I went to a wedding yesterday. A friend of mine and a woman who may as well be my sister were married. On a steam boat. How's THAT not cool?
It was beautiful. I have never seen so many truly beautiful women gathered in one place.
Most of the bride's maids were women that I knew. One of them was an ex-girlfriend, and two of them were girls on the student leadership team with me in my campus ministry. My girlfriend helped with decorations, but she wasn't part of the wedding party.
It's hard to describe what I saw, except to say that it was beautiful. Such an empty word, it seems. Some how, the color that they wore instantly became their best color in ways that it wasn't before. Somehow, their smiles were different. Some how, their eyes were brighter. There was something intangible that came from a knowledge of who they are that was clearly visible. They were relaxed, and so happy looking. I have never cried at a wedding before in my entire life. I didn't cry at this one, either, but my eyes were hot for a couple of seconds.
I danced at the reception. They had a live band playing music that I could dance to. They didn't play anything latin, though. I didn't get to cha-cha. I got to swing, but the only thing I can remember of that is the basic step. I got to Rumba, but it wasn't with latin music, and I can't remember anything but the basic step for that either.
I danced with my girlfriend. She doesn't know how to follow my lead, but she was happy and I am happy and she was radiant. Another hollow word. I danced with a few of my friends. It was SO much fun to dance again. I need to get back into the swing of things.
Every pun intended.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Since it was asked...
What makes my beliefs different than Ray's?
I do not believe that the Creation Story of Genesis necessitates a literal interpretation.
The first chapter of Genesis is written in the style of an Ancient Hebrew poem. Because of it's poetic nature, it doesn't have to be seen as literal in order to remain faithful to scripture.
That's the nature of poems. They aren't always literal. See "The Road Less Traveled."
The second and third chapter are the same story. Story. As in, "once-upon-a-time." Yeah, the ancient Hebrews had stories, too, and this one has all the ear-marks. Because of it's story-like nature, it doesn't have to be seen as literal in order to remain faithful to scripture.
Interestingly enough, this belief is also a rational approach to the reason why the order that things were created is different between the first two chapters of Genesis.
There is plenty to learn from them without making them a dissertation full of detailed play-by-plays of the beginning of the universe.
1) God did it. Alone. He didn't slay a celestial beast that was causing a ruckus. He didn't knock up with some sweet goddess that he picked up at the pub. He did it by himself, regardless of what methods (be they supernatural or natural) he used.
2) God made Mankind differently. Mankind was the only thing that God was inspired to make (let's make something like us!). Mankind is the only thing in the story that God put his hands on and got his hands dirty. He breathed life into man. The Hebrew word for "Breath" and "Spirit" are the same word, btw. Think about the theological implications of THAT.
3) Humans are powerful. God gave us the ability to have original thoughts and ideas; the ability to create. In ancient Hebrew tradition (the very same tradition that this story was entrusted to), a thing wasn't a thing unless it had a name. A things name defined some minute, but vital part of that thing's essence. A rose by any other name is not longer a rose, regardless of what it smells like.
Who named the animals? Adam did. Mankind did. God left the animals incomplete, and gave Adam the privilege of finishing his work.
4) Women have a special place in creation. Think about it, God starts making simple things and gets more and more cool and complicated as he goes along. What is the finishing touch to the universe, the thing that is the coolest and most complex? Eve. Women are the crowning jewel of creation.
5) Humans were made perfect and flawless, along with the rest of creation. God was there, in person, unfiltered, with Adam and Eve. Then, humans broke some extremely simple rule, and along with it broke themselves and the universe.
oops.
So far, I like Open Theism
Open Theism works like this. God creates man, and gives man the ability to create. We have free will, just like God has free will. God knows everything, so he knows what I'm going to do every second of every day for the rest of my life, right? He knows what tomorrow will look like, right?
Tomorrow isn't set in stone.
