Haggard: Christian Right Off Course, Needs to Change

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Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:58 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

weekenderman-- centuries ago, the church did indeed set forth that the Bible stated the world to be flat. They spoke of the "four corners of the earth" and looked at texts that spoke of the sun rising and setting as moving around the earth, rather than the earth around the sun. This is part of the issue that got Galileo and Copernicus in trouble, as their theories were deemed heretical.

Christians Launch Campaign against Global Warming Hype

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Wed May 21, 2008 9:34 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

dhster,
Your comment does not seem to exude the fragrance of Christ Jesus. Perhaps you should look at the Biblical mandate that we care for the earth as God's stewards. Sure, breathing animals give off CO2. All the trees we have cut down for development used to reverse the process for us. When they are not there, what will you breathe? Gore is not my god, but the God of the Bible entrusts us with the care of creation as His stand-ins. We will be held to account for what we have done with this responsibility. Bashing Gore will not seem a sufficient answer...

Christians Launch Campaign against Global Warming Hype

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Wed May 21, 2008 9:23 am Agree: 2   Disagree: 1

If God placed us in charge of creation, we have a responsibility to <a href="http://www.theotrek.org/sermons/2008/2008-05-18_Left_in_Charge.shtml">care for it as stewards just as much as to share the gospel</a>. Yes, caring for the environment does not come cheaply, nor does installing safety equipment in cars, accommodating the handicapped, or caring for folks with long term illnesses. That does not mean we cannot fulfill our responsibility to care for God's creation. It may mean that big business interests must invest some of their exorbitant profits away from the pockets of CEO's and into caring for the needs of future generations. Trillions of dollar for a war we do not want to end, but not even lipservice to accept our responsibility for curbing our waste and destruction. How is that responsible action?

Southern Baptist Head: Christians Should Be Involved in Politics

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Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:46 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

Christian involvement in politics is fine until we begin to think that we can legislate the kingdom of God. Jesus did not accept political entanglement. He chose to distance his message of God's reign from any political expression. That is where the Religious Right lost itself. Sure, God has standards for everyone, but he allows people to reject those standards, offering love and forgiveness to all. Government does not well advance the cause of the church, nor should the church be enmeshed in advancing the cause of politics.

Expert: Liberal Christianity Intensifies Radical Islam Threat

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Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:48 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 5

Quecat--"In Arab culture, it is a sign of weakness or inferiority if one backs downs, compromises or capitulates"
I don't know any culture that relishes backing down. American culture follows the philosophy of "carrying a big stick" to enforce its own ideas, even if that does not work either. Peace accords are not about backing down. They are about finding new solutions in which every participant can win.

Malaysian Christians Respond to Gov't Flip-Flop on 'Allah' Ban

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Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:50 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

khanson--Sorry, I did not realize how that comment would come across. I was not intending to imply a multiplicity of gods, rather that it is a generic term instead of a proper name.
Yes, Allah means "one God". Elohim is a Hebrew generic that refers to the One God when it is used with a singular verb. Otherwise, however, it can be used to refer to any of the reported "gods of the nations". Sorry that did not come out clearly.

Churches Wary of NFL Policy Sack Super Bowl Parties

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Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:40 am Agree: 2   Disagree: 0

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54081

Carter Launches Bold Baptist Movement to End Factions

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Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:29 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

Anyone notice that it was SBC leadership that speaks of this as political, no one else. The speakers are Republican (2 standing senators) and Democrat (2 former presidents). This is not about politics, it is about unity demanded by Christ (Jn 17).

kevin82--Yes, the SBC does some relief work, but they do not do more than other Protestant groups. Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, and Compassion are not SBC organizations. The SBC's IMB does relief work by default, but they have been moving away from relief and social ministries for years. The SBC CP funding does not make its way to relief ministries, nearly as much as you seem to think, if indeed at all. This used to be a hallmark of the SBC, but no longer.

Baptists Poised to Hurdle Divisions with New Covenant

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Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:20 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

If this is so politically Democratic, why are two Republican senators speaking at the event? Huckabee was invited to speak, accepted, then declined. This is about unity in Christ, not about politics. The SBC wants no part because they would not get to call the shots. The current SBC leadership is all about control. This is about unity and following the demands of Christ to care for others instead of ourselves. Jn 17 does not leave a lot of room for dissociating ourselves with others because we have our disagreements. Jesus talked about loving service as the distinguishing mark of the Christian. That is the focus of this gathering.

Why Darwinism is So Dangerous

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Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:51 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

crc--Christians are not responsible for slavery, but we did use the Bible to justify slavery. Sermons were preached to that effect. That is what slacker is referring to.

The comments I have seen so far to prove ID or disprove evolution are not scientifically convincing. They are emotional responses to support a theological perspective, phrased in the guise of pseudo-scientific language.

