Allan R. Bevere

Thanks, David. As one who has taught this for year...

2013-06-17T21:13:29.084-05:00

Thanks, David. As one who has taught this for years, it is mystifying to explain the apparent brain hiccup, but thanks for the correction. It has been taken care of.

Arius was a presbyter, not a bishop.

2013-06-17T20:00:25.063-05:00

Arius was a presbyter, not a bishop.

The biggest showdown occurred in 346 at the Counci...

2013-06-17T14:15:18.005-05:00

The biggest showdown occurred in 346 at the Council of Serdica.

To put it mildly, the East ran off with their tail between their legs... like Duke does every time they play bball.

To John - I would agree. Of course, that is because we rarely teach theology, just let people flounder about in social justice.

And we still have lots of Arians running around to...

2013-06-17T07:48:51.139-05:00

And we still have lots of Arians running around today.

A penny for you thoughts about thecommonlanguage.c...

2013-06-15T19:27:56.924-05:00

A penny for you thoughts about thecommonlanguage.com/wordpress2 blog, but please pray before you respond. They are meant to be read in order. Thanks. Susan Moore

"... because she was put at the beginning of ...

2013-06-13T22:38:51.566-05:00

"... because she was put at the beginning of the list." She was put on the list as opposed to being excluded from any consideration at all. Today she is alive and doing well. Cool.

As to unwilling/unable to pay, there is no confusion. The current administration nationalized healthcare in the U.S. to buy votes. It's that simple. It is no different than the bread and circuses of Rome. It plays to those who want someone else to pay for their lifestyle.

Hi Chuck, Thanks for your comments, although I wo...

2013-06-12T18:00:38.852-05:00

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for your comments, although I would say that our kings are not self-appointed, we elect them; and then they believe they have been given absolute authority to disregard the law.

So how can intelligent, educated Baptists and bapt...

2013-06-12T16:09:38.984-05:00

So how can intelligent, educated Baptists and baptistic evangelical Christians read the same Bible as we orthodox Christians and come up with a completely different interpretation of the Bible? I would like to compare our two different approaches to interpreting the Bible with a non-biblical quote as an example.

How does one interpret this phrase: "All men are created equal" from the US Bill of Rights?

Baptist approach: Let's look at the original language at the time that this phrase was written in the late 1700's and see what the original meaning of each of the words in the phrase was: So...the word "men" meant "the plural of one adult male human being". Therefore, this phrase means that all men, every adult male human being on earth, is created equal. That is the meaning in the original language. Any other interpretation of this phrase is false.

Lutheran approach: Let's look at the original language of this text and the cultural context in which it was written. Also, let's look at the writings of contemporary writers of that period to see that they believed that the writers of the Bill of Rights meant to say in the phrase in question. So...when comparing the original language of the text with the documented, known cultural context, verified by the writings of other contemporary writers of that time period, we reach the conclusion that the phrase used by the writers of the US Bill of Rights "all men are created equal" did NOT mean that all adult, human males on planet earth are created equal, but that only WHITE European males are created equal.

Does any educated person today really believe that the Southern signers of the US Constitution believed that adult black males were created equal to them?? (Most Northerners did not believe that either.)

Do you see how easy it is to arrive at a different interpretation of any "ancient" document if you are unwilling to look at contemporary evidence from that time period to confirm your interpretation?

There is NO evidence of any early Christian believing the Baptist/evangelical position of Symbolic, adult-only Baptism; that in Baptism God does NOT forgive sins. The Baptist/evangelical interpretation of Scripture is very logical and reasonable, but as in the case of the "Baptist" interpretation of the Bill of Rights...it is completely wrong!

Gary
Luther, Baptists, and Evangelicals

Excellent post Allan. Very timely in this age of s...

2013-06-11T22:33:12.257-05:00

Excellent post Allan. Very timely in this age of self appointed kings.

On reflection, I agree with the view the kid shoul...

2013-06-10T16:13:21.907-05:00

On reflection, I agree with the view the kid should have boycotted the podium. Having said that, I still admire that kid.

Can't help it.

"To my fellow followers of Jesus, I say get o...

2013-06-10T15:20:42.933-05:00

"To my fellow followers of Jesus, I say get over your desire to be in charge and in control."

I think this bears repeating. This desire, and the oftentimes manipulative ways it's pursued, affect things far beyond this issue. I dare say many a 'church fight' could be traced down to this on one or both sides. And I'm afraid that some Christians have the idea that when dealing with non-Christians, our duty is to be 'in charge and in control', which feeds the desire and harms our witness.

Ed, I agree with your comments about openness and...

2013-06-10T14:10:52.433-05:00

Ed,

I agree with your comments about openness and allowing all voices to speak. The issue here though is different. Ben is right. This is about deception, which makes it a matter of integrity.

Taylor Burton-Edwards gave me permission to quote ...

2013-06-10T14:09:48.477-05:00

Taylor Burton-Edwards gave me permission to quote his response to my post he wrote in another forum. It's worth our attention.

All public forums have ground rules for the kind of speech expected and acceptable in them.

Call it a basic social compact. Or Civics 101.

When I agree to address a public forum, I do so understanding what its ground rules are and understanding it is my duty to the leaders of that forum and the people gathered for it to observe them. If I believe I cannot do so in good conscience, I politely decline the invitation.

