In the third chapter of finding the Nature of Christ, the story pivots to a meaningful friendship that would challenge and deepen Robert Ochs’ spiritual perspective. It’s here that readers are introduced to Ron Benedict a classmate, Vietnam veteran, and fellow seeker whose conversations would leave an indelible mark on Ochs’ evolving faith.
Ron was not a preacher or a teacher in the classical sense. He was a classmate of Ochs in a botany lab course at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. They started out as study buddies with similar scholarly ambitions, but very quickly it developed into a spiritual conversation that would awaken Ochs’ eyes to new ways of thinking. Over lunch in the student union, their discussion moved from lab tests to questions about existence about hell and heaven, the Bible, and what it is actually to know God.
It was Ron’s even-tempered authority and genuineness that set him apart. He didn’t promote doctrine or deride contrary views. Rather, he questioned intelligent, piercing questions that compelled Ochs to stop and rethink assumptions that had been unchallenged for years. When Ochs expressed his unease about a God who rewards or punishes according to rigid church allegiance, Ron merely asked, “Is the Bible the only source of God’s word?” That question alone was starting to unravel the fences Ochs had erected around his perception of scripture.
Ron brought history to scripture, something that Ochs hadn’t thought about previously. He mentioned the Council of Nicaea, where Christian texts were sorted, accepted, or rejected centuries following the life of Christ. For Ochs, this was eye-opening. He had always presumed the Bible was a smooth, God-ordained account not a selected series influenced by early church politics.
The brilliance of these discussions is how easily they emerge. These aren’t scholar debates or theological lectures they’re the sort of genuine, sincere conversations that occur among buddies. Ochs never felt lectured by Ron. Rather, he felt heard, challenged, and encouraged.
Their discussions also shared common origins. When Ron cited scriptures Ochs had grown up on in his RLDS childhood, the connection was more intimate. Ron was actually a priest in the very faith Ochs had lost touch with. He wasn’t recruiting Ochs back he was lighting the way to richness in a tradition Ochs had never really explored.
One of the most poignant exchanges in this section comes when Ron, patiently hearing Ochs wrestle with membership in Carol’s Baptist church, reframes the conversation gently. Rather than describing salvation as a point-in-time profession of faith, he mentions enduring belief of living out one’s faith each day. The scripture he uses, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved,” speaks deeply with Ochs.
Ochs’ reaction to these dialogues is one of humility. He does not respond defensively or obstinately. Rather, he leans forward. He asks further questions. He even offers to learn more about the RLDS Church not to prove it right or wrong, but on his own terms. This open-mindedness to learn, to approach old terrain with fresh eyes, is a maturity and sincerity that characterizes Ochs’ path.
For readers, these chapters provide a sobering reminder: spiritual growth may not start in sermons, but in honest talk. The one who transforms your life may not be the theologian or the pastor it could be a friend over the lunch table who asks the right question at the right moment.
Ron’s insightful descriptions, particularly concerning the early church history, the development of doctrine, and various interpretations of scripture, provide a basis for Ochs to reconsider all he believed he understood. It’s not about letting go of faith it’s about constructing it anew with eyes open and a heart open.
As the story unfolds, we find Ochs moving toward his own spiritual clarity because he was commanded to think, feel, and decide for himself, not because he was instructed to.
In the next blog, we’ll follow Ochs and Carol as they attend a series of instructional lessons on the RLDS Church lessons that will test their relationship, deepen their understanding, and ultimately bring clarity to their spiritual path. Don’t miss it.