What if omnipotence doesn't mean "to know everything?" What if it means "To know everything in the universe that there is to know?" People view time as a segment, and the present is somewhere between the beginning and the end.
Beginning-------------Present------end
<--past future-->
I look at time as a ray. It doesn't have a defined end; it grows. And the Present is on the edge of it.
Beginning------------------Present-> Future
God doesn't know tomorrow because tomorrow isn't there until we create it with him.
Now, God's a GREAT guesser, to say the least. He knows every human being better than they know themselves, and can guess with pretty good accuracy what they are going to do. And he's still God. He can take away our free will at any moment if it suits his plan (like he did with Pharaoh after the first time he told Moses "no.")
He can proclaim that an event will happen in the future, and it will have no choice but to happen. And he has the power, if he wants, to take back our "creative spark" that gives us the ability to choose, see what we're gong to do in the future, and then give that spark back and tell us what's going to happen in the future. We call these "prophecies."
He knows everything there is to know. Tomorrow doesn't exist yet, because we haven't made it with him yet, so he doesn't know it. Therefore, he's still omniscient; knowing everything there is to know.
He's doing it of his own will. Because he wants to. Nothing is forcing him to except himself, so he's still Omnipotent.
"Well, the Bible says that God knows you even before you're born!"
Yes, but how long before you're born does it say he knows you?
You will not find any of this in the Bible. Neither will you find anything that goes against it.
Maybe this is why God says things like "I wish I hadn't done that" in the Bible...
People can be good without knowing God
"Good" does not mean "Righteous." Righteous doesn't mean good. Holy doesn't mean good, or something that belongs to God. Apple doesn't mean Orange.
I believe the same thing that Ray does. People can't be righteous (right with God), nor can they meet God's standards, without help. The only help that works is Jesus. Switching the word Righteous for Good is a semantics game, so let's define a few words.
Good = meeting the standards set by the general populace that define as such. I.E., hard worker, not a murderer, helps old ladies across the street, etc.
Righteous = being right with God.
Meeting God's standard = to be perfect. Every one has sinned in their lives and become less than perfect, but one can attain help from Jesus Christ to meet God's standards and become righteous in spite of that.
Jesus did NOT implement the same methods of evangelism for every situation.
He talked about Hell to the people who were supposedly already followers of God. He talked about love to people who needed his love. He knew their hearts' needs and acted accordingly.
I don't believe that the Bible is Inerrant
Not in the most literal meaning of the word. However, it's not chock-full of screw-ups, either. I know of two contradictions. One is the order of creation, that I mentioned before. The other is in the Gospels.
When Jesus casts out "Legion" into the herd of pigs, one of the gospels (I think it's John...) says that there were two demoniacs, while the others say that there was only one.
Why am I ok with this? Well, the number three was used to show importance. A thing repeated three times (or a figure) was emphasized. Sometimes, that was shortened down to two. This may have simply been the author emphasizing the importance of the story.
Even if it isn't that, what does it change? Jesus is still the same person. God is still the same. The demons are still the same, and still come to him first begging for mercy. it doesn't change any theological teachings in the Bible.
The Bible is perfect for teaching and correcting. It's our measuring stick, our standard, by which we measure ourselves and the teachings we hear.
People can have a real, living, breathing relationship with Christ and then walk away from it.
Bart Erhman is one of them. We can't loose our salvation, but we can walk away from it.
Paul says:
6Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
Romans 6:6 & 7
Later, to those same people, he says this:
Don't you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval.
Romans 6:16
"You're not slaves to sin any more, but you can choose to be a slave to sin again."
The Bible says that nothing can pluck us from God's hand. It never says we can't jump.
Having said that, I must concede that "false converts" do exist. I was one for quite some time. However, I usually just like to call them "fakers." And I am not in a position to judge any one's relationship with Christ unless I really know them well. If some one who I don't know except by blogs on the internet says "I was a Christian, but I'm not any more," then I am in no position to say that they never were.
