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Post by Todd on Feb 3, 2017 15:47:43 GMT -6
Is Christianity possible without the facticity of those things recorded in the New Testament, such as the teachings of Jesus, and His death, burial, and resurrection? Can we just go about doing the will of God without actually thinking about Jesus in historical terms? Can the truth of Christianity be founded on the intent behind the words of the Bible?
What are the implications of our answers for the rest of faith and life?
Todd
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Post by Todd on Feb 15, 2017 11:25:06 GMT -6
The questions posed above carries a lot of philosophical freight. How we answer those questions will reveal how we regard reality, about being, and about what it means for something to be true. For example, if I answer "yes" to the question "can we go about the business of doing the will of God without thinking about Jesus in historical terms?, I am implicitly affirming that the real truth, the important stuff, lies outside of time, in the eternal, heavenly realm. If, however, I answer "no" to the question, I am asserting that reality is the time-and-space conditioned, physical world. When we remember that a couple of the major heresies that plagued the ancient church were based upon just such assumptions, and when we remember that The New Testament spills a great deal of ink on the eternal, yet never fails to show that such eternal realities are true precisely because they have been demonstrated in the physical world through the history of human interaction, and divine intervention in human affairs.
Therefore, the answer to the question is neither a simple "yes," nor a simple "no." It is important, particularly in today's woprld of relativism and secular humanism, to realize that what is true eternally has been demmonstrated, and cannot avoid being demonstrable temporally; and that whatever "facts" can be discovered in the temporal realm may yeild truths about the eternal. Todd
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wally
New Member
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Post by wally on Jul 16, 2017 6:27:33 GMT -6
All the "good" we might do is empty and vain if it is not done in faith to the glory of God. I love the concept of "good works" developed by the Reformers. So, I find tow extremes to be avoided at all costs. The first is a faith that has no concern for justice and social action. The second is a faith that concerns itself only with justice and social action. If our concern for social action does not spring from God's love for us and our love for him then it is empty and vain. But, when Christ is our center and all that we do springs from that - now, that is great fun to watch and be a part of!
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Post by Todd on Jul 31, 2017 20:15:49 GMT -6
All the "good" we might do is empty and vain if it is not done in faith to the glory of God. I love the concept of "good works" developed by the Reformers. So, I find tow extremes to be avoided at all costs. The first is a faith that has no concern for justice and social action. The second is a faith that concerns itself only with justice and social action. If our concern for social action does not spring from God's love for us and our love for him then it is empty and vain. But, when Christ is our center and all that we do springs from that - now, that is great fun to watch and be a part of! I would urge you to be very careful how you use the ideas of social action and justice. Too often we have interpreted these to mean that which involves human politics and economics. There is not one word in the New Testament that can be twisted into a call for Christians to engage in political action or economic restructuring of society. 1. Pay your taxes. 2. Be subject to the powers that be (notice that it does not say "obey" the powers that be). That is the whole extent of the Christian responsibility to human government. Every blessing of which the Christian is to be the conduit is granted by individuals to individuals. Got a problem with poverty? Then give to those in your sphere of influence who need the help. Does someone need food or drink? Feed him. Do not call the government in and expect it to do God's work. It not only never will happen, it simply cannot happen. Once again, it is a lone ranger enterprise. -Todd |
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wally
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Post by wally on Aug 23, 2017 14:33:13 GMT -6
I never look to politics for the living out of my faith. When I talk about social justice I mean the living out of the Kingdom values that Christ taught us. If we can claim to love God and turn a blind eye to the needs of those around us, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. The two great commandments keep this in tension and in balance. Love God - and love your neighbor. We cannot do the one without the other. Christians should be the most passionate about feeding the hungry and caring for the poor. Christians should be among the most passionate about caring for our environment as good stewards of the blessings of God. We do those, not to curry God's favor, but because the Love of God is in us and will live through us. Don't let the fear of how a thing might be abused keep you from living out the claim of God in your life!
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Post by Todd on Aug 23, 2017 17:21:47 GMT -6
Well said, Wally. That sums up what I have said for years in that regard. What still bothers me is the Christians who think their good deeds are best done by our tax dollars through government agencies. In the first place, such a procedure often confuses the issues. For example, the abortion "debate" leaves the public thinking that the issue revolves around "rights." The real problem is the gross sexual immorality that has swallowed America whole and left an entire population thinking that sex is not much more than a parlor game, and that inconvenient consequences can be simply removed. The real problem cannot be solved with political donations to a Pro-life group. The only way to get rid of this problem is to get America back to her Christian foundation. Too many people think that when they watch the news they are presented with the truth of today's problems and that these problems can only be solved politically and by means of law. If we were really serious about life and the problems that beset us, we could take several steps in a meaningful direction by throwing away the television, and spending such time as we now spend watching the news (or other things) with Bible study. Church attendance would also go a little ways toward educating and strengthening the Christian. As things stand now, Satan has the bulk of Americans so secularized that they do not even recognize the real problems, and have little hope they will ever be solved. If we remember that Satan calls Madison Avenue home, and has an office in Hollywood, we might just save ourselves some grief. But it may be too late now. God has been judging America for some years now, and we seem to enjoy the judgement. - Todd
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