Knowing about something is not the same as experiential knowledge

Fort Frederica National Monument

Personal experience and academic knowledge are related but not the same. They are distant cousins. One can have a vast academic and technical understanding of something, even being able to describe it in the most specific details without personally and experientially knowing what they are describing. 

In October of 1735, the trustees for the establishment of the colony of Georgia appointed Francis Moore to be the keeper of the stores for the new fort and town that was to be established on the banks of the Frederica River. Both the fort and the town would be named Frederica. Moore would travel to Georgia with James Oglethorpe to this new town on what today is known as St. Simons Island. Moore would return to England a year later only to come again to Frederica in 1738 as recorder. He would live in Georgia until 1746, witnessing the siege of St. Augustine and the Spanish invasion of Georgia in 1742. Moore kept journals detailing the establishment of the fort and town, the people, flora and fauna, and events he witnessed. Some of his journals were published.

1796 Plan of the town of Frederica

I greatly enjoy visiting places that have a connection with events of the past. Today the location of the fort that James Oglethorpe built, and the adjacent town are preserved as a national historical site. The only buildings that remain from the 1700s are partial ruins from the fort and the barracks. However, archeological efforts have uncovered many of the foundations of houses and other buildings. Locating these buildings in coordination with maps from the era has allowed the streets and property boundaries to be identified and marked. The people who once lived here were some of the first Europeans in Georgia. On the third floor of the north storehouse, whose foundation has been uncovered and well-marked, Charles Wesley preached some of his first sermons as an ordained minister. I enjoy walking these streets and standing in these places where the buildings once stood, imagining what life must have been like for those who first settled in this area.

Fort Frederica National Monument

A few years ago, while on vacation, my family and I visited Fort Frederica. Afterward, I began to look for biographies and books about the original settlers and the history of the town. In this search, I discovered Francis Moore’s 1735 account. Even though he was writing more than 280 years ago, I recognized many of the natural landmarks he described and was familiar with most of the plants and animals he encountered. I am a lifelong Georgian. I have spent the majority of my adult life in South Georgia, not far from the place Moore called home. As I read Moore’s account, I came across a description of a tree that I was not familiar with. Moore described it well but after reading his detailed description I was not sure what type of tree he was speaking of. He called the tree a Laurel Tulip, a name I was unfamiliar with. Here is his description:

This [tree] is looked upon as one of the most beautiful trees in the world, it grows straight-bodied to 40 or 50 feet high; the bark smooth and whitish, the top spreads regular like an orange-tree in English gardens, only larger; the leaf is like that of a common laurel, but bigger, and the under-side of a greenish brown: it blooms about the month of June; the flowers are white, fragrant like the orange, and perfume all the air around it; the flower is round, 8 or 10 inches diameter, thick like the orange-flower, and a little yellow near the heart: as the flower drop the fruit, which is a cone with red berries, succeeds them.

Maybe you already knew what a laurel tulip is. Or maybe, you were able to read Moore’s description and accurately see it in your mind’s eye to recognize what kind of tree he was describing. I was not familiar with the name laurel tulip, and neither did his description allow me to identify the tree. I was baffled as to what he was describing, even as I was sure that such a well-described and celebrated tree would be something that would remain to this day and one that I should be familiar with. So, I did what one does when you have a question that needs answering. I googled “laurel tulip tree.” At the top of the search results was a word that I instantly recognized – "magnolia."

As soon as I read the word magnolia, every word of Moore’s description had new meaning. I know the magnolia tree well. I grew up playing under and climbing up magnolia trees. Magnolia trees have been a part of the landscape around me my whole life. As for the task of describing the tree and its flower, I think Moore did very well, and I do not think that I could have done better. Yet, for all of Moore’s skill and all my familiarity with magnolias, I was not able to recognize the magnolia from Moore’s description. The disconnect was between academic knowledge and personal experience. I had personally experienced magnolia trees and knew them well. I academically understood Moore’s description of the laurel tulip. Yet, it was only when I connect his description with my personal knowledge, that my true appreciation for what he was talking about came to be.

My point is simple. You can know of something without having personal experiential knowledge of something. You can academically understand something without truly knowing what it is. There will be many who, during the Christmas season, will hear descriptions of Jesus. Maybe a child will be part of a school play or church program, and the testimony of Jesus’ birth will be told by little ones dressed up in old bathrobes. Maybe a local church will put on a live nativity and retell the account of Jesus’ birth and why He came to earth. It may be through the seasonal music that will be performed by choirs and carolers (does anyone still do that) that you might hear a description of Jesus and why He came to earth. I would imagine that this time a year, it is rather impossible to not be exposed to some form of testimony to the birth of Jesus, why He came, and who He is. I am glad for this, but it is important to understand that a description or a testimony without personal experience is not enough. 

Southern magnolia

Reading the description of the magnolia’s fragrant blooms may give you knowledge, but it cannot replicate the experience of having the sweet aroma of the bloom fill your nostrils. Knowing about the birth of Jesus may give you knowledge, but it cannot replace the joy of knowing Immanuel, who is God with us. Knowing about the birth and life of Jesus can give you a historical understanding of His life and ministry, but to know the joy of salvation, the hope of heaven, the peace of redemption, and the amazing love of God, you must come and personally know Jesus.

During the earthly ministry of Jesus, many claimed to have expert knowledge of God the Father and the prophetic promises of the coming messiah. Yet, these experts rejected the promised and long-anticipated Messiah because their academic knowledge without personal experience was insufficient to allow them to recognize who Jesus was. This is why Jesus said to them: “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” (John 8:19, ESV) 

All of Scripture is an invitation to come and know God personally. One of the greatest calls to come and know Jesus was spontaneously shouted by John the Baptist. The gospel of John tells us that he saw Jesus coming toward him and shouted for all to hear, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV) Dear friends, this is still the invitation of Christmas, it is still the invitation of the gospel, behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! I hope that this year as you encounter the many descriptions, retellings, and witnesses to the birth of Jesus, they will be more than familiar facts and details. I hope they will connect with what you have experienced through salvation. That is that Jesus is indeed Immanuel God with us. He is indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is indeed the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is indeed the wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of peace. He is indeed the Messiah, the Christ. He is Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Joy to the World, the Lord has come!

Earlier this year, when I began this blog, I did not truly know what I was beginning. It has been more of a labor than I imagined, but also more of a joy than I anticipated. I hope you have been encouraged and blessed through these posts. I have certainly reaped great benefit from the labor. I have long desired to write more but found it difficult to find the time. For motivation, I needed a deadline, and though it was self-imposed, I found the weekly deadline for the blog most helpful. 

To those of you who are weekly readers thank you for your wonderful encouragement, helpful feedback, and graciousness not to shame me for woeful spelling and grammatical blunders. Thank you for sharing the blog on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for emailing links to friends. And thank you for allowing me to send you a weekly email with a link to new posts.

This will be the last post for 2021. I will take the next few weeks off to enjoy Christmas celebrations with my family and church. But stay tuned as I will begin anew in 2022.