I know where the cuss word in the Bible is.
Five points to the first person who guesses where. Five points to the first person to adequately explain what that means for Christians. Fifteen if the first person gets both in one shot.
I do not believe that the Creation Story of Genesis necessitates a literal interpretation.
The first chapter of Genesis is written in the style of an Ancient Hebrew poem. Because of it's poetic nature, it doesn't have to be seen as literal in order to remain faithful to scripture.
That's the nature of poems. They aren't always literal. See "The Road Less Traveled."
The second and third chapter are the same story. Story. As in, "once-upon-a-time." Yeah, the ancient Hebrews had stories, too, and this one has all the ear-marks. Because of it's story-like nature, it doesn't have to be seen as literal in order to remain faithful to scripture.
Interestingly enough, this belief is also a rational approach to the reason why the order that things were created is different between the first two chapters of Genesis.
There is plenty to learn from them without making them a dissertation full of detailed play-by-plays of the beginning of the universe.
1) God did it. Alone. He didn't slay a celestial beast that was causing a ruckus. He didn't knock up with some sweet goddess that he picked up at the pub. He did it by himself, regardless of what methods (be they supernatural or natural) he used.
2) God made Mankind differently. Mankind was the only thing that God was inspired to make (let's make something like us!). Mankind is the only thing in the story that God put his hands on and got his hands dirty. He breathed life into man. The Hebrew word for "Breath" and "Spirit" are the same word, btw. Think about the theological implications of THAT.
3) Humans are powerful. God gave us the ability to have original thoughts and ideas; the ability to create. In ancient Hebrew tradition (the very same tradition that this story was entrusted to), a thing wasn't a thing unless it had a name. A things name defined some minute, but vital part of that thing's essence. A rose by any other name is not longer a rose, regardless of what it smells like.
Who named the animals? Adam did. Mankind did. God left the animals incomplete, and gave Adam the privilege of finishing his work.
4) Women have a special place in creation. Think about it, God starts making simple things and gets more and more cool and complicated as he goes along. What is the finishing touch to the universe, the thing that is the coolest and most complex? Eve. Women are the crowning jewel of creation.
5) Humans were made perfect and flawless, along with the rest of creation. God was there, in person, unfiltered, with Adam and Eve. Then, humans broke some extremely simple rule, and along with it broke themselves and the universe.
oops.
So far, I like Open Theism
Open Theism works like this. God creates man, and gives man the ability to create. We have free will, just like God has free will. God knows everything, so he knows what I'm going to do every second of every day for the rest of my life, right? He knows what tomorrow will look like, right?
Tomorrow isn't set in stone.
What if omnipotence doesn't mean "to know everything?" What if it means "To know everything in the universe that there is to know?" People view time as a segment, and the present is somewhere between the beginning and the end.
Beginning-------------Present------end
<--past future-->
I look at time as a ray. It doesn't have a defined end; it grows. And the Present is on the edge of it.
Beginning------------------Present-> Future
God doesn't know tomorrow because tomorrow isn't there until we create it with him.
Now, God's a GREAT guesser, to say the least. He knows every human being better than they know themselves, and can guess with pretty good accuracy what they are going to do. And he's still God. He can take away our free will at any moment if it suits his plan (like he did with Pharaoh after the first time he told Moses "no.")
He can proclaim that an event will happen in the future, and it will have no choice but to happen. And he has the power, if he wants, to take back our "creative spark" that gives us the ability to choose, see what we're gong to do in the future, and then give that spark back and tell us what's going to happen in the future. We call these "prophecies."
He knows everything there is to know. Tomorrow doesn't exist yet, because we haven't made it with him yet, so he doesn't know it. Therefore, he's still omniscient; knowing everything there is to know.
He's doing it of his own will. Because he wants to. Nothing is forcing him to except himself, so he's still Omnipotent.
"Well, the Bible says that God knows you even before you're born!"
