectual arguments because they would rather argue with others about doctrine than face the reality of their own disordered interior lives. Further, trauma and other background issues require more holistic approaches in order to effect change and healing. Simply knowing the truth about God and self does not necessarily lead to spiritual growth or holiness.

I learned that I had it backwards. The experience of faith comes first. The theology and doctrine of the church are the right explanation of that experience. The church began with the experience of Pentecost (Acts 2). The church spent the next 350 years explaining the experience, culminating in the Nicene Creed. The error of beginning with the cognitive is the error of explaining an experience that the unbeliever has not yet had. The New Testament teaches that one cannot understand the deep things of God without the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11-16). The apostles did not understand Jesus’ teaching about the crucifixion until after the resurrection when he “opened their minds” (Luke 24:45). Their experience of the Risen Christ preceded their understanding of exactly who he was and what had happened to him. Thus, mission must begin with the experience of God’s presence, not merely with teaching. The experience of God’s presence will most often be mediated by a community of faith whose common life bears witness to the love, power, and presence of Christ. When people experience God’s presence in a community, they are willing to learn the foundational truths that inform the experience.”. —Bishop Scarlett