Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Peter Enns

Home
About
Books
Articles & Essays
Upcoming Events
Archives
Inspiration and Incarnation
- Book Summary
- Endorsements
- The Audience of I&I
- I&I and the Authority of Scripture
- NPR Interview
- I&I and Inerrancy
- Responding to Critics
- Interactions with Bruce Waltke
  - My response to the Introduction of Bruce Waltke’s surrejoinder to my response above.
  - Bruce Waltke’s Revisiting Inspiration and Incarnation.
- A Response to Richard Pratt
  - Pratt 2
  - Pratt 3
  - Pratt 4
  - Pratt 5
- I&I and Westminster Theological Seminary
  - I&I and the Westminster Confession of Faith
  - My Response from the Westminster Theological Journal (Spring 2009)
- Christianity Today Coverage
Science, Faith, and Inerrancy

Home
Evangelical
Theological Growth: Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Theological Growth: Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Last updated on: August 13, 2013 at 9:00 am by Peter Enns

Theological Growth: Extreme Makeover Home Edition 2013-08-10T08:00:40-04:00 Peter Enns

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Theological growth is like renovating your house.

You think your 120 year-old Victorian is rock solid, the envy of the neighborhood, though maybe needing a touch up here and there.

Until an expert builder does a walk through–and what he finds isn’t pretty.

One side of the house is resting on a cracking foundation. You couldn’t tell on your own, and it takes some convincing on his part, but there it is, clear as day. It’s only a matter of time before one side of your house falls off.

Lady, trust me, you don’t want that.

The walls look fine to you, but the pipes are in fact leaking, which in time will turn your basement into an indoor pool. Many of the joists are rotting, which threatens to turn your Victorian into a rancher.

Also, your old roofer just kept putting down new layers of singles over the years–a collapse waiting to happen with a heavy snow fall. Your painter, an amateur, slapped some inferior quality paint over rotting clapboards. Most of the south side needs to be replaced pronto.

It turns out your house is falling apart, and you can’t deny it. Admitting it is the hard part, and now there’s no going back. The work needs to begin.

The builder tells you the good news. Generally speaking the house is in decent shape, and the newer building materials are stronger and more resistant to weather and wear. The house is definitely salvageable, but the renovation work will take time, isn’t cheap, and it will be hard to live here while it’s happening.

He begins with the foundation–which means tearing down an entire side of the house to get to it.

My house. My beautiful house. Is this renovation or demolition?

Lady, you have to demolish if you want to renovate. This isn’t a touch up job.

You feel like you’re losing an old friend–a part of your life–something that has been with you for as long as you can remember.

While you are freaking out inside the builder asks, since he’s fixing the foundation anyway, if you’d like him to expand it another twenty feet.

Really?! You can do that?!

Sure. What do think “renovation” means? This isn’t a touch up job. You’ve had too many of those. Now, not only will your house be safer, but you can add more rooms or make the old ones three times the size. It’s up to you.

Sweet. You get some books from Lowe’s (“Never Stop Improving”) and begin to think big–maybe some huge picture windows, or a bay window; built-in book shelves; a monster plasma TV with surround sound and oversized leather recliners (like the kind they have at the ESPN Zone) for the husband [thank you].

Although this is all still a bit weird and unsettling, you’re beginning to see this as an opportunity.

And while he’s knocking down the walls to get to the plumbing problem, you have a chance to expand the kitchen like you’ve wanted to for the last 25 years (though you never told anyone). And why not throw in a sliding glass door out the back onto your new 800 sq. ft. cedar deck complete with built-in gas grill.

While he’s on the roof, he can throw in some sky lights and solar panels.

And you know, as long as he’s here, why not have him take a look at all those annoying little cracks and quirks that you always knew were there, were bugging you deep down, but managed to ignore all those years.

After the some fresh paint and wallpaper, the job is done, and you have to admit the new house is a heck of a lot nicer than the old one–not to mention no longer a hazard waiting to happen.

And here’s the thing: It’s still your house. Sure, it’s not the same, but you still have those familiar rooms, those nooks and crannies, all memories of the joys and challenges of raising a family–holidays, graduations, milestones.

