Doctrine Just in Time
by Candice Watters on 12/10/2009 at 7:56 AM
Thursday's USA Today has a story about how syncretistic we all are. And it's not just one reporter's opinion. Apparently some research by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveals we're not as orthodox as we may have thought. Whether it's an interest in Kabbalah, yoga, New Age awareness or simply church hopping, Americans seem to have a penchant for buffet-style beliefs.
The story reports that
Elements of Eastern faiths and New Age thinking have been widely adopted by 65% of U.S. adults, including many who call themselves Protestants and Catholics.
Of the 72% of Americans who attend religious services at least once a year (excluding holidays, weddings and funerals), 35% say they attend in multiple places, often hop-scotching across denominations.
The meaning? According to the USA report
"Mixing and matching practices and beliefs is as much the norm as it is the exception," Pew's Alan Cooperman says. "Are they grazing, sampling, just curious? We really don't know."
Even so, says Pew researcher Greg Smith, "these findings all point toward a spiritual and religious openness — not necessarily a lack of seriousness."
But Albert Mohler sees it differently, saying, "This is a failure of the pulpit as much as of the pew to be clear about what is and is not compatible with Christianity and belief in salvation only through Christ."
The story is a sobering reminder of our need to measure our beliefs against a standard. For Christians, that standard is the Bible -- God's revelation of Himself. I'm thankful for the forthcoming book by Joshua Harris, Dug Down Deep. It's a helpful and very readable look at the doctrines (or core beliefs) of our faith. Lisa interviewed him this week for an upcoming episode of the Boundless Show.
If the Pew research is truly representative, his timing is perfect. Or, for the orthodox, providential.
1. Sara Marsh said the following at 8:13 AM on Dec 10:
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Protestant Christianity is a hop-scotching faith, incorporating elements of Ancient Roman law, Roman Catholic law, pagan rituals, Jewish law, Ancient Palestinan customs, Babylonian traditions... is it any surprise that things haven't changed?
At least we're more open about it now. Some people think every element of Christianity is original.
2. obewan said the following at 9:20 AM on Dec 10:
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I would be slow to conclude that church hopping is a bad thing. I visit multiple evangelical churches in town on a frequent basis, and most of the people I meet are networked with Christians all over town. We come together to serve the homeless as just one example. The survey question may stack the deck with a negative conclusion if it does not consider networking.
3. Chris said the following at 10:04 AM on Dec 10:
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From the article:
Mohler calls these "the au courant confusions," attachments to the latest fashionable free-floating beliefs.
I'm sure that's what some rabbis thought about 2,000 years ago when a heretofore unknown Jew started his ministry....
4. Befuddled said the following at 10:08 AM on Dec 10:
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I frequent Jumu'ah and Shabbat services about once a month in addition to Sunday mornings at my Lutheran chapel. If anything this diversity through friendship and fellowship of People of the Book has strengthened by Christianity.
5. Tami said the following at 10:43 AM on Dec 10:
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I get where you're coming from with the "church hopping," but I too would be really careful before putting it in the same sentence as behaviors that indicate syncretism.
Just because someone appreciates the preaching at a Baptist church, as well as the liturgical style of (e.g.) a Episcopal church, it doesn't mean they're piecing elements of the faith together, buffet style. Our Protestant denominations are so splintered, and I think what happens is a church can focus so much on one element of how Christian faith is practiced that it can miss other important elements (e.g., preaching with no real emphasis on prayer, or service with no emphasis on study). Even the *best* church, with a balanced emphasis on practicing the faith, may not offer every single thing that can help a believer grow. Plus, as obewan says, an occasional visit to other churches can help you get to know other believers in the area.
I firmly believe that one should regularly attend and actively participate in a solid, Bible-believing and Bible-preaching church. And I do. But occasionally, I visit and attend other churches. And in certain seasons of my life, I haven't had a good church to attend, so I've "hopped." It's not a position I hope to be in again any time soon; it feels like the wilderness. If for some reason I need to leave my church, I pray that God would prepare another place for me.
