Desiring To Be Peter When the World Needs Paul -- Introduction

The other day, my husband and I were talking about why we started these blogs. There are a few reasons. Here is a sampling:
- We want to strengthen our use of written language.
- We want to be able to articulately state (and defend) what we believe.
- We want to teach, and, conversely, we want to be open to being taught.
- We occasionally comment on other blogs to offer support, insight and compliment a well-thought out point. Sometimes we comment just to hone our debating skills. (Which in my case is sorely lacking!)
But I think the #1 reason that I wanted to do this is because I have come across so many Christians that quite simply lack understanding. Sadly, they lack understanding in a myriad of areas. (For example: Doctrine, cultural relevance, History, Science, English, etc.) As we were talking it through, it kind of came to me: They desire to be Peter, when the world needs Paul. It’s been several days now, and we’re still discussing it. I had not really considered the contrast between Peter and Paul before. Over the next few posts, I will discuss how the church's maligned view of Peter and Paul affect its function, and how that in turn affects individual believers. For now, here is an overview.

Peter: an "unlearned" fisherman who walked with Jesus and was called by God to minister to (mainly) the Jews.
Paul: a well-educated Pharisee who, after a dramatic conversion, was called by God to reach the Gentiles.
The Ministry of Peter: God led a man who was strong in relationship, (i.e. personal knowledge of Christ) to a people who were long on knowledge and short on relationship.
The Ministry of Paul: God led a man who was strong in doctrine to a people who knew nothing of God.