Re: [asa] A theology question (imminent return of Christ)

Hi Bernie,

This is my last post on this subject as it's just getting tedious going over the same ground AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN.

I did NOT claim that "the Bible clearly teaches the imminent return of Christ IN THE LIFETIME OF THE DISCIPLES" (emphasis added)

What have said REPEATEDLY is

1) I DON'T KNOW how the various biblical data (which I find quite ambiguous) fit together.

2) The idea of a SUDDEN return seems to be the primary Biblical idea.

3) The disciples clearly took this to mean "in our lifetime" and they were clearly wrong

4) That "in our lifetime" was probably the result of an inference from Jesus' teaching rather than something Jesus himself taught.

5) NONE of the above has any bearing on the concept of imminence per se

Your problem - and I clearly can't get you to move past it - is that your hermenutic is essentially too literalistic. Frankly, I find it bizarre that your happy with the idea that the bible might be WRONG with respect to eschatology (or whatever else) but can't handle the idea that it might be contradictory OR ambiguous.

So, sorry to terminate my participation, but quite apart from the fact that end-time speculation is a subject which simply doesn't interest me, the continual need to restate, clarify and nuance my position over against those to whom such attempts are merely exercises in "scripture twisting" is bringing me nothing but grief. I have been looking for an "out" for a while and was hoping the thread would die a well-deserved death. But it's come to the point of having to depart ungracefully, I'm afraid.

Blessings,
Murray Hogg
Pastor, East Camberwell Baptist Church, Victoria, Australia
Post-Grad Student (MTh), Australian College of Theology

Dehler, Bernie wrote:
> Likewise, the Bible clearly teaches the imminent return of Christ in the lifetime of the disciples (Pastor Murray agreed, maybe most on this list agreed, but some still disagree like David O.). However, the passage of time proved them wrong. Conflict.

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Received on Wed Oct 22 15:59:26 2008