It is a battle that philosophers, politicians, pastors, and pop culture icons have debated down through the years. It’s a controversy that seems to be raging once again in our world and our culture. Is an objective reality more important or is my lived experience what matters most? Eternal truth. Experiential learning. Which one of these is more important? Which one is more valuable?

It seems one is caught between a rock and a hard place. While I would never want to be noted as denying an obvious eternal truth, I also do not want to downplay or diminish the experiential reality of an individual. Yet so often, that seems to be where we are left to wrestle. It shows up in family conversations, social media interactions, neighborhood discussions, and church services.

What if experiential learnings where actually designed and meant to support and promote eternal truths?

One example of this dichotomy that has been drawn shows up within the church. When a group of people, who follow Jesus, gather together what should be on display and celebrated – eternal truth or experienced reality? Don’t get me wrong, I am not supporting existentialism. What I am asking is: what if sharing our experiences were actually a form of proclaiming eternal truths?

Dustin Crowe gets to the point in his article “Your Church Needs More Time for Personal Testimonies“. He list 3 great benefits to encourage us to facilitate time for people to share their stories in our gatherings. The list of practical ways to do this are endless and Dustin gets us off to a great start at the end of his piece as well.

Eternal truth OR Experiential learning? Why does it have to be either/or? Like so many things within the Christian worldview, I think the answer is both/and. Enjoy the article and let me know how else you could see personal testimonies being shared in your circles. As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day.