I'm happy to find a Gen X community here!

[TzipiDee]

I'm just wondering if there's anyone here for whom, like me, your belief system has changed substantially over the years?

I grew up in a conservative, evangelical/ American Baptist Christian mission to the UK in the70s (KJV-only, cessationist, Dispensational, isolationist, etc.)

In my 30s, I was Messianic. I stopped believing and joined Humanistic Judaism.

Since 2016, I have described myself as 'exvangelical'; I dipped into Atheism, bobbed along for years as an Agnostic, and then felt a huge spiritual wake-up call on October 7th.

Now, I'm on the very outside edge of Christianity, quite ambivalent about faith, but kind of heartbroken that I lost mine. Deconstruction was something that happened to me rather than choosing it.

I'm not sure of a way forward.

I love judaism absolutely. But I definitely miss my spiritual home.

 

[Grip Docility]

I'm just wondering if there's anyone here for whom, like me, your belief system has changed substantially over the years?

I refuse to adopt a "closed theological system" and grow daily.

I grew up in a conservative, evangelical/ American Baptist Christian mission to the UK in the70s (KJV-only, cessationist, Dispensational, isolationist, etc.)

That's starting off with a bang.

In my 30s, I was Messianic. I stopped believing and joined Humanistic Judaism.

That would be a logical transition from Dispensational belief. I smell compassion for the Jews as an underlying motivation. Well done.

Since 2016, I have described myself as 'evangelical'; I dipped into Atheism, bobbed along for years as an Agnostic, and then felt a huge spiritual wake-up call on October 7th.

Amen to bobbing along, smack into Jesus Christ.

Now, I'm on the very outside edge of Christianity, quite ambivalent about faith, but kind of heartbroken that I lost mine. Deconstruction was something that happened to me rather than choosing it.

May I open dialogue with you on this specific quote, of yours? I think you have more "faith" than you are aware. I would guess that it might not be a neat and clean "cookie cutter" definition. Can we zero in on this statement and see if profitable discussion is found within it? I suspect there is deeply valuble discussion here.

I'm not sure of a way forward.

I love judaism absolutely. But I definitely miss my spiritual home.

Deconstruction is another word for "Searching Him (Messiah) out with all of your heart and soul. I have 3 theological tenants that I demand are true and adhere to.

1- There is a God and I'm not Him
2- Jesus is the full revelation of God's ways unto mankind and the centerpiece of all scripture from Genesis to Revelation and the only path to understanding scripture. Jesus is the centerpiece - John 5:39. Jesus is the key to all scripture - 1 John 2:27
3- Under Jesus, Scripture is Scripture's only commentary. Thank God for Jesus Christ, because if theological perfection is the requirement for salvation, we are all Lake of fire bound.

 

[FireDragon76]

I don't think that's too unusual, particularly for somebody from a religious fundamentalist background.

I was raised liberal Methodist, was influenced by American Evangelical Fundamentalism in my teens, became irreligious in college, practiced Buddhism a few years as a young adult, got interested in High Church Christian traditions in my early 30's, and was relatively conservative theologically. For a while I was Lutheran. Now I am liberal and go to a Congregationalist church. I see alot of changes in church membership but in some ways it's more like going full-circle, as the religion I am in now isn't that different from what I was raised with. Liberal traditions give alot more freedom to not define things too rigidly.

If you haven't encountered Brian McLaren, he's worth looking into, as he came from a Dispensational Fundamentalist background also. The Canadian philosopher and cognitive scientist John Vervaeke also came from the same kind of background.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I'm just wondering if there's anyone here for whom, like me, your belief system has changed substantially over the years?

I grew up in a conservative, evangelical/ American Baptist Christian mission to the UK in the70s (KJV-only, cessationist, Dispensational, isolationist, etc.)

In my 30s, I was Messianic. I stopped believing and joined Humanistic Judaism.

Since 2016, I have described myself as 'exvangelical'; I dipped into Atheism, bobbed along for years as an Agnostic, and then felt a huge spiritual wake-up call on October 7th.

Now, I'm on the very outside edge of Christianity, quite ambivalent about faith, but kind of heartbroken that I lost mine. Deconstruction was something that happened to me rather than choosing it.

I'm not sure of a way forward.

I love judaism absolutely. But I definitely miss my spiritual home.

I'm Generation X, but no, I can't say that my beliefs----without a system----have changed much during the last four decades.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I'm just wondering if there's anyone here for whom, like me, your belief system has changed substantially over the years?

I grew up in a conservative, evangelical/ American Baptist Christian mission to the UK in the70s (KJV-only, cessationist, Dispensational, isolationist, etc.)

In my 30s, I was Messianic. I stopped believing and joined Humanistic Judaism.

Since 2016, I have described myself as 'exvangelical'; I dipped into Atheism, bobbed along for years as an Agnostic, and then felt a huge spiritual wake-up call on October 7th.

Now, I'm on the very outside edge of Christianity, quite ambivalent about faith, but kind of heartbroken that I lost mine. Deconstruction was something that happened to me rather than choosing it.

I'm not sure of a way forward.

I love judaism absolutely. But I definitely miss my spiritual home.

It's not impossible to reconnect with the Christian Faith. Just open yourself up to a more expansive level of philosophical and academic exploration.

 

[Rebecca Jo]

I went deeper with God about 12 years ago, and then about 3-4 years ago He had me encounter a Messianic Jew online. I've always been interested in Israel and the Jewish people, so it was like coming home. I'm learning so much more about passages of Scripture by having an understanding of Jewish thought and outlook, and I'm slowly learning Hebrew as well.

No matter what, dig in and get to know Jesus!