What is a "Doctrinal Church?" What is a Bible Thumper?

Short answer: I have no idea...anymore.  Mostly because the Bible doesn't mention "Doctrinal Churches."  There is frequent mention of "Doctrine" and "Church" but I don't think God intended for it to be a movement of Men who are ultimately Bible thugs (aka. Bible Thumpers) who prey people in Church who don't "know" the Bible as well as they do.  These people pride themselves on knowing the Bible better than others.  They lack love in their heart.  They are full of judgement.  So NOT like the Savior.  It's so interesting the focus on "doctrine," "categories," "theology of this, that, etc" with little to no mention of how God saves from the stuff that we engage in at night when everybody else is sleeping...or the stuff that we engage in the mind but never talk about.  Spiritual stuff. Spiritual warfare.

Seems like the "doctrinal church" is a movement focused on teaching....theoretical, etherial, book level knowledge...the stuff that is very, very comfortable to talk about because it doesn't make one vulnerable and there is no call to be transparent with struggles or strongholds.  Just Maybe.  Theology is so comfortable to discuss because it doesn't make one accountable.  You can simply have a degree and the conversation may end there.

I know a guy who claimed to be "Free-Grace" and "Grace-oriented" and "Doctrinal." He was a pastor of a Church and affiliated with all sorts of "Grace-Oriented" organizations, camps, teams, you name it.  But the guy was a jerk to his family, unloving towards his wife and lived a secret life detached from reality (i.e. fantasy) whey everyone else wasn't looking.  He is the guy writing this article.

All throughout bible college, seminary and nearly a decade of pastoring, I was a part of what I thought was a great "Grace Oriented" movement.  But I was essentially engaging in Biblioatry (i.e. Worship of the Bible) and my heart lacked the love that Paul talks about to the Church in Corinth. 

I can remember Prof. Howard Hendricks speaking to a group of Navigators saying (paraphrase): Gentlemen, if it doesn't work in your own home, DON'T export it!"  That always stuck with me because although I was preaching and teaching the grace of God and the freeness of salvation, I couldn't even sit with my wife and pray with her.  Any suggestion from her concerning the Bible was an offense to me.  Why? because I had no love in my heart and I was full of hate. 

These manifestations of evil were rooted (but not limited to) the PRIDE that I was harboring in my heart.  My pride in thinking I knew better than others because I went to a seminary.  My pride in thinking my Church/affiliations made me superior to all others who we labeled "non-gracious" or "non-believers" etc...  My pride in thinking that my wife (or any other female) could not offer me any truth simply because of their gender.  And I could go on and on here.

I am not proud of these decisions/actions.  And I share them simply because what was my shame is a display of God's goodness, grace and mercy toward me.  He has demolished those strongholds in my life.  In Jesus name I proclaim God's forgiveness towards me.  Thank you Lord for your forgivness!

Two days ago my wife and I sat on the floord of our room, broken, holding hands and praying over the protection of our Children against the enemy's influence.  We prayed with eyes full of tears that our son would be gracious in forgiving us and working through our reactions and sinful displacements of anger.  We thanked God that he has revealed to us root issues of sin in our lives and has freed us to walk in the freedom for which Christ has set us free.

Today, I proclaim that I am NOT ashamed of the Gospel because it has the power to deliver the Believer from strongholds of pride and arrogance that may have come as a result of many years of bible college or seminary training.  Yes, there is hope even for that crowd.  Because there was hope for this sinner. 

I have been set free by the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to allow my brothers and sisters in Christ (regardless of education or gender) to speak truth into my life.  Truth is from God.  So, I rejoice when truth comes my way.  The Truth sets me free.  It enables me to be quick to listen and slow to speak.  It truly enables me to be gracious.  Toward others and myself.

So, what is a doctrinal church?  Hopefully, it is a Church that is rooted in Gospel-centered, grace-oriented doctrine (teaching).  What is a Bible Thumper?  Hopefully, it is a person who uses the Bible to "thump" evil in his own heart.  I'd love to share with you what God did in my own heart...

Blessings.