6. Rebekah in SoCal said the following at 11:12 AM on Dec 10:
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“Protestant Christianity is a hop-scotching faith, incorporating elements of Ancient Roman law, Roman Catholic law, pagan rituals, Jewish law, Ancient Palestinan customs, Babylonian traditions...”
Even if 21st Century Protestant Christianity it is that way doesn’t make it right. Our theology ought to be based on God’s word and that theology ought to transform our behavior making us more Christlike. Sara March (no 1), I think your post is referring more to our ceremonies and celebrations, although maybe our theology is included.
The church has always had to fight to keep its doctrine sound. The earliest church fathers were concerned with the influence of Gnostics—you can see Paul’s concern with false doctrine—and throughout the ages men of God have had to fight to keep our minds full of the truth of the Bible rather than bent mis-interpretations of it and out-right heresy.
I am very excited about J. Harris’ new book (I’m always interested in what the “Gospel Coalition men” have to say). If I can get my hands on it before the weekend, I will feel better about sitting in bed with a book (I hate it when my Saturday bike ride gets cancelled by thunderstorms.) . . . never mind, it looks like it’s released in January. :-(
7. farmer Tom said the following at 11:28 AM on Dec 10:
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Don't forget that some who claim the name of Christ also try to squeeze their political beliefs into their christianity. Ever heard the term "christian socialist" before? They're all for stealing other peoples money in the name of compassion.
Too bad so many people are turned off by the concept of fundamentalism. That their are some absolute truths which are none negotiable. Fundamentalism believes anyone who preaches a "gospel" other than those five? fundamentals is a false teacher/ a heretic.
Of course in our "inclusive" culture, labeling someone a heretic is politically incorrect.
8. Spunky said the following at 12:28 PM on Dec 10:
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The only one I'm guilty of is church hopping but only because I tend to move alot. I like to know about diffrent churches in the area.
Other than that its just straight from the bible, I don't even celebrate holiday anymore.
(too expenisve and pointless)
9. Texas Craig said the following at 12:49 PM on Dec 10:
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Because I know how people can sometimes freak out when I say what I am about to say in this comment, let me add this prelude statement: I believe that Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation and that eternal life is found in no other name under heaven.
Having said that, I am not troubled by the internalization of "practices" of other religions, if those practices are not inherently in conflict with the gospel and the commands we have been given in scripture.
For example, I know some people who like to meditate or do yoga, because those are relaxing. In their meditation or yoga, they either pray or seek to empty all thoughts out of their mind. In the past, many people would be bothered by a Christian "meditating" or doing yoga because they associated those practices with Eastern religions. But, in my opinion, in the manner done by my friends, there is nothing wrong with the practices.
Similarly, there may be beliefs held by other religions that match up with Christianity, and the practice of such beliefs would not be troubling to me. For example, my sister likes to celebrate some of the Jewish holidays, including passover. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that. However, we have to always be careful about our witness, and make sure that whatever practices we are following are not in conflict with Scriptural commands or truth.
As for "church-hopping," by itself that practice does not bother me at all. As far as I am concerned, the "church" is made up of the whole body of Christ, not just one particular community. While there can be bad reasons for church-hopping, the act of visiting many different churches by itself does not violate any scriptural command that I am aware of. And, since this is an article about holding to genuine scriptural doctrines, we should be careful about elevating personal preferences or practical considerations to a level of "biblical mandate."
10. Sara said the following at 3:27 PM on Dec 10:
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I agree that one should belong to a specific church family and that going that whole "Universalist" route with ones beliefs is wrong. However, one must remember that sometimes what seems like a religious belief is actually a cultural belief, so our buffet-beliefs may have more to do with living in a multi-cultural world.
My Church specifically serves one cultural group, and although we are a Catholic church, you wouldn't realize it right away because the specific rituals in my church have been adapted to fit the cultural population.