All that remains. It’s still your house. Just bigger, nicer, safer, more fun. A source of joy, not doom and gloom. Something to enjoy, not kick the dog over.

The renovation work had to be done. That’s absolutely clear now in retrospect. You’re amazed you didn’t see the problems much earlier–but you weren’t really looking for them, and you probably didn’t really want to see them anyway. Someone outside of your house had to point them out to you.

Not everyone renovates their house, no matter how much it’s needed.

Some don’t like anything any builders have to say, and so they argue with them. They actually like arguing. They email them just so they can call the builders names and tell them how dumb they are.

Others feel it’s all a builders’ conspiracy and it’s their responsibility to tell all their neighbors that they shouldn’t have their houses renovated either, no matter what these lying builders say. They feel they know better than everyone else, and they get quite in your face about it if you disagree.

Then there are some who hire builders to begin work, but when walls start getting knocked down they become fearful and fire the builders mid-task. They would rather nail up some plywood panelling to cover up the holes than finish the job.

Crazy cat ladies isolate themselves. They don’t renovate their houses. Builders can try to talk to them, but they’re not really listening. They are talking to their cats.

Cranky old men rock on their porch all day. They spit tobacco and polish their shotguns, glaring at passers by. If you try to come in the gate and talk to them about their house, they tell you to get off their lawn. And you’d better, because they have a shiny shotgun pointed at you.

People can choose to renovate or not. It’s up to them. But sooner or later, if we’re paying attention, we will see that all of our houses show wear and tear that can’t be ignored or touched up.

Good houses are built to last, but all houses are temporary. No house built by man can avoid renovation indefinitely.

The post first appeared in March 2012.

Previous Post

August 12, 2013

A Letter, Concerning The Evolution of Adam (hint, it's a parody)

Next Post

August 13, 2013 Short interview on why I blog and whether more academics should blog

