Re: [asa] RE: (fall-away) TE and apologetics

Wow. I really like the SDG and JofA and quotes below. I agree that is what our faith has to be based on, our own personal experiential revelation. Everything else is sinking sand. That is the example Jesus gave us in the NT as well. When Jesus challenged Peter, he confirmed his response by saying that "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you". So I contend it has to be today as well. This is consistent with Burgy's comment below. I am intentionally and blissfully ignorant of most of the infinite man-made theologies referenced below, and I don't think I am missing much. It is much more important to be like Peter (and JofA) and recognize God's revelation when you experience it.

I also agree the secret is not to get hung up on #5.

John

----- Original Message ----
From: John Burgeson (ASA member) <hossradbourne@gmail.com>
To: "Dehler, Bernie" <bernie.dehler@intel.com>
Cc: asa <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 4:25:41 PM
Subject: Re: [asa] RE: (fall-away) TE and apologetics

If I understand you, Bernie, you went through these steps:

1 The Bible is inerrant.
2  Some of the scientific atatements in the Bible are incorrect.
3 Some of the biblical statements about history are incorrect
4 Therefore the Bible is not inerrant.
5 Therefore the theology (as you understand it) in the Bible must also
be incorrect.
6 Therefore it is not possible(intellectually) to be a Christian.

Do I have it about right?

I went through points 1-4 myself, some years ago. I did not hang up on
#5 because I had studied enough that I recognized that "theologies"
are man-made, not God-made, and that there are almost an infinite
number of theologies that one can construct from the Bible.

Theology, to me, is terribly interesting, but not terribly important.
One of the most incisive comment I have encountered about this issue
was penned by Nathanial Hawthorne. . "So long as an unlettered soul
can attain
to saving grace there would seem to be no deadly error in holding
theological libraries to be accumulations of, for the most part,
stupendous impertinence. -- Hawthorne (Preface to Twice-told Tales)

Another quotation:

I do not place my faith in writings, nor in creeds, nor in the
statements of scholars and philosophers, but in the living and present
Christ, infinitely beyond any human expression. Soli Deo Gloria
(author unknown)

"God" is just our name for the devine infinite. It does not define Him.

Joan of Arc, when asked by the bishops "Do you not believe that what
you call your voice from God is really nothing more than your
imagination?" To this she replied, "Of course it is my imagination.
How else does God speak to us?"

Cheers

Burgy

-- 
Burgy
www.burgy.50megs.com
To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
      
To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.