11. EKB said the following at 6:22 PM on Dec 10:
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Sara, what culture does your Church serve and how has the Mass been adapted? I'm curious because I've been studying inculturation in the Catholic Church.
12. Eliana said the following at 11:24 PM on Dec 10:
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@Texas Craig #8
There shouldn't be anything wrong with celebrating "Jewish" holidays like Passover because Jesus and his apostles were Jewish and celebrated them.
13. Adam said the following at 11:49 AM on Dec 11:
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Chris,
I'm sure that's what some rabbis thought about 2,000 years ago when a heretofore unknown Jew started his ministry....
And, of course, the teachings of Jesus come from the exact same worldview as the Hebrew Bible, and these eastern teachings come from worldviews that are totally antithetical to the worldview of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament, so, your point is moot.
I think this has more to do with the fact that people within the church today are extremely gullible. We will believe it as long as it is popular. There is no thought to the consistency of what we are saying, nor is there any care to think through whether what we are saying and believing is consistent with scripture.
God Bless,
Adam
14. obewan said the following at 12:24 PM on Dec 11:
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#7 Farmer Tom is always up to start a good fight.
I mention CHRISTIANS of different denominations coming together to serve the homeless, and he brings up "Christian socialism". Where did I ever mention the use of tax money? Surely Farmer Tom would realize that if we do not use government programs and we are to rely on church support for charity works that people of many different denominations may have to work together to get the job done?
And one reason “fundamentalism” has fallen out of favor is the insistence by many that only the King James TRANSLATION should be allowed in their churches. I bet that is one of his 5 points of the faith, or that he would make a 6th point to add it. The fundamentalist church I used to attend split clean in two right down the middle when the pastor announced from the pulpit that Bible texts other than the KJV would not be allowed on the church premises! I left that church along with 2000 other members when that happened since I was an active supporter of Wycliffe Bible Translators and that church did not support Bible translation in any manner. What are we to do with the 4000 unreached people groups on the planet? Teach them the Kings English (after teaching them to read) before giving them a KJV?
15. farmer Tom said the following at 5:41 PM on Dec 11:
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from Wikipedia
* The inspiration of the Bible by the Holy Spirit and the inerrancy of Scripture as a result of this.
* The virgin birth of Christ.
* The belief that Christ's death was the atonement for sin.
* The bodily resurrection of Christ.
* The historical reality of Christ's miracles.
Any questions?
16. BI said the following at 8:38 PM on Dec 11:
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This is the main story of all contemporary society, especially among the youth – a horrendous idolatry. The only analogy that comes to my mind on the scale of this contemporary idolatrous worship are the many examples In the Old Testament when the Jewish people mixed all kinds of idols, practices and rituals of other cultures with their true religion and thus caused the Lord to bring all kinds of calamities and punishments on them. (Ezekiel chapters 7 & 8)
The gods that many young people, including many so-called Christians, worship have nothing to with the Christian God. They pretend to be spiritual but they have completely deserted the Spirit of Truth found in Jesus Christ alone. And most of the elder folks are no different – they don’t care and they love it the way it is. The people of the Lord have exchanged the glory of their Lord with sugar-coating self-help messages from other faiths and religions, and they have trampled the truth and exchanged it for lies (Jeremiah 11: 1-17).
Texas Craig, 9 – shame on you, Texas Craig! How come that a Christian condones and even participates in idolatrous spiritual prayers and disciplines! Do you have any idea how damaging this could be if it makes even one person stumble in his/her Christian walk or prevents one coming to the Christian faith at the first place? Haven’t you heard how people say “Aum” (or “Om”) in order to calm down and during practices of meditations and yoga? Do you know what that means? This is the Hindu god – a horrendous idol that all these people are calling on his name (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum). And yet, you don’t care. But God calls it IDOLATRY and these kinds of practices profane His name as people carry these practices into their lifestyles, into their thoughts and deeds, and into their testimony. The worst thing about all this, as you show, is that the church at best is completely indifferent of the idolatry and hypocrisy in God’s holy place among His people and the people of this country in general.