Yes, but how long before you're born does it say he knows you?
You will not find any of this in the Bible. Neither will you find anything that goes against it.
Maybe this is why God says things like "I wish I hadn't done that" in the Bible...
People can be good without knowing God
"Good" does not mean "Righteous." Righteous doesn't mean good. Holy doesn't mean good, or something that belongs to God. Apple doesn't mean Orange.
I believe the same thing that Ray does. People can't be righteous (right with God), nor can they meet God's standards, without help. The only help that works is Jesus. Switching the word Righteous for Good is a semantics game, so let's define a few words.
Good = meeting the standards set by the general populace that define as such. I.E., hard worker, not a murderer, helps old ladies across the street, etc.
Righteous = being right with God.
Meeting God's standard = to be perfect. Every one has sinned in their lives and become less than perfect, but one can attain help from Jesus Christ to meet God's standards and become righteous in spite of that.
Jesus did NOT implement the same methods of evangelism for every situation.
He talked about Hell to the people who were supposedly already followers of God. He talked about love to people who needed his love. He knew their hearts' needs and acted accordingly.
I don't believe that the Bible is Inerrant
Not in the most literal meaning of the word. However, it's not chock-full of screw-ups, either. I know of two contradictions. One is the order of creation, that I mentioned before. The other is in the Gospels.
When Jesus casts out "Legion" into the herd of pigs, one of the gospels (I think it's John...) says that there were two demoniacs, while the others say that there was only one.
Why am I ok with this? Well, the number three was used to show importance. A thing repeated three times (or a figure) was emphasized. Sometimes, that was shortened down to two. This may have simply been the author emphasizing the importance of the story.
Even if it isn't that, what does it change? Jesus is still the same person. God is still the same. The demons are still the same, and still come to him first begging for mercy. it doesn't change any theological teachings in the Bible.
The Bible is perfect for teaching and correcting. It's our measuring stick, our standard, by which we measure ourselves and the teachings we hear.
People can have a real, living, breathing relationship with Christ and then walk away from it.
Bart Erhman is one of them. We can't loose our salvation, but we can walk away from it.
Paul says:
6Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
Romans 6:6 & 7
Later, to those same people, he says this:
Don't you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval.
Romans 6:16
"You're not slaves to sin any more, but you can choose to be a slave to sin again."
The Bible says that nothing can pluck us from God's hand. It never says we can't jump.
Having said that, I must concede that "false converts" do exist. I was one for quite some time. However, I usually just like to call them "fakers." And I am not in a position to judge any one's relationship with Christ unless I really know them well. If some one who I don't know except by blogs on the internet says "I was a Christian, but I'm not any more," then I am in no position to say that they never were.
I know where the cuss word in the Bible is.
Five points to the first person who guesses where. Five points to the first person to adequately explain what that means for Christians. Fifteen if the first person gets both in one shot.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
So it's been a while.
Where have I been? Well, I've been everywhere, man.
That's a lie. I've been in the same place since my last post.
Any way, I haven't been blogging very much. There simply hasn't been much going on in my life. It's been pretty boring.
The student leadership team at our campus ministry is headed to a conference this weekend. I'm super excited. Our minister just went into the hospital (which is why I'm still awake), and I'm not surprised. Something like that happens every time an important spiritual event is coming.
I haven't blogged at Raycomfortfood in a while. I bop in and out every once in a while to see what's what, but I've got some things to look up before I make a reappearance there. Namely some stuff about predictive prophecies. I was looking there today, hopped a few links and found a bunch of people called the Raytractors.
It's a blog where people contribute their angst about Ray Comfort. I didn't get past the first page, but that whole page makes me sad. I mean, there's a lot of intelligence there. There's also a lot of mudslinging, though. I know that it made me sad when Ray devoted an entire post to me about all the reasons I'm Hell-bound. Ray's got a whole blog devoted to him.