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "aha" moments "The Bible" on the History Channel 1 Corinthians 10:4 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 1 John 1 Peter 3:15 1 Timothy 5:19 1st Advent 2001 World Series 9/11 A Beka Books A Long Faithfulness A More Christlike God A Year of Biblical Womanhood A. J. Jacobs Abraham abuse of power academic freedom Acts 10 Adam Adam and biblical genealogies Addison Hodges Hart adjunct teaching adolescent sexual purity aesthetics age of the earth Al Groves Al Mohler Alan Millard Albert Einstein Alberta Alex Rodriguez Allah American Sniper Ana Greene Andrew Louth Andrew T. Lincoln Andrew Wilson Andy Gill anger animal suffering announcement Anthony le Donne Antony Flew apologetics Apostles of Reason Are You Waiting for "The One"? Aren Maeir atheism Augustine author interview Babylonian exile Back to Red Balaam son of Beor Barack Obama Barnes and Noble Bart Campolo Bart Ehrman baseball Becoming Divine Becoming Who You Are belief in God belligerence Benedictine spirituality Benefit of the Doubt Berry Friesen best of 2014 Bethlehem Between Heaven and Mirth BIble Bible and Ancient Near East Bible and diversity Bible and History Bible and imagination BIble and myth Bible and politics Bible and science Bible and social sciences Bible and women Bible as Story Bible Curriculum Bible difficulties Bible wars Biblica biblical archaeology biblical authority biblical canon biblical contradictions biblical criticism biblical genealogies biblical Greek biblical historiography biblical inspiration biblical interpretation biblical lifespans biblical literalism biblical prophecy biblical theology biblicism bibliogian Big History Project Bill Gates Bill Nye binding of Isaac BioLogos birth of Jesus blog commenting blog comments blogging Bob Jones University Press Bohannon fundraiser book proposals book publishing book reviews Born of a Virgin? Brad Jersak Branch Davidians Brandon Ambrosino Brandon Withrow Brene Brown Brevard Childs Brian McLaren Broken Word Bruce Glass Bryan College bunny theology BuzzFeed Byzantium C. H. Dodd C. John Collins C. S. Lewis Caesar Is Not Calvin and Hobbes Calvin College Calvinism camel domestication Canaan Canaanite genocide Canaanite religion Carl Sagan Carlos Bovell Carolyn Custis James Cedarville University certainty chain saws Changing Faith Charles Halton Charleston shooting Chasing Francis Chasing the Wind Chicago Cubs Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy Choon-Leong Seow Chris Christie Chris Keith Chris Tilling Christian America Christian apologetics Christian blogging Christian colleges Christian family Christian humanitarian efforts Christian leadership Christian liberty Christian Life Christian nation Christian persecution Christian Smith Christian Taliban Christian-Muslim dialogue Christianity and art Christianity and evolution Christianity and Islam Christianity and politics Christianity Today ChristianMingle.com Christians and academia Christians and sex Christmas Christopher B. Ansberry Christopher M. Hays Christopher Rollston Christopher Southgate Christopher W. Skinner Christotelic interpretation Chuck DeGroat Church Fathers and scripture circumcision co-dependence Coffeehouse Theology cognitive dissonance Community Bible Experience compost pile conquest of Canaan Consider No Evil contemplative Christianity control cosmos counter testimony Craig Blomberg creation creationism Creative Trust Literary Group creeds and confessions crisis in Syria crisis of faith crocs with socks crucifixion CT shootings culture wars cycle of life D. Brent Sandy Dan Harrington Dan Haseltine Daniel E. Fleming Daniel Kirk Daniel Taylor dark night Darwin David G. Benner David Koresh David Opderbeck David Williams Death Before The Fall defending the Bible defending the faith Denis Alexander Denis Lamoureux denominationalism depth psychology Derek Flood Derek Jeter desert fathers Dick Vitale Did God Really Command Genocide? Dietrich Bonhoeffer Disarming Scripture Discerning the Mystery Disturbing Divine Behavior diverse portraits of God divided monarchy Divine Vintage Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? doctrinal inconsistency doctrine Documentary Hypothesis doubt dualistic thinking dying to self Early Church Easter Eastern Orthodoxy and the Bible Eastern University Eat With Joy Ecclesiastes Ed Cysewski election 2012 election 2016 empire criticism enlightenment Epic Fail Episcopal Church Eric Metaxas Eric Seibert Eucharist Evangelical biblical scholarship Evangelical Faith and the Challenge of Historical Criticism evangelical scholarship Evangelical Theological Society Evangelicalism evangelicals and academia evangelicals and politics everything breathes evolution evolutionary creation Evolving in Monkey Town Excalibur exchanging the peace Exodus exodus and conquest Exodus: Gods and Kings experiencing God Ezekiel 37 Ezra 9-10 faculty firings Fail faith and certainty faith and intellect Faith and Reason faith and theology faith seeking understanding false self FAQs FarmVille fear