I grew up in Eakly, so I can legitimately and authoritatively speak concerning the subject of jerry-rigging. Contrary to popular folklore, anything cannot be fixed with duct tape, bailing wire, and a pair of pliers. It is true that much can be temporarily “patched” or maintained with the aforementioned items, but “fixed” is an exaggeration. Jerry-rigging seems great, until it kills you. Everything is cool until the bull decides to alleviate his huge, raging , travel-nervous bladder and urine flies in your face instantly causing a swerve instinct; and swerving with a ton of top heavy bull flesh…
Likewise spiritual jerry-rigging seems great too, until it kills you.
Too many get excited about the “therefore” in scripture for the wrong reason. After 4 chapters of assiduous focus on the High Priesthood of Christ we can now mercifully move on to some practical stuff, some stuff that really effects how I live right? Like approaching one of those long drawn out Texas towns we pray there will be a loop to let us bypass the scenic tour of downtown. We want to bypass the slow tedious theology and get on with the fast pace of our lives. Just tell me what to do in order to arrive at my destination of blessedness in the fastest possible manner. No one takes the scenic routes anymore. We jerry-rig our spirituality to spit out results. Our machine is operated on the philosophy of pragmatism, not principle.
The deal is that everything that precedes the therefore is there for a reason. If you strip away the theology you subtract the impetus towards what follows it. You end up with a non-Spirit spirituality. Theology is the study of God. When you want to take God and His ways out to be left with a set of seven practical spiritual steps you are left with law. “Just tell me what to say to get you in bed, I want the benefits without the commitment,” that is the language of spiritual jerry-rigging.
Theology produces the vegetable garden of “let-us” in Hebrews 10:22-24. Jerry-rig the theology out of the system and you will only grow a pseudo-let-us that has the bitter taste of law.
No Other Boast 