We have ground rules in the kinds of speech we engage in Christian worship, do we not? There are plenty of things we would consider out of bounds for a service of worship. We would not praise Satan, or give extended lectures on microbiology, or offer what might be understood as sexually suggestive images, would we? Any of those things might be "in bounds" in other kinds of public assemblies (such as Satan worship, or a university lecture, or an art museum).

The school principal and school board in this case were clear about what was in bounds and what was not for a graduation speech, another kind of public assembly. They were in their rights to do so, both by law and in principle, as they are ultimately responsible for the conduct and outcome of this assembly.

It's not a question of persecution. It's not a question of censorship. It's also not a question of "control" over the lives of others, except in the limited circumstances of the specific assembly or forum in question.

It's a question of public decorum, and whether we will keep it.

Thanks, Allan, for calling this one as you have.

I think I have to agree with Allan. If you're...

2013-06-10T12:15:41.754-05:00

I think I have to agree with Allan. If you're engaging in deception or in hiding the full truth in order to have an opportunity to express yourself, this is an integrity issue.

You might find as many sides to this as their are ...

2013-06-10T10:47:21.847-05:00

You might find as many sides to this as their are individual speakers. Of course, for some,depending whose goose is being cooked, this will always be seen as bad, evil or improper.

I can imagine that the folks in Galatia were much ...

2013-06-10T10:42:40.798-05:00

I can imagine that the folks in Galatia were much as folks are today. They were interested in all of the truth and studying the roots of the Christian faith were witnessing the complete story. Of course, just as we have people today who get carried away with their attempts to manipulate and bias, they are some who wish to know the entire truth.
Perhaps this is why the church fathers left the Old Testament within the canon of Scripture.

I simply disagree with the idea that it is integri...

2013-06-10T10:33:49.097-05:00

I simply disagree with the idea that it is integrity. It really may be courage, but it depends upon which side you agree with. I practiced infant baptism and still would, but there are plenty of theological arguments for the other side. I am afraid that when we refuse to let that other side express itself, then we lose that side of the complexity of theological voices.

We should also pray for the person and the family ...

2013-06-09T18:37:58.292-05:00

We should also pray for the person and the family of the person who will die because she was put at the beginning of the list.

bthomas. . .You confuse people who are unwilling to pay with those who are unable to pay. Everyone wants a Cadillac health system but we all can't afford it. So poor people should die because they can't afford it? Also, children who are developmentally delayed are commonly refused transplants because hospitals deem them unworthy of receiving an organ. Medical ethics is a very complicated field. We should make such complicated decisions based on sound thinking and not on emotional decisions.

Did Wesley believe that unbaptised infants were y ...

2013-06-08T15:05:07.964-05:00

Did Wesley believe that unbaptised infants were y damned? His "Treatise on Baptism" seems to imply it.

Really? I thought this was a dialogue about the r...

2013-06-07T09:43:29.403-05:00

Really? I thought this was a dialogue about the rite of confirmation.

2013-06-07T08:27:37.005-05:00

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Seems like a piece of the human condition to point...

2013-06-07T08:23:32.345-05:00

Seems like a piece of the human condition to point up the positive, (what supports our position), and play down the opposite. I know that I have to continually reflect and repent of my own arrogance and pride. I agree 100% with you that we must seek out diverse positions. If nothing else, that will force us to act humbly when dealing with contrary positions.

Raise up a child in the way that he should go and ...

2013-06-06T15:49:56.279-05:00

Raise up a child in the way that he should go and he will not depart from it when he is old.

Human suffering is always a hard thing, especially...

2013-06-06T11:55:19.406-05:00

Human suffering is always a hard thing, especially so when it involves a child. Without equivocation let us all remember in prayer Sarah Murnaghan and her parents. They have a long and difficult path ahead of them.

The potential of a lung transplant to save the life of this little girl is remarkable. Until forced by court order, the refusal of the administration to act to facilitate that process is unconscionable.

At issue is trust. The current administration cannot be trusted to act with integrity. It’s ongoing track record of scandal and illegality argue to convincingly against any such assumption. In making her ruling the secretary is justifiably described as a self-designated one person death panel. It is just such instances as that that justify the extreme suspicion of the administration as regards its control of healthcare and other programs critical to taxpayers and other citizens.

If medical care is to be rationed, let it be apart from the actions of partisan political operatives whose decisions and conduct cannot be seen apart from the political interests of themselves and those who they serve. To suppose that a political appointee should be allowed to determine the life or death of anyone is as much without merit as to suppose that healthcare itself should be anything other than a individual decision based on what that person or family and its own resources. Let those who want a Cadillac medical system pay for it. Let those who prefer a Chevy system pay for what they want. Let those who are unwilling to buy either buy... neither. It is their decision.

To suppose that one group should force others to pay for what they want is nothing less than robbery facilitated by the use of government as a weapon of force. This is the main reason the majority of Americans reject out of hand a one party nationalization of healthcare which serves well its partisan interests but at best only poorly serves the interests of the nation.

Just wrote a book about this, An Ordinary Death. Y...

2013-06-06T10:43:37.616-05:00

Just wrote a book about this, An Ordinary Death. You can see it here:
http://www.amazon.com/An-Ordinary-Death-Relief-ebook/dp/B00D476J7E/

This is a important issue that needs more conversation.