figurative readings first Christian Bible first half of life Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy food and religion ForeWord Reviews forgiveness Found Four Views on the Historical Adam Fox News Francis of Assisi Francis Schaeffer Frank A. James III Frank Viola Frederica Mathewes-Green From Evolution to Eden From Fear to Faith fundamentalism fundamentalism and art future of evangelicalism Fuz Rana G. I. Williamson Galatians game theory garden of eden Gary A. Anderson Gary Burnett Geerhardus Vos gene pool genealogies of Jesus Genesis Genesis 1-11 Genesis 1-2 Genesis 1-3 Genesis 15:6 Genesis flood Genesis for Normal People Genesis: History Fiction or Neither genetic studies genetics Gentiles George Washington Gerd Thiessen German language Gilbert Gottfried Göbekli Tepe Temple God God and country God and sports God in the Dock God in Translation God's absence God's gender God's sovereignty God's Word in Human Words good news/euangelion Gospel of John Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark GospelFutures GospelMemes Gospels granite Greg Cary Gregory A. Boyd Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa growth Haggai Half the Church Hans-Georg Gadamer Harold Heie Harvie Conn Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Hebrew Patriarchs helicopter parenting helpful hints Henri Nouwen Hermann Gunkel hermeneutics high school reunion Hippasus of Metapontum historical accuracy historical criticism historical Jesus Holy War in the Bible homeschooling homosexuality honesty How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian Hugh Ross humility humor and spirituality I Love Jesus and I Accept Evolution Ian Morgan Cron immortality incarnation inerrancy Inspiration and Incarnation intellectual models Intelligent Design inter-religious dialogue interracial marriage intolerance introverts in church Irenaeus irrational numbers Isaiah Isaiah 17 Israel Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israelite history J. R. Briggs J. R. Daniel Kirk Jacob L. Wright James A. Sanders James Barr James D. G. Dunn James Flynn James Hoffmeier James K. A. Smith James Martin Jana Riess Jared Byas Jars of Clay Jeannine Brown Jeremy Begbie Jesus Jesus and the Old Testament Jesus as divine and human Jesus as messiah Jesus Is Lord Jesus scholarship Jesus' wife Jewish biblical interpretation Jimmy Greene Job Job 1-21 jobs in academia Joe Modica Joel Baden Joel Butler John 10:35 John 20:19-29 john byron John Calvin John Dickson John Dominic Crossan John Franke John Goldingay John K. Stoner John of the Cross John Oswalt John Piper John Schneider John Walton John Wesley Jon Stewart Jon. D. Levenson Jonathan Dudley Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Fitzgerald Joseph and his brothers Joshua Delusion journey Judah judgement free zone justice and righteousness justification by faith Justin Martyr Karl Giberson Kashi Ken Ham Kent Sparks Kevin Vanhoozer Kim Jong Un Kindergarten King David King David and His Reign Revisited kingdom of God/heaven Konrad Schmid Kurt Eichenwald lament land of Israel Larry Hurtado Law of Moses leadership leaving church Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places Legends of Genesis Leon Wieseltier Leonard Sweet Les Miserables Lesslie Newbigin letters from God literaliam literalism literary agents living in the questions Losing my Religion love love of God Love Wins Loveology Lucian Luke Norsworthy Luke Timothy Johnson Madonna and Child manners Marc Brettler Marcionism Margaret Kim Peterson Mariano Rivera Mark 2:23-27 Mark 3 Mark Noll Mark Roncace Mark S. Smith Mark Strauss Mark T. Edwards Martin Hengel Martin Luther Martin Luther King Marvin the Martian Mary Magdalene Matthew 18 Matthew Flannagan Megan DeFranza Menachem Wecker Mere Christianity Mesha Inscription messiah Messiah College Micha Boyett Michael Bird Michael Graves Michael Gungor Michael Halcomb Michael Hardin Michael Hidalgo Michael Moore Michael Pahl Michael Ruffin Michele Bachmann microbes midrash Miley Cyrus missiology Mitt Romney modernism Moises Silva Molly Worthen Monte Harrell Hampton Mora Downey morals and the arts Mother Teresa Mt. Hood my home office My Utmost for His Highest Myron Penner mythic membership consciousness N. T. Wright Nachmanides need for attention Neil degrasse Tyson Neil Williams neo-Calvinism new paradigms New Testament New Testament use of the Old Testament New Year New York Yankees Newsweek Newsworthy with Norsworthy Newtown Nicholas Wolterstorff no one likes Canada Noah (the movie) Noah and the flood Noah's ark NOMA Not Your Mother's Morals Obedience Old Testament Old Testament ethics Old Testament history Old Testament prophets Old Testament Theology Old Testament Turning Points Olive Branch Books online course Oprah Oral Tradition orality and the Bible oreos Origen original sin origins myths origins of the Old Testament Orthodox Presbyterian Church Oswald Chambers Owen Strachan pale blue dot Parker Palmer pastoral burnout Patterns of Evidence Paul Paul and the Faithfulness of God Paul Copan Peace Hill Press