Tradition: Love It or Lose It?

Overview Evangelicals have a tendency to disparage tradition—to associate it with dead orthodoxy, a fire extinguisher that quenches the work of the Spirit. Yet Roger Olson points out in "The Tradition Temptation" that part of growing as disciples of Jesus is to learn the language and practices of the faith from generations past; we don't start from scratch as Christians, and each new generation doesn't create a new way of being Christian. In this lesson, we will study what Jesus taught about tradition and learn how we can find the right place for tradition in our faith. Table of Contents SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:17–20; Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 7:1–8; 1 Corinthians 11:2; Colossians 2:6–10; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Peter 1:16,19–21; 2 Peter 3:14b–18 LEADER'S GUIDE • Identify the Current Issue • Discover the Eternal Principles —Teaching point one: Jesus did not throw out all tradition, but got to the heart of the matter—what was essentially God-fearing and faithful in the tr