Darwin did not develop the theory of evolution, as best I remember. He proposed the concept of speciation through natural selection. His ideas and popular conceptions of evolution have been misused and abused by many, as per Stein in this article. The other theories on how the universe operates do not interfere scientifically with the observed evolutionary processes and theories. The only one that "might" would be the theory of enthropy. I imagine that has been explained, but I have not seen that response.

It is the Church's responsibility to teach about God, faith, theology, etc. It is the purview of science to discuss the natural processes of the world that God put into place.

Thousands of Pastors Applaud Huckabee

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Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:36 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=10001
Interesting article on Huckabee's comments about changing constitution to align it with God's will as set forth in the Bible.

Influential Theologian Troubled by Christian-Muslim Dialogue

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Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:47 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 3

Maranatha--
The doctrine of the Trinity was elaborated over centuries in the early church councils. Sure, it has some Biblical backing, but the Bible does not lay out the specifics. Is it three Gods? Is God one? How is Jesus God? Does Jesus proceed from Father or Spirit? Did Jesus originate in the incarnation? How are the Spirit and Son distinguished/intertwined? These issues were not yet in discussion in the first century. They were argued and discussed much later, when there was time for those kinds of discussions.
[Note that John speaks of the Word as the actor in creation, while Genesis speaks of the Spirit/Breath of God. Those are intertwined concepts in Greek and Hebrew, as they both proceed from the mouth. Paul mentions Christ indwelling the believer and in other places the Spirit. The Bible is not quite as specific s we would like.]

Influential Theologian Troubled by Christian-Muslim Dialogue

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Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:34 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

khanson--
While I understand Jesus as God, he is completely God in terms of character, not in terms of dimension. In geometric terms, it would be like a line intersected by a plane. The line of space time intersecting with the plane of God's presence. The line cannot "comprehend" (encapsulate) all that is God, yet God is present at that point of intersection.
Physically, Jesus dies, yet God still lives. While God is on the cross incarnate as Jesus, God is also beyond the limits of a physical body. That is what we refer to as the mystery on the incarnation. It is not three gods. It is God becoming visible and participating in human life, even while transcending the physical universe.

Bush Walks in Jesus' Footsteps

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Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:29 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

Chris333-I believe the "conjecture" is based on the laws of physics. If the universe contracts, it would do so at a decent speed, creating an enormous explosion, likely resulting in one more Big Bang. It would be hard to imagine gravity holding in all the matter converging for that impact. The last I read on the matter, this is predicted to be at least the third such collision in universal history.

Texas Decision on Creation College's Science Degree Delayed

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Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:12 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

BobCu--
Interesting that one of the Psalms make the same statement "When I gaze into the night sky and see the works of your fingers, what is man that you are mindful of him?"

Florida School Board Hears Final Evolution Arguments

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Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:48 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

BobCu--
I forgot where I first heard "Any sufficiently advanced technology appears to be magic." Many of the "miracles" recorded in the Bible are events that were completely natural. What made them special was the timing of the events. In that, it was perceived that God was acting. The method of intervention did not matter. If God intervenes through what we might call suggestion, does that interfere with scientific inquiry or the laws of the natural world?

Florida School Board Hears Final Evolution Arguments

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Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:26 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

BobCu--Would you please unpack this:
"At least you are pro-science, so your life is not totally wasted."

Influential Theologian Troubled by Christian-Muslim Dialogue

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Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:10 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 2

maranatha7593--Doctrine of the trinity does not speak of a three-fold "nature" of God. Rather, it is a three-fold "appreciation" of God. It speaks to God's indivisibility in nature, yet our recognizing God in different "persona" (masks). In one sense, yes, that is very different from Islam. On the other hand, the uniqueness of God (indivisibility, oneness) is in accord with Islam. Muslims generally react to a popular Christian conception more in keeping with a Tri-theity, rather than trinity. The Bible's emphasis is always on God's union, even when it shows us God in various portraits.
Yes, you can see the rudimentary basis for Trinity is the passage you mentioned. The other passages are additions to the original Greek texts of the NT (the ones the Jehovah's Witnesses leave out). I do not claim that Trinity is alien to the Bible, just that it was not elaborated by the first century writers.

Bush Walks in Jesus' Footsteps

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Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:07 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

Annie--
1 Cor 6:2-4 definitely makes room for judging the action of others. This is different from outright condemnation, but we ARE to hold each other accountable.
1John 4:1 follows along the same lines that we are to weigh the information we have at hand.

Influential Theologian Troubled by Christian-Muslim Dialogue

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Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:50 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

"Inasmuch as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all" definitely does not mean that we must convert people to Christ before we can have dialog. Unfortunately, we are much closer to Cain's "Am I my brother's keeper," than accepting Jesus' answer to "Who is my neighbor?" No Jew would have accepted a Samaritan on equal religious footing, anymore than Mohler is accepting Muslims for conversation about peace.