Pentateuch Pentecost Pete Enns Peter Drucker Peter Liethart Peter Rollins Peter Traben Haas Ph.D. job market Philippians 3:10 pilgrimage Planet Fitness politics postmodernism prayer Presbyterianism Priene Calendar Inscription problem of evil prodigal son professional Christian progressive evangelical theology Protestantism Proverbs Proverbs 26:4-5 Proverbs 26:7 Proverbs 26:9 Proverbs 31:10-31 Psalm 110 Psalm 82:6 Psalms psychotherapy public criticism Qumran Qur'an Rachel Held Evans Rachel Marie Stone Randal Rauser Randall Heskett Randy Hardman Raw Revelation Raymond B. Dillard Raymond E. Brown Reading Genesis 1-2 Reading John reading the Bible Really!?! rebuilding the temple reception history Red Letter Christians Reformation Reformed theology Rehabilitating Inerrancy in a Culture of Fear religion religion and popular culture religious hostility respectful conversation respectful conversations resurrection resurrection accounts resurrection in the Old Testament retributive violence Reuel/Jethro Reza Aslan Richard Hess Richard Rohr Rick Perry Ridley Scott Rite I rival eschatology Rob Bell Rob Dalrymple Robert Yarbrough Robin A. Parry Roman empire and the New Testament Romans Romans 1:18 Romans 9:25-26 Ronald E. Osborn Ryan Miller sabbath breaking Sacred Word Sacred Word Broken Word Samaritans Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Miller Sandy Hook Sarah Moslener Sarah Palin satan Saving the Original Sinner scepticism science and faith science curricula science education Scot McKnight Searching for Sunday self-absorbed self-centered seminary senate blocks gun legislation Septuagint Sermon on the Mount Seven Glorious Days shame shameless self-promotion Simon Schama sin singing size of universe slippery slope Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting Solomon Soren Kierkegaard source criticism Southern Baptist Theological Seminary southern Presbyterians Spinoza spiritual formation spiritual memoir spirituality Spirituality and the Awakening Self St. Benedict St. Nicholas Stephen Jay Gould Stephen L. Young Stephen Lawhead Stephen Taylor Steve Moyise Steven Collins Steven Pressfield Storm of Words story storytelling Strangers and Pilgrims Once More suffering Sumerian King List Super Bowl supernova Surrender to Love Sylvia Keesmaat T. Michael Law talking about God teaching Bible to young Christians Ted Bobosh Telling God's Story Teresa of Avila textual criticism Thanksgiving The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary The Beauty of God The BIble and the Believer The Bible Made Impossible The Bible Tells Me So The Biblical Cosmos The Book of Common Prayer The Books of the Bible The Byrds The Civil War The Courage to Teach The Discarded Image The Drew Marshall Show The Early History of God The End of Apologetics The Episcopal Church and science The Evangelicals You Don't Know The Evolution of Adam The Future of Evangelicalism The Godfather the gospel The Gospel According to the Blues The Gospel Coalition The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society The Groaning of Creation The Historical David The Historical Jesus The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Anything The Jesus Driven Life The Jewish Study Bible The Last Battle The Liturgists Podcast The Lost World of Scripture The Old Testament: A Literary History The Oral Gospel Tradition the problem of Scripture The Prophetic Imagination The Rebel Jesus The Skeptical Believer The Story of the Jews The Twible The View The Violence of Scripture The War of Art The Wife of Jesus The Wonder of the Universe The Year of Living Biblically theistic evolution theological conflict theological diversity in the Bible theological interpretation theology Thomas Keating Thomas Merton Three-Legged Stool Thucydides Tim Keller Tim McCarver Todd Starnes Tom Krattenmaker Tony Campolo Toughest People to Love Toward the Other tradition transformation Tree of Life tree of the knowledge of good and evil Tremper Longman III tribalism trust in God Tullian Tchividjian Turn tweed in San Diego Unbelievable? Uncategorized uncertainty unfaithfulness of God Valentine's Day Victor Matthews violence of God Virgin Nation Walter Brueggemann Was the Birth of Jesus According to Scripture? water We Make the Road by Walking Wesleyan Quadrilateral western Christianity Westminster Theological Seminary What We Talk About When We Talk About God What? When God Spoke Greek William Dembski winemaking wisdom women and children as slaves women and the Bible women in ministry World Series worship wrath of God writer's block writing writing tips Yahweh young evangelicals young scholars and the internet Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth zero-sum game Zondervan Counterpoints Series Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary

Select a Month August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian movement is called "Holiness" and focuses on personal sanctification?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Anglican Eastern Orthodox Wesleyan/Methodist Pentecostal