Street smart vs book smart

[James_Lai]

A Christian is one who knows what is right and seeks to bring it to the world- the way to heaven. He’s not trying to be popular or to get his needs met, he’s depending on God for that. You don’t need to be street smart to Live in this world. We are in this world but not of it. We don’t even need to love ourselves to do the good Jesus wants us to do. He says be ye separate’ from it and holy. He says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.’ Needs.
We’re not trying to get rich but to obey God. You see the separateness? We don’t want to reflect the world but Christ.

some work but some don’t. Some live by faith. We trust God in whatever type of life we are in. It’s relevant to a soup kitchen doing Gods will, feeding the poor, preaching the word, visiting the sick and in prison, clothing the naked, loving our enemies, and there are a lot sometimes. They are the salt and light of the world.

Separateness… Why? What’s the point of being separate? Aren’t we here to experience life? Or to wait for death to be in heaven?

It really sounds like an awful way to live to me…

 

[messianist]

It’s like they say “Put your trust in God, but keep your powder dry”… I think about this phrase a lot…

No it's not like that, it's like anything in life when you experience something you have understanding, thats why people cant comprehend him or his ways .

 

[James_Lai]

No it's not like that, it's like anything in life when you experience something you have understanding, thats why people cant comprehend him or his ways .

Well if God is beyond understanding, isn’t faith our attempt at understanding Him?

 

[messianist]

Well if God is beyond understanding, isn’t faith our attempt at understanding Him?

He's not beyond understanding for his children.

 

[James_Lai]

He's not beyond understanding for his children.

Aren’t we all?

 

[messianist]

Aren’t we all?

No

 

[jacks]

Most Christians don't come from sheltered environments. Christianity has always appealed to the abused and down trodden. This is especially true worldwide, but even in America, most Christians would fall under the average household incomes. HERE and HERE. So yes, Christianity is for both "Street and Book Smart" and everyone in between.

 

[James_Lai]

Most Christians don't come from sheltered environments. Christianity has always appealed to the abused and down trodden. This is especially true worldwide, but even in America, most Christians would fall under the average household incomes. HERE and HERE. So yes, Christianity is for both "Street and Book Smart" and everyone in between.

Not about Christians, I perfectly understand that they come in all shapes and sizes so to speak.

The teaching itself

 

[jacks]

Not about Christians, I perfectly understand that they come in all shapes and sizes so to speak.

The teaching itself

Yes, Jesus reached out to the lowly, poor and abused. That was a large part of His teachings. That all people are savable and loved by God. He didn't feel they were useless or beyond help, but wanted them to be part of His kingdom. If you read the Gospels you will find many examples of this. It's the Good News!

 

[Unqualified]

Separateness… Why? What’s the point of being separate? Aren’t we here to experience life? Or to wait for death to be in heaven?

It really sounds like an awful way to live to me…

Separate from the world the flesh and the devil, from evil influences. The world is not good. Separate to be holy unto God. Sinners but not living a lifestyle of sin. It takes awhile to acclimatize and there are trials. It’s a good life, though hard at times. The truth… will set you free’.

 

[James_Lai]

Yes, Jesus reached out to the lowly, poor and abused. That was a large part of His teachings. That all people are savable and loved by God. He didn't feel they were useless or beyond help, but wanted them to be part of His kingdom. If you read the Gospels you will find many examples of this. It's the Good News!

True. Not the whole, but the sick need a physician as Jesus said. Being in sin and needing repentance and salvation is one aspect of Christianity.

If we take the entirety of the Christian teachings, beyond moral improvement and finding God, how is it relevant to reality?

 

[Martinius]

Such as it was in the time of Jesus .... a system of religion became so "religious" they lost sight of Him.

What was true at the "time of Jesus" appears to be still true today.

 

[James_Lai]

Separate from the world the flesh and the devil, from evil influences. The world is not good. Separate to be holy unto God. Sinners but not living a lifestyle of sin. It takes awhile to acclimatize and there are trials. It’s a good life, though hard at times. The truth… will set you free’.

Living according to high morals is very good… But then there are all kinds of situations. It’s easy to say what’s sin and what’s not in theory, but then the same action can be for good or for bad…. These “do’s and don’t’s” aren’t universal. There are things not mentioned and it’s hard to determine based on principles. Etc

So that takes me back to my OP, how good is Christianity related to reality? Are there clashes where you have to rely on smth else? Spiritually or in day by day life

 

[eleos1954]

What was true at the "time of Jesus" appears to be still true today.

I Agree ;o) ... nothing new under the sun.

 

[Martinius]

If we take the entirety of the Christian teachings, beyond moral improvement and finding God, how is it relevant to reality?

It depends on what we mean by the "entirely of Christian teachings"? Does this mean what Jesus taught, what Paul taught, what other disciples taught? How about what the early Church Fathers taught? What about Augustine, Aquinas, etc? What about the Church councils?