To all: Today, most young people play video games all day long and are frankly lazy and irresponsible. That’s partly due to the New Age mentality and the idols in the contemporary society which teach about belief in reincarnation, where one is not really held accountable for his/her actions only in this life and thus can avoid responsibility. Many people focus on the outside piousness and forget that Jesus Christ lives inside our hearts. Actually, for more and more people today Jesus Christ is nothing more than a guru, a good moral teacher and another one of the self-proclaimed gods so common to the Hindu culture and religion, and certainly not the Son of God who came to die on the cross for their sins, the only Way to the Father, the only Savior. And even if they know the words “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life” they still do not know what this truth is actually about because this truth is Biblical truth first and foremost.
BTW, for those who commented: The only reason for mentioning “church hopping” in the article is the idea that staying longer in one church should presumably allow one to get involved in the church, immerse in the Bible and get himself a better theological doctrine founded on Jesus Christ as supposed to going around in town to visit the next social club called church just to get entertained for awhile.
17. Chris said the following at 10:37 PM on Dec 11:
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Adam writes (#13):
And, of course, the teachings of Jesus come from the exact same worldview as the Hebrew Bible, and these eastern teachings come from worldviews that are totally antithetical to the worldview of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament, so, your point is moot.
You misunderstand my point. This has gone on before and will continue going on.
18. Jo said the following at 8:37 AM on Dec 12:
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farmer Tom, #7:
"Don't forget that some who claim the name of Christ also try to squeeze their political beliefs into their christianity."
I wonder if you realise how funny it is to see you say that. Were you really just referring to 'liberal' Christians, or do you recognise that many 'conservatives' do the exact same thing? Speck, plank...
19. Jeremy said the following at 10:15 AM on Dec 12:
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Farmer Tom (#7):
Considering the source, that is pretty funny.
I too would be interested in hearing what you consider the fundamentals. I agree with obewan in #14 -- "fundamentalism" has a bad name because for many people in conjures to mind people who try to make into fundamentals things which are not, things like translations, or dancing, or drinking.
20. JVR from Denver said the following at 11:17 AM on Dec 12:
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farmer Tom (7):
"Don't forget that some who claim the name of Christ also try to squeeze their political beliefs into their christianity."
Hello Pot, this is Kettle.
21. JVR from Denver said the following at 12:27 PM on Dec 12:
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I agree with Obewan (14)... I think the whole "King James only" thing is just silly.
At a retreat recently, a teacher shared a story of a preacher he saw in a small town that got up and said: "If the King James was good enough for the Apostle Paul, it's good enough for me!"
Um. Wow.
Yeah.
King James is so far removed from modern English that it becomes pretty difficult for most people to understand. It's almost another language.
If it's accurately translated, it's accurately translated. Period. You can't cite King James as superior solely because of its antiquity. I'm sorry, that's just ignorant.
22. A.M.C. said the following at 3:25 PM on Dec 12:
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Re: obewan (#14)
Well, if you take Farmer Tom's "Fundamentalism believes anyone who preaches a 'gospel' other than those five fundamentals is a false teacher/ a heretic" statement literally, the implication is obvious:
Your example of those who insist on KJV usage, by the definition of Christian Fundamentalism, would technically be heresy as well. Why? Because in this case, Biblical inerrancy does NOT imply that modern English translations are perfect, nor does it mean that we are interpreting the Scripture correctly. Anything outside the core values of Christianity is and should be treated as merely a preference, even if it's a strong one.
[Bottom line: considering the state of theology these days, I think we must be willing to stand alone if necessary.]
23. Sara said the following at 3:52 PM on Dec 12:
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Hi EKB,
Our church serves the Aboriginal community in our area, although it is specifically known as a First Nations church (so basically, it specifically serves Cree/Blackfoot and a couple of other tribes, but they have unofficially expanded it for the Inuit and Metis population. Plus the rest of us who aren't First Nations and just go there because it is nice and close lol).
