Does the past dictate the path for the present or is it just a guide to better interpret our surroundings on a proper basis? Or in other words, do we have to do church like the early Christians did church? What about tradition that has passed down through time and is not found supported anywhere in Scripture? Do these practices hold any weight for the contemporary Christian? Is God really doing a new thing? Or is it the same old thing with a different dress on?
One of the founders of Xenos, a home church based movement in Ohio, wrote, "After struggling with whether the interpretive community of the post-apostolic fathers should be considered authoritative today, Xenos leaders finally and definitely settled on a view that church tradition should have no authority whatsoever in the life of the church. They concluded that all authority accorded tradition is at the direct expense of biblical authority.
"Although these same leaders later got graduate degrees in historical theology, they have come to see the history of interpretation as important for comparison, but in no way determinative in understanding the Bible. The incident had the effect of confirming Xenos' radically non-traditional path. Xenos teachers continue to see human tradition as more often the enemy of good exegesis than a help.
"While recognizing that no group is without traditions, we see all human tradition, including our own, as carrying the dangerous potential of becoming an idol — a familiar pattern of thought and practice to which people often will cling even if it means defying God's will and causing lost people to stay lost."
Xenos has given me a lot to think about of late. Tradition just for the sake of tradition sounds like more dead religion to me. Some traditions may help us connect with a deep Biblical truth even though the practice is not described any where in Scripture. We must make sure to take the good from tradition and leave the bad. The Holy Spirit takes the Bible and helps us know the difference.
Generally, I agree with Xenos that tradition can be more of a stumbling block than a stepping stone to God. But there are some exceptions. Even with this there is no firm rule because the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God.
