Many punsters learned long ago that an “expert” is defined as a “has-been drip under pressure.” If that sounds rather disrespectful to you, please stay tuned for some debunking of some experts.
We start out life thinking our parents hung the moon and know everything. Later our heroes can take on many forms, like police or fire chiefs, teachers, coaches, movie stars, and sports stars. But often one of those “idols” crashes and burns and disappoints us.
As we get into the “real life” of earning a living and raising kids, we often re-adjust our assessments of our parents, and realize they have learned a lot in recent years. They aren’t perfect, but maybe they knew a lot more than we gave them credit for during our teen years.
Today I’d like to pick a bone with some experts. A number of things can post someone into the arena of “expert.” Education, publishing papers, and writing books – do such activities qualify someone as an expert?
For example, would you get on a plane with a pilot who made the best grades ever, but had never flown a plane? Given a choice between 2 teachers, one with practical experience in their field, and one that was purely theoretical with NO experience, which would you choose?
My point is this. Many people today pose as experts without ever personally experiencing the basics of their field. For example would you rather study science under a prof who had run experiments and who would help you also learn by experience, testing, and observations, or one how merely recited formulas and read the text without any demonstration of his material. I am especially bothered by those who criticize Christianity without ever experiencing a personal relationship with Christ. Such people may have read or studied ABOUT Him, but they clearly don’t KNOW Him personally.
The people in the Bible, including most of its writers, were transformed, and totally changed as they had a personal encounter with God. Unlike proud inexperienced “experts” these writers admitted their own mistakes, but were willing to die for the reality of their new relationship with God.
Please don’t let someone who doesn’t even know God personally (no fruit like love, joy, peace, self control) keep you from running your own experiment to try out the promises of Christ in His word, proving for yourself how great, loving and forgiving He is, and what His good and acceptable and perfect will for you tastes and feels like.
