Author note: This is another religion post (actually the first of multiple, since the topic and what I’ve written is a bit too much for just one post). As I said in my Bible post, I’m not going to apologize for advocating one perspective over another. I am simply putting my perspective out there. You can agree or not.
Admittedly one of the more difficult things (don’t know that it was the most) that I have had to wrestle with, at least in an intellectual sense, is the idea of tradition in the Church. How do words, ideas, actions, and so forth identified as ‘tradition’ within the Church fit with the testimony of Jesus Christ in the Bible? What I found dealt with so much more than just the idea of man creating rules and such instead of just relying on the Scripture, and actually showed me something much richer and deeper than I had known before.
First, I think confirming the definition of tradition is important. If we’re going to talk about this word, there needs to be a common frame of reference. For the purpose of this discussion/blog post, I am going to use the definition of tradition from Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com has under tradition the following: 1) the handing down on statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or practice. 2) something that is handed down. 3) a continuing pattern of culture, beliefs, or practices. First, I’m going to make a couple of comments about the definition that we have, and then I’m going to discuss tradition and how it fits into the larger concept of religion and faith.
Something you may or may not have noticed is: traditions are primarily tied to a culture, or grouping of people. Whether you are talking about a culture or grouping due to ethnicity (like Native Americans), beliefs (Christians), or a combination of both (Jewish), there are things that are shared through word or action. This fits into tradition. This points into something more important: We are tied to previous generations of Christians through our traditions. We draw our identity through the traditions we observe. Our Christian identity is also drawn from the traditions we observe. No matter what denomination you belong to, traditions are involved. I mentioned this in passing when I talked about my journey of faith (in ‘What a long, strange trip it’s been part 2):
“Also, if you think about it, we all rely upon or give ourselves over to some other authority than the Bible at some point. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Luther, Calvin, the Popes, or someone other modern (John MacArthur comes to mind, although one could put in almost anyone who is teaching), we look to their perspective and interpretation as a guide for our own understanding.”
When you look at from this perspective, traditions were extremely important in order to carry the Christian faith forward to future generations. Keep in mind that the canon of Scripture hadn’t been compiled. The Apostle Paul talks of tradition (particularly the faith) in a positive light in 2 Thessalonians 2:15: ‘Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.’ Yes, there are also instances where traditions are talked about in a negative light. If you look at the different passages, they are talking about two different things. The negative references deal with traditions put forth by men with no tie to God or what He taught. The positive references deal with traditions put forth that are tied to God and what He taught.
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