I think we have to peel back the layers and all the bric-a-brac and get down to the essentials. It is not an easy process and most never get past the outer layers, never distill it all to the core truths and teachings, the true meaning. I am still working on it after a half century; I'm not quite there yet, but getting closer.

 

[jacks]

If we take the entirety of the Christian teachings, beyond moral improvement and finding God, how is it relevant to reality?

I think I get what you are asking; i.e. from a practical day by day standpoint how can the teachings of Christ be helpful? Let's look at one of His main teachings. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Of course this doesn't mean to be in love with them or even feel love for them, rather to treat them well and hope for the best for them. (Because we don't even "love" ourselves sometimes, but we do hope for the best for ourselves and forgive ourselves when we mess up.)

As you know from being out on the street, you can't always be the toughest, meanest person around, so in order to get along it is better to create alliances. You also probably have noticed that most (not all) people will respond positively when you are nice to them. This doesn't mean you let them run all over you, but you start out giving them the benefit of the doubt and show them you care about them. This sort of "loving your neighbor" is good practical advice, not just something that sounds good. There are many other aspects to Christianity, that play well in the "real" world. It is a very practical religion and belief system. I apologize in advance, if I'm missing your point entirely!

 

[Mark Quayle]

I see Christian missionaries abroad, they’re pretty much crooks, most of them. They treat locals like dirt, invest and trade, send fake reports back to their home churches inflating all they do. Basically, con artists. Churches never even think about any accountability, believing everything blindly. How is it even possible?

Where do you get this information —most of them? I'm an MK, born and raised, and would guess I know at least a hundred, many of whom I was in close proximity to for years, most of the rest I would have heard of if they were crooks. I know of only one liar/crook among them. And he was caught and ejected.

 

[Sketcher]

In regards to religion, I often think about street smarts and book smarts. It seems to me some believers tend to live too much in their heads. When it comes to realities of life, they can seem to be somewhat detached. Do you notice this?

Not everyone is from a place where one needs the level of street smarts that you need to do well in New York City or Detroit. They're not going to have those same filters as a result, and their Christianity will be expressed in a manner you might call incautious or naïve because those filters hadn't been needed before.

I sometimes try to analyze what it is… Some ideas seem so good and right and good-sounding and beautiful, but when it comes to realities of life, those ideas somehow don’t consider all factors. Maybe that’s the problem? For example, how sin is explained and what solutions are offered… That’s why I think religion has never been an effective tool in guarding morality and behaviour and we need certain institutions such as law enforcement and jails, with tools like handcuffs and tasers, or sedative injections for some…

If there is such disconnect, is religion even relevant?

On that, how are you going to keep the law enforcement honest? Religion at least provides another influence which has the potential to keep people in check. I'd rather have police that believe Someone is watching them and will judge them, than police that don't. The police that don't have the same temptations as the police that do, and they have more reason to believe they'll get away with it.

Now, there are those who would claim that's all theory. But, at least some of the time it does work in practice. One of my friends whom I met in college got saved in jail before he went to college. He was guilty of the crime that got him into jail. But, when he was out of jail, he wasn't taking advantage of people. Rather, he used what he knew to help people not become victims, and he separated himself from opportunities to get in trouble again (which in at least one case, involved moving - not a small deal). Christianity has unquestionably been a force for good in his life. I contrast this with an ex-roommate's friend who roomed with us for a few horrible months. He was guilty of a similar offense, but had no use for religion. He made none of those efforts that my friend had made, and had expressed beliefs that convinced me he was still dangerous. Long story short, he was back in jail several months after we had to kick him out. I believe I have some perspective on what real repentance looks like.

My question isn’t about people, but about Christian teachings. Are they adequate for street smarts? Or are they more or less useless when it comes to what people have to deal with in their spiritual and day by day practical lives?

Jesus was not naïve. He had supreme insight into people, and he was calculating - but he had grace, not selfishness. His priority was on revealing grace to people.

 

[Peter J Barban]

I am a self-supported missionary in Taiwan and my teaching is very practical for attaining godliness and wisdom. I make sure it works in my life before I teach it to others.

At seminary, I dabbled with being a Christian mystic but abandoned it to become a practical theologian.

 

[timf]

No amount of Christian doctrine or Christian teaching can help you learn trigonometry. However, if you are going to be a machinist, it could be helpful.

Trusting in Jesus for salvation will not automatically give you discernment and insight into all the hazards of the world. However, it does open the door to humility;

Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

The grace we receive provides instruction;

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

As we grow in faith and receive grace, we begin to be separate from the world and its corruption. We might not fully understand intellectually about evil in the world, but there can be an almost sub-conscious perception when things just don't seem right.

We will never be smart enough or knowledgeable enough to be able to protect ourselves from every evil in the world. We will always be vulnerable to some degree.

There does seem to be a relationship between our spiritual condition and our discernment;

Pro 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
Pro 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
Pro 2:3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
Pro 2:4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
Pro 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
Pro 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Pro 2:7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
Pro 2:8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
Pro 2:9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
Pro 2:10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
Pro 2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: