New ideas challenge our understanding. What do we do with new ideas? As a young man, I wanted things to be black and white. I wanted to know right and wrong. I accepted the teachings I received in my church and at home, as well as those I learned at Bible College. I held strong views about beliefs and practices of other churches based on what I had grown up with.

As I ventured into the world, I discovered speakers, authors, and churches who presented ideas I was not comfortable with because they were different than what I thought was right. There were times when the teachings I came across made sense. There were times I had to adjust my thinking because I was wrong, or at least not fully informed, about a certain belief.

How should we respond to new ideas? Let’s look at a couple of ways we often respond to new teachings.

It is new, so it is wrong.

There are some people who are convinced, as I was in my early years, that anything new and different must be wrong.  And if it is wrong, it must be avoided. These people will not accept anything new as true because it is not what they are used to or comfortable with. They will ban those books from their libraries and caution others not to listen to those speakers. In their desire to hold to the truth, they assume that they already have the truth and don’t need to be confused with new ideas. While well-meaning, this is a naïve attitude that prevents many good followers of Jesus from growing.

It is new and I don’t know if it is right or wrong.

Some Christians, when exposed to new ideas, aren’t sure if these are right or wrong, and either don’t want or don’t know how to determine if it is right, so they just choose to ignore the new idea. Maybe it’s too much work to figure out if it is true. Maybe they aren’t sure how to assess it’s validity. Maybe they are comfortable and don’t want anyone to rock the boat. Life is good, I know where I stand, I know what my church teaches, and my friends believe. I don’t need to check out anything else.

Again, this attitude keeps followers of Jesus from growing in their relationship with Jesus as they never struggle with new understandings of God or scripture. Spiritual growth assumes a deeper or further understanding of and obedience to God. This may include accepting something new.

It is new, but is it true?

Other followers of Jesus are aware that they do not have all the answers. They may have already experienced times where a new teaching has given them further clarity about who Jesus is or how He works in their lives. They are willing to do the work to find out if this new teaching is truth or not, and willing to accept and apply the new teaching if it is true.

Their attitude is “I don’t know if it is true, but I will check it out.”

And so they study scripture to see if what they have been hearing is consistent with scripture. They read other authors or listen to other teachers they trust to get advice from other believers. They take time to talk to God about what they have discovered, asking God to give them clarity about what they are hearing. They might consider how this teaching has been accepted by other churches or by some of the older writers.

These followers of Jesus do not just jump on the bandwagon because friends are or because a certain speaker endorses this teaching, but they take time to consider it carefully before accepting it.

I have benefited greatly from discovering teachings that were not part of my childhood or that of my church. I have learned to appreciate teachings on the gifts of the Spirit and learning to listen and hear from God. I have appreciated being challenged on my beliefs about the kingdom of God. I have come a long way from my theological roots, continuing to carefully learn and grow in understanding God and how He works in us. In my pursuit of a deeper intimacy with Jesus, I have had to grow in my understanding and learned to accept new truths along the way.

Discerning truth is not a quick and easy process, but it may be of great benefit to you and your relationship with God as you get to know more. Be willing to do the work of assessing the validity of new teachings you come across without discarding them too quickly.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe