"A weed is a plant growing in the wrong place." "Myth" is a creation story, a story of beginnings intended to provide tribal unity and morality, not accurate historical or "scientific" data.
I take pre-flood Genesis material as a myth. It's not that God could not have designed crab grass and bind weed to punish us. It is not possible in this physical universe to for earth type critters to exist without a life/death process. Our biological processes require the continual death of microscopic critters. A "Garden" environment and this planet are not compatible. Then there is the infamous 2nd Law of Thermo, usually wrongly applied by "Young Earth" believers.
That being said, I want clean dirt, clean air, and clean water without artificial dangerous chemicals added. That has nothing to do with climate climate change. The climate has been continually changing for several billion years and probably has more to do with the solar atmosphere than anything we can do to our atmosphere. Adding new and/or untested chemicals into the environment is crazy.
Long time ago Someone wrote that a congregation should be measured by the songs they sing, not the statement of faith. If that is true then most congregations are vacation bible school mentality at best.
"Love as it turns out is not defined however we desire."
Is God's love defined as however God desires?
"Love is always connected to Christ. If someone tries to give definition to "God is Love" without this connection they are not being true to the text. Not only so, but God's love far from freeing us to do whatever we wish actually obligates us to follow God's love by loving others. To divorce "God is love" from this obligation to love also brings a failure to the true definition of God is love."
The Devil is in the pronouns. Do the pronouns refer to "we, the regenerate" in exactly the same way as to "we, the condemned?" CRC members more learned than I have made the case case that the doctrine of predestination only refers the "We," the regenerate thus converted. If so then is not God semi-Pelagian and/or Arminian?
"For the Christian the propitiation was the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. It turned away the wrath of God so that He could pass "over the sins previously committed" (Rom. 3:25). It was the Father who sent the Son to be the propitiation (1 John 4:10) for all (1 John 2:2)."
Then propitiation is option on God's part but was intended to be mandatory in Jesus' "pre- cross" thinking?
If God does not desire (love to see) the unregenerate to spend eternity in Hell. Then what should we conclude about the nature of God, love, authority, power, and hell? How about Purgatory? Does it not make good sense if used to modify the theology of (CRC) Rev. Punt?
If a person, knowing (understanding in his mind and his guts) the eternal consequences, chooses Hell over Heaven, who "wins?"
I prefer Dutch Reformed theology but not our "wing it" liturgy. With the old Lutheran, Episcopal, even Catholic liturgies the very words have been vetted for 100 or more years. I know what the words and the thoughts behind them mean. Having a new prayer or responsive whatever each Sunday I don't say the words because the meanings are theologically fuzzy. This past Sunday AM the congregation was to say a prayer which, to me, was semi-Pelagian. I was to ask God for assistance in my life so that I may have quid pro quo "pie in the sky, by and by."
The Israelites were never good listeners and neither are we Christians. As a cynic and pessimist I use worst case examples. Consider Psalm 20:7-8:
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
No nation has ever tested this verse by putting it practice. This goes in spades for the nation which put "In God We Trust" on its money. If we were honest we would use "In Money We Trust" on our money. It might strengthen the US dollar.
The subject of the published written material which generated the complaint does not seem to involve matters of salvation and do not seem to rise to the level of possible heresy.
Like "The Watchtower?" Is the primary purpose of CRCNA to serve the needs of the member congregations or to serve the needs of the CRCNA? There is a big difference. Compare CRCNA with the US federal government?? If CRCNA wants/needs a publication for advertising purposes maybe it should be delegated to Home Missions. The common areas between advertising copy and a house organ may be the stories about current events at local congregations and CRC members in the news.
If you ever get to Seattle we have a great pub a block away from the condo. If everything I knew about the JWs I learned from The Watchtower that would be enough to keep me away from them. The web is a wonderful invention but seems to bring out the worst in some people.
>There is no similar ambiguity in Scriptural teaching about fornication,
How do you interpret Gen 24:65-67 without ambiguity or assuming facts not in evidence?
65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”
“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Posted in: Sovereignty Matters
"A weed is a plant growing in the wrong place." "Myth" is a creation story, a story of beginnings intended to provide tribal unity and morality, not accurate historical or "scientific" data.
I take pre-flood Genesis material as a myth. It's not that God could not have designed crab grass and bind weed to punish us. It is not possible in this physical universe to for earth type critters to exist without a life/death process. Our biological processes require the continual death of microscopic critters. A "Garden" environment and this planet are not compatible. Then there is the infamous 2nd Law of Thermo, usually wrongly applied by "Young Earth" believers.
