We should STUDY those writings so that we can personally defend the faith as we have been enabled and not function simply as a parrot.
This is something that I have struggled with for years, not because I don't understand these doctrines. But because I have found that when I try to communicate what I believe; I have found that in many cases it becomes obvious that the person does not understand what I am trying to say.
What I have found that is fairly helpful in my case is getting people to read or view things that communicate what I am trying to say.
One example of this is with a friend of mine. I had been trying to communicate what I believed about the doctrines of grace to him for quite some time with very little success. I was almost ready to give up, when I remembered that I had a DVD called 'Amazing Grace- the History and Theology of Calvinism'.
My friend and I viewed this DVD together and a light went on in his head and he said "that is not what I was telling him." When in reality it was exactly what I was trying to tell him all along.
To make a long story short, my friend now embraces Calvinism. In talking to other Calvinists I have found that I am definately not alone when it comes to communication problems.
Now I am certainly trying to sharpen up my knowledge of how to communicate what I believe. But, the reality is sometimes it is better to let others who are great communicaters do it for me.
This is mainly my reason for starting this particular thread; I am hoping that it will be a spring board to some solid dialogue. Especially considering when it comes to eschatology I don't have a solid enough grasp on the subject to communicate it effectively.
Tom
