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- Isnt interesting we denounce Jesus with so much passion it make me think we are trying to deny a truth. Just like a gay man who has passionate hate to try and denounce his own gayness,
- Sigh...I have faith in Obama and I pray to the lord he can pull off the little job that we all call, President or the United States. He is up against a rock and a hard place has a dagger in his...
- haha. do McLaren!! Choose one, making you better feeling!!
- I am not holding my breath.
- Yeah... it's a tricky one. On the one hand there is an opportunity for the Dems to get their act together and enact some really good legislature but we'll see if anything materialises....
2 years ago
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2 years ago
Art - came over from Jason77's blog. Nice site you have here. Love the style.
A right decision, eh? (yep, that thar's the Canadian comin' out in me ... hyuck). I suspect the time for the right one was at the point where you said "nice heelies". Instead of saying "nice heelies" (good effort at being polite BTW) maybe you should have said you simply were not interested in following that line of conversation. Then if he asked why, you could either simply reiterate your lack of interest in the conversation OR point out to him that you are more interested in dealing with others regarding the gospel in relationship to them than the drive-by "thumping" tactic he used.
Just a thought. Apologies extended if I've inadvertently stepped on your toes. :-)
2 years ago
In hindsight, yeah, there's 2 million things I could have done better. However, I did have a time restraint and other appointments [seriously ;) ].
2 years ago
I plan on coming back (hope you don't mind). That is if I can remember to find my way back here lol.
p.s. for what it's worth, prayers going up for ya.
2 years ago
Our feeble, pathetic minds do not work very well outside the conventional ruts set down by organized, institutional “religion.” I'm sure all of us could agree to this, but this mere fact doesn't give us an excuse. When anyone begins to conjecture that what he has believed for the last 20 years may actually be a truncated form of truth (or completely false altogether), especially when the subject concerns our carefully guarded pet peeves, the natural temptation is to react in a categorically non-Berean fashion. The Bereans received the “Teaching” eagerly; as we read in the NT. They were not morose about it. Furthermore, they were not foolishly, flippantly, facetiously open to various winds of doctrine floating around, without first confirming the idea with other, sound ideas.
When confronted with any scriptural truth that appears to be new; we can do one of two things. We can roll up into a tight little “orthodox” ball, and call anything outside the ball “heresy,” as is typical amongst some of our peers. Or, we can misunderstand the seemingly-new truth in just the same way, but with this difference: the misunderstanding is embraced, which is the only other viable alternative. The moral of the story is this: we should embrace the movement only when the movement is approached and then approved Berean-style. If the movement cannot be confirmed by the Teaching, it must be disregarded. I'm not saying the movement is wrong one way or the other. And so, my response to you folks is this: precision is not the problem so much as pseudo-precision—chaos masquerading as clarity. True, the Southern Baptists are guilty as charged. But, strange as it seems, some other groups — groups not very far away from us — are just as culpable. For this, I am grieved.
2 years ago
2 years ago
(do you mind if I call you that? Apologies for not asking earlier)
[quote comment="48"]When anyone begins to conjecture that what he has believed for the last 20 years may actually be a truncated form of truth (or completely false altogether), especially when the subject concerns our carefully guarded pet peeves, the natural temptation is to react in a categorically non-Berean fashion. The Bereans received the “Teaching” eagerly; as we read in the NT. They were not morose about it. Furthermore, they were not foolishly, flippantly, facetiously open to various winds of doctrine floating around, without first confirming the idea with other, sound ideas.[/quote]
I like that you have pointed this out because, as I see it, it is important for those who do struggle with what they are believing to understand that just because they are struggling with it doesn't mean it is wrong. Another way I'd be tempted to put it is "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". Look at the 'new' water, see if it's clean enough to wash your baby in it, and replace whatever dirty water exists with the new, clean stuff. Perhaps another way of describing just what the Bereans did when seeking to confirm a teaching.
One thing I would want to avoid in applying this to others, however, is the implication that to handle teachings in ways other than how the Bereans did is to intentionally be foolishly and flippantly open to various winds of doctrine. While it may be true that being open to various winds of doctrine can be foolish and flippant regarding truth, I think you'd agree it is not always the case that it is intentional. I'm not sure if you implied it was but having a sense that you might, I thought I'd offer my reaction.
[quote comment="48"]And so, my response to you folks is this: precision is not the problem so much as pseudo-precision—chaos masquerading as clarity.[/quote]
I'm hoping you agree with me when I say that, in context of Art's post, that precision and clarity are not being made issues here. While Art may be having those issues, I think this post is more about reacting to what appears to be an intentionally impersonal yet very forthright approach to the sharing of Christ. This young man's zeal, while commendable and certainly of value in a good number of instances, was immaturely applied towards Art. I say "immaturely applied" because this account of the conversation gives me the impression that the young man intentionally or otherwise missed the cues that the "get it out and move on to the next one" approach was not particularly applicable in this instance. No doubt maturity can bring that about without negatively impacting his zeal. :-)
For what it's worth, though, I did like the choice of words - "...chaos masquerading as clarity." Thought-provoking for sure.
2 years ago
Good feedback. A fine line, isn't it, between seeing the effort of allegedly over-zealous Christians as an "at least they are witnessing" act versus a "get out of my face" one. *grin* Good for you to remind us that, despite the criticism we can levy against others, at least the Lord is being testified of.