24. Sara said the following at 3:56 PM on Dec 12:
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Oh, I forgot to add how it has been adapted... I guess the best way to see is by going to our Church website and checking out one of the videos on it: Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples (if you google it, it will come up).
Anyways, they burn sweetgrass during Mass, the songs are different, they have incorporated a couple different rituals that I don't know the name of, they do Cree prayers, the artwork is WAY different than in a usual Catholic church, and stuff like that.
25. obewan said the following at 10:19 AM on Dec 14:
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Farmer Tom on #15:
We are in complete agreement. I have never attended (regularly) any church that did not hold to those five. I always read the statement of faith of any church I visit with the intention of joining. In fact, most mainstream evangelical statements of faith have 10 or 12 points.
And, I also agree many have strayed from the "fundamentals" of the faith too. I consider that I do hold to the "fundamentals" of the faith, but with the likes of people like Fred Phelps (the infamous "God HATES fags" protest leader)calling themselves "fundamentalists" I am hesitant to wear that label.
In the eyes of the secular world, fundamentalist is to Christian as Taliban is to Muslim. Realize there are "fundamentalists" as well as FUNDAMENTALISTS. I am sorry the term can no longer be used in the context of its proper meaning.
26. Jo said the following at 11:14 AM on Dec 14:
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JVR, #21:
"If it's accurately translated, it's accurately translated. Period. You can't cite King James as superior solely because of its antiquity. I'm sorry, that's just ignorant."
The more important point is that the KJV simply ISN'T the most accurate translation. It was translated in 1611 using the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts that had been discovered at that time. Since 1611, thousands more manuscripts and pieces of manuscripts have been discovered, a lot of them older than those used to translate the KJV. Older manuscripts are generally more accurate because they're closer to the originals, which means that modern translations (including modern revisions of the KJV) have a far better chance of translating the Bible accurately than those who translated the KJV did. So those who claim KJV superiority literally don't have a leg to stand on. The truth is the exact opposite of what they claim: the KJV has a lot of value, but in terms of accuracy, it's among the least reliable translations available today.
27. Jo said the following at 11:17 AM on Dec 14:
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Just to clarify, I have nothing against the KJV and although it's less accurate, the differences between translations are mainly minor. So if someone prefers the KJV style, that's cool with me. Just don't read it because you think it's more accurate: it's not.
28. farmer Tom said the following at 12:00 PM on Dec 14:
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A.M.C. should get a prize,
Very well said, and exactly what I believe about the subject.
As for the pot = kettle and all that, hey I welcome those comments.
You see I am a Christian fundamentalist. My world view is shaped by the very Word of God.
Some of the rest of you, on the other hand have have your worldview shaped by your secular education and have then tried to squeeze christianity into that secular mold.
I would be glad to give up my Constitutional/libertarian ideas, when someone can show me from Scripture where God authorizes theft by the state in the name of compassion.
Saturday night I reread a book which many of you need to read. It's short, it's simply written, it has been around since since June of 1850, and it makes a very effective case for the God given rights of life, liberty and property.
"THE LAW" by Frederic Bastiat
Less than 80 pages including the index, I found that you can read it online,
here
or
here
BTW, Obewan,
I use the King James Version of the Bible here when I quote for two reasons. One, thats the version I learned to memorize when I was a kid,(all those years ago).
Second, to irate people who think that unless you use a modern translation you must be some kind of KJ only freak. Just like you assumed. I could give you endless list of Godly people who use the King James Version on a daily basis because that is what they grew up with, memorized from and hear read from their pulpit. This does not mean that they hold the KJV in any higher esteem than another translation, it simply means that the KJV is what they are most comfortable with.
Your condescension for those who read and use the KJV says more about you and your stereotypical attitude than it does about the people who use it.
