Theology studies for a lot of Christians these days, is an academic mental exercise, devoid of the mystical or spiritual aspect of actually relating to and experiencing God.
The mental exercises are provided in atheist (social Marxist)institutions with theology programs that are actually hostile to the moral and mystical aspects of the Bible and the spiritual aspects of life and man. In these institutions obedience is only accepted as it applies to being obedient to the institution’s political correctness and that obedience is set up to directly conflict with obedience to the God of the Bible.
I have heard many times from people who come out of Theology schools with less faith and experience of God than when they went in. They no longer believe the Bible is true because they have had to twist themselves around humanist institutions.
As you said, being saved is not a mental exercise. But becoming a pastor is a mental exercise requiring allegence to a social beleif structure and value structure in opposition to the Bible. This might explain what has happened to the spiritual experience of our churches.
I hope all the atheist ministers come out of the churches like this woman did. They are torturing the faith and Godly power of the churches and people.
And she pretty much says “I was a liar and a fraud but you can trust me”.
“being saved is not a mental exercise”
You make a very important point. But it seems a good way to phrase it is: “being saved is not entirely a mental exercise.”
For example, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30-31)
We find other examples in the New Testament that Jesus used physical evidence to convince people of his Truth, so they would be saved.
But again, your point is essential because if we look at the verses just preceding those in John from above, in what Jesus says to Thomas, we see Jesus favors belief through faith above belief inspired by physical evidence.