Although I'm not totally comfortable with the label TE (because IMO it
seems to make my theism a modifier to my acceptance of evolution, which is
not true) I will respond to this. Yes, I agree that Christians are
spiritually alive in this life. I'm not sure what you mean by "how the
Gospel deals with physical death." Could you elaborate? While I see
spiritual death as the immediate consequence of sin, I agree that physical
death is a consequence of sin. In Adam's case, it was his own sin. By
virtue of being separated from God and cut off from the tree of life (Gen
3:22, 23), eventually, the processes of decay operating outside the garden
caught up with him and he died physically. In our case today, I presume
it's both our own sins and the consequences of the sins of all men through
history that leads after 70+/- years to physical death.
I may be somewhat unresponsive for the remainder of this morning, and will
definitely be totally unresponsive this afternoon, as I will be out of
town. I will either subscribe from home over the weekend or check the
archives. But if I fail to respond to something you really want to hear my
reaction to, please be patient and willing to remind me.
Bill Hamilton | Chassis & Vehicle Systems
GM R&D Center | Warren, MI 48090-9055
810 986 1474 (voice) | 810 986 3003 (FAX)
hamilton@gmr.com (office) | whamilto@mich.com (home)