29. BDB said the following at 12:25 PM on Dec 14:
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My Mormon friends generally prefer sticking with the original King James Version.
30. BI said the following at 2:20 PM on Dec 14:
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Jo and Farmer Tom:
We forget that the most important thing that Jesus does not live inside translations (Greek, Hebrew, English, KJV, etc.) but He lives inside the human hearts. The language and the translations are just the means to reach Jesus and Jesus to reach us – Jesus is the one who saves us, not the translation nor the language that we use to read the Bible and listen to the testimonies of so many believers who have encountered Jesus Christ. The main point of the Bible is to lead us to Jesus. Actually, do you think an illiterate man can come to Jesus just by hearing someone testify about God’s saving grace?
In the same way, dancing, music, traditions, ceremonies, rituals and others should all be the means to lead people to Jesus and not be ends of themselves as no one has been saved by merely listening to the “right” kind of music or by reading the “right” kind of Bible translation. We are all saved by believing and accepting Jesus Christ in our lives. And we are all called to live a life of love and not of quarreling and boasting of who has the best Bible version (unless it’s a Hindu or a Buddhist version I think we are all safe in our basic doctrine). Everything else is narrow-mindedness and obstruction to the Christian faith.
Just as an example of fundamentalist prejudice: I am all against big government, high taxes and extensive regulation. However, if people are absolutely free to do whatever they want to do without obeying any laws, then they will be only chaos and anarchy. Hence, a society needs law and order. However, somehow people in the Republican Party and the Christian community have come to believe that unrestrained absolutely free financial markets are good for society. Even, with all the abuses done by the players in the financial markets in the pursuit of the highest short-term profit and the casino like style of behavior by speculative brokers and traders, people still close their eyes and are not willing to challenge their initial assumptions and prejudices. Of course, the answer to all these market manipulations and failures is not simply more government control and regulation as the President’s administration is proposing. Rather, it is creating a system with better rules where the financial markets can serve their original purpose that they have been created for – long-term investment and hedging, and certainly not acting as a casino where those who have greater access to information can manipulate the market and become billionaires on the back of other investors (e.g. George Soros). One can be a billionaire with wise long-term investment choices like Warren Buffet, and not like someone who simply took advantage of short-term fluctuations of market prices and rates. Technologies change and markets change so that smart players learn how to go around the existing rules and take advantage of others in order to make the greatest profit. Hence, we need to be smart as well and adapt to the new technologies, and create smart rules which can not only create free markets but also fair and just markets where manipulators and cheaters will not be tolerated to abuse the system.
I personally would like to see more disincentives put in place for people who want to engage in short-term speculative investing. In this way, investors will be encouraged to use the markets more for mid- and long-term investment, and not for playing a one-night casino game. We all have heard of high leverage, but high leverage is directly linked with market speculation and short-term gain. The more leverage, the more gain for those who are close to the primary source of market information (i.e. investment bankers and investment gurus). And short-term speculation and market manipulation can only lead to great imbalances which set up the stage for future market collapse as it has been proven in numerous instances of global market breakdowns (e.g. Long-Term Capital Management failure), especially during the last several decades. When money and capital can flow in and out of place in an instant employing the new technologies, just a small panic based on false rumors can leave a local or an international market literally obliterated. Of course, people and institutions who benefit the most from the existing set of rules will not want to have anything to do with a change in the status quo – they (investment banks, financial market players, investment gurus, etc.) are at the center of the system and they know best how to play the game of short-term profiting. I wish Republicans will not side with them so much and follow them so blindly with the old-fashioned doctrine of free markets, as there is no such thing as absolute freedom at no public cost.
31. Jeremy said the following at 3:35 PM on Dec 14:
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We are drifting from the original article, but ...
Not a thing about God the Father? What sin is or why it requires atonement? (actually, the Wikipedia list does not mention sin at all, but Farmer Tom added the word, at least) No mention of heaven? Hell? Jesus's second coming? Obedience? Love? All of these are less important than ... the virgin birth?