That being said, I want clean dirt, clean air, and clean water without artificial dangerous chemicals added. That has nothing to do with climate climate change. The climate has been continually changing for several billion years and probably has more to do with the solar atmosphere than anything we can do to our atmosphere. Adding new and/or untested chemicals into the environment is crazy.
Posted in: Putting Music in Its Place
Long time ago Someone wrote that a congregation should be measured by the songs they sing, not the statement of faith. If that is true then most congregations are vacation bible school mentality at best.
Posted in: God Is Love
"Love" and "God" are very mysterious.
"Love as it turns out is not defined however we desire."
Is God's love defined as however God desires?
"Love is always connected to Christ. If someone tries to give definition to "God is Love" without this connection they are not being true to the text. Not only so, but God's love far from freeing us to do whatever we wish actually obligates us to follow God's love by loving others. To divorce "God is love" from this obligation to love also brings a failure to the true definition of God is love."
The Devil is in the pronouns. Do the pronouns refer to "we, the regenerate" in exactly the same way as to "we, the condemned?" CRC members more learned than I have made the case case that the doctrine of predestination only refers the "We," the regenerate thus converted. If so then is not God semi-Pelagian and/or Arminian?
"For the Christian the propitiation was the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. It turned away the wrath of God so that He could pass "over the sins previously committed" (Rom. 3:25). It was the Father who sent the Son to be the propitiation (1 John 4:10) for all (1 John 2:2)."
Then propitiation is option on God's part but was intended to be mandatory in Jesus' "pre- cross" thinking?
If God does not desire (love to see) the unregenerate to spend eternity in Hell. Then what should we conclude about the nature of God, love, authority, power, and hell? How about Purgatory? Does it not make good sense if used to modify the theology of (CRC) Rev. Punt?
If a person, knowing (understanding in his mind and his guts) the eternal consequences, chooses Hell over Heaven, who "wins?"
Posted in: Consider Our Response
Why don't university students report sex crimes to the police as "normal" victims do?
Posted in: What is Reformed Worship?
I prefer Dutch Reformed theology but not our "wing it" liturgy. With the old Lutheran, Episcopal, even Catholic liturgies the very words have been vetted for 100 or more years. I know what the words and the thoughts behind them mean. Having a new prayer or responsive whatever each Sunday I don't say the words because the meanings are theologically fuzzy. This past Sunday AM the congregation was to say a prayer which, to me, was semi-Pelagian. I was to ask God for assistance in my life so that I may have quid pro quo "pie in the sky, by and by."
Posted in: “We Want A King Over Us”
The Israelites were never good listeners and neither are we Christians. As a cynic and pessimist I use worst case examples. Consider Psalm 20:7-8:
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
No nation has ever tested this verse by putting it practice. This goes in spades for the nation which put "In God We Trust" on its money. If we were honest we would use "In Money We Trust" on our money. It might strengthen the US dollar.
Posted in: Gospel Culture or Salvation Culture
"A simple gospel does not exist"
A simple gospel exists if matters of command and control are eliminated e.g. the "and all you gots to do is . . ." addendum.
Posted in: What Do We Want from The Banner?
The subject of the published written material which generated the complaint does not seem to involve matters of salvation and do not seem to rise to the level of possible heresy.
Posted in: What Do We Want from The Banner?
Like "The Watchtower?" Is the primary purpose of CRCNA to serve the needs of the member congregations or to serve the needs of the CRCNA? There is a big difference. Compare CRCNA with the US federal government?? If CRCNA wants/needs a publication for advertising purposes maybe it should be delegated to Home Missions. The common areas between advertising copy and a house organ may be the stories about current events at local congregations and CRC members in the news.
Posted in: What Do We Want from The Banner?
Your "clear area" is my "gray area." Many "clear" doctrines are logical constructs. It took 300 years and Constantine to settle the "Trinity" issue.
Posted in: What Do We Want from The Banner?
If you ever get to Seattle we have a great pub a block away from the condo. If everything I knew about the JWs I learned from The Watchtower that would be enough to keep me away from them. The web is a wonderful invention but seems to bring out the worst in some people.
Posted in: What Do We Want from The Banner?
>There is no similar ambiguity in Scriptural teaching about fornication,
How do you interpret Gen 24:65-67 without ambiguity or assuming facts not in evidence?
65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”
“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.