What do these have in common?
Sweatpants, a toilet tank lid, an xbox console, a spatula, and a pickle jar.
Give up? I’ll give you a clue. What if I added a rope, a revolver, a candlestick, a lead pipe, a dagger, and a wrench?
Yes. All of the above items have been used as murder weapons. Which goes to show that humans can be rather creative in the objects we use to bring harm to others. I think we could add one more to our list. Religious knowledge.
One could argue that religious knowledge is at least one of the murderous weapons used against the Lord Jesus. And it’s a destructive tool used in our day as well. I’m reminded of these words from Eugene Peterson,
When religious knowledge becomes an impersonal item of information, or is used impersonally, it ceases to be biblical. If it is used to put distance between persons, something has gone wrong. If it is used to put another person in his or her “place”, something has gone wrong. If it is used to improve life apart from faith in God, something has gone wrong. And if the pastor collaborates in any of these transactions, he or she is an accessory to the sin. (Eugene Peterson, Five Smooth Stones, 173)
Peterson is correct. Anytime that religious knowledge is divorced from the personal it becomes a deadly tool. A pickle jar is meant to store pickles. Sweatpants are clothes. A spatula is used for flipping burgers. And religious knowledge is used to unite people with God and each other.
Why Are Pastors More Susceptible To This?
Peterson’s book is specifically written for pastors. This is something that is particularly tempting for those of us who work in religion. In his book, The Sacred Wilderness of Pastoral Ministry, Dave Rohrer speaks of this danger:
It doesn’t take much for the church to become a contemporary version of the fig leaf. It’s a great place to hide from God. It can be a very good place to inoculate ourselves with enough religion to keep us insulated from the power and love of God…Close enough to holy things to be anesthetized by religion, we successfully avoid the threat and the reward of an encounter with the living God. (Rohrer, 103)
Always being around holy things can trick us into thinking that we’re more close to God than we actually are. That’s the problem with religious knowledge—it can mask a loveless heart. And though we pastors might be particular prone to this, I think it’s something any believer can fall into.
10 Signs That Religious Knowledge Is Becoming Impersonal?
Here are a few signs that my religions knowledge is moving into the dangerous territory of being impersonal:
- I am increasingly drawn into controversial topics.
- When in a group I like to talk about what I know before hearing what others know.
- My prayer, journaling, meditation, and reflection time pales in comparison to my study time.
- I am developing a cynical view of others. I criticize more than I hope, seeing faults before I see the positive work of Christ.
- I use my religious knowledge to gain or exert power and influence over others. Religious knowledge helps me get what I want.
- I share religious knowledge to keep people from asking hard questions about my life.
- I find myself angry if somebody disagrees with me on a topic I have studied or am passionate about.
- It’s been awhile since a belief has been challenged by the Scriptures.
- I don’t like studying Scripture in a community where others can challenge my thoughts, ideas, and interpretations.
- I struggle with pleasure related sins.
If you find any of these present in your life, consider that your check-engine light might be blinking. If your religious knowledge has placed you in a public position, it will be even more difficult to break away from the pull of impersonal religious knowledge. The reality is that you can “get away” with this for a far lengthier time than you ought to be able to.
Yet, let this serve as a caution. Consider reading more devotional type literature. Spend some time alone with the Lord, with no need to produce something. Ultimately, it’s a call to repent. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that if we have religious knowledge without love, then we are nothing but a clanging cymbal. Heed the warning.
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