This seems like a strange and oddly distorted list of fundamentals, and that is without even delving into the problems with the "inerrancy" view of Scripture.
--------------------------------------------------------------
obewan (#14):
Farmer Tom (#28):
Farmer Tom, one starts to wonder if you bother reading other people's comments. Obewan was not talking about you specifically, he was talking about what people associate with the word "fundamentalist".
32. Samantha said the following at 3:10 AM on Dec 15:
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BI (30) I think you've misunderstood the purpose of the bible. It's not comparable to a ritual that brings people close to Jesus.
Human hearts are flawed. God uses the Bible (His word) to transform the hearts of those who love Him because those who love Him want their hearts to be transformed. They do not want to use the Bible only to find Jesus, then ignore the Bible and rely on their sinful heart to tell them what is right.
33. BI said the following at 7:12 AM on Dec 15:
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Just to clarify #30: I do not think that capitalism is evil nor that bankers are evil and I do not support centrally-planned kind of governance. I just think that the current archaic set of rules encourages short-term speculation and manipulation in financial markets. Hence, investment bankers and market speculators are not evil but they have just taken advantage of the current set of rules and tried to maximize their profits by going after the short-term investment opportunities. Thus, this creates greater instability in the markets as it makes them more prone to abuses and outside shocks.
In fact, capitalism feeds on mid- and long-term credit and borrowing so that companies can invest even more and expand even further, thus this allows the economy as a whole and its GDP to grow at a rapid pace. However, credit and borrowing are provided by banks and financial institutions. Hence, these banks and institutions serve their important role in a capitalistic society. In contrast, I think that short-term market speculation can be very disruptive and damaging for the general economy.
34. BI said the following at 8:27 AM on Dec 15:
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One more thing: Of course, if the American people have kept their focus on their Bibles instead of worshipping the miracle of the financial markets for the last 30 years, we would not have come up to this point of a systematic global meltdown of the entire financial system and a mostly Christless secular society born out of the very conservative one in the early 80s.
35. BI said the following at 11:05 AM on Dec 15:
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Samantha, 32
Jesus says in the Bible that if we believe in Him, He will give us a Counselor who will guide us. Hence, the most important thing is that we have Jesus in our lives and we have put our trust and hope in him, as Jesus has promised that he will take care of our needs and guide us wherever we go because we are his children. The Bible can teach the most valuable truths in life and reveal to us the character of God, however, God is the one who gives us the wisdom and opens our hearts so we can understand Biblical truths. Only God holds the key to all wisdom and all real spiritual treasures in this life and the Bible points with every page to this God and His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s why the Bible is the most important book in the world. I agree that we need the best possible translation of the Bible; however, slight imperfections and variations between different versions of the Bible does not mean we have to go to extremes and claim that one version is the work of the devil or that only believers who read a certain version that we cherish the most are actually Christians. We can still treat one another with great love and respect even if we have slight disagreements on interpreting certain verses of the Bible not essential to the Christian fundamental doctrine.
36. Trisha said the following at 12:47 PM on Dec 15:
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I know some Christian singles church hop because they are looking for a mate instead of going to church to grow in their Christian faith.
37. ccinnova said the following at 9:14 AM on Dec 16:
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Regarding the original post:
Does anyone else besides me find it interesting that Boundless Line has a post on sound doctrine just a few weeks after posting a controversial Mark Driscoll video that was anything but sound doctrine?
Seriously, how can someone come up with five performance-based criteria defining manhood, including getting married and having children, from a sermon text about John the Baptist?
38. BDB said the following at 10:53 AM on Dec 16:
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ccinnova (#37) wrote:
>>Seriously, how can someone come up with five performance-based criteria defining manhood, including getting married and having children, from a sermon text about John the Baptist?<<
There are three degrees of separation:
1) The story of John the Baptist is in the New Testament
2) The New Testament was written in Greek
3) This is what the Greeks believed about manhood