So, then, why have I emailed the one in charge and asked permission to contribute? well, because I have issue with a lot that Ray says and does. Also, I feel as if I can intelligently discuss it without calling Ray and his fan names and berating them (something that, if that first page is any indicator, the blog needs).
I've given the guy my blog's link. I'm actually kind of hoping he'll come and read this post.
My purpose in starting THIS blog was to show people that there are Christians who think. If I could get a word in on this blog, where EVERY ONE is an Atheist who is angry at thoughtless Christians (at least, I didn't recognize any of the contributors as Christian), then how much would that do for God?
Plus, there's quite a few people on the Raytractors blog that I am fond of. Flinging Dust. Weemarryanne. Celtic Chimp. That's not an exhaustive list, mind you. It'd be nice to completely by-pass Ray's censorship and semantics and just talk about what I believe without fear (mostly) of those kind of games.
That's a lie. I've been in the same place since my last post.
Any way, I haven't been blogging very much. There simply hasn't been much going on in my life. It's been pretty boring.
The student leadership team at our campus ministry is headed to a conference this weekend. I'm super excited. Our minister just went into the hospital (which is why I'm still awake), and I'm not surprised. Something like that happens every time an important spiritual event is coming.
I haven't blogged at Raycomfortfood in a while. I bop in and out every once in a while to see what's what, but I've got some things to look up before I make a reappearance there. Namely some stuff about predictive prophecies. I was looking there today, hopped a few links and found a bunch of people called the Raytractors.
It's a blog where people contribute their angst about Ray Comfort. I didn't get past the first page, but that whole page makes me sad. I mean, there's a lot of intelligence there. There's also a lot of mudslinging, though. I know that it made me sad when Ray devoted an entire post to me about all the reasons I'm Hell-bound. Ray's got a whole blog devoted to him.
So, then, why have I emailed the one in charge and asked permission to contribute? well, because I have issue with a lot that Ray says and does. Also, I feel as if I can intelligently discuss it without calling Ray and his fan names and berating them (something that, if that first page is any indicator, the blog needs).
I've given the guy my blog's link. I'm actually kind of hoping he'll come and read this post.
My purpose in starting THIS blog was to show people that there are Christians who think. If I could get a word in on this blog, where EVERY ONE is an Atheist who is angry at thoughtless Christians (at least, I didn't recognize any of the contributors as Christian), then how much would that do for God?
Plus, there's quite a few people on the Raytractors blog that I am fond of. Flinging Dust. Weemarryanne. Celtic Chimp. That's not an exhaustive list, mind you. It'd be nice to completely by-pass Ray's censorship and semantics and just talk about what I believe without fear (mostly) of those kind of games.
Friday, June 20, 2008
My first sermon
When I was a young lad, I was the one who always volunteered to do the sermon on youth day. You know, that one Sunday out of the year where the youth do everything. Music, Sermon, plate passing; everything.
However, whenever I did, I always ripped my sermons off of the internet. I always managed to find free websites with pre-prepared sermons. This one is the first one that I have ever written and developed MYSELF. I will be speaking this up coming Wednesday to my fellow students who are involved with our campus ministry.
Some things to note:
There is some rather personal information here. I don't mind sharing it, but bear that in mind.
Our Campus Ministry is going through a major change; we're getting a new minister. My mentor has not yet left, but his office is very weird and bare looking. He was minister here for 12 years.
I have a pattern of anonymity. I'm keeping it that way, so there will be some missing names here.
There is a day in my mind, about a year back, which I can look back on and call a turning point in my life in Christ.
I had just come from watching my young cousins march in a parade, and was helping my Grandfather (we call him Pappasugar) rebuild a house that had burned pretty badly. I was talking to my Pappasugar about the thing that we had talked about pretty much all summer; God. He's a preacher in the American Baptist Association, and I was trying to figure out if God was calling me into ministry. What else were we going to talk about?
I still remember him up on a ladder, looking over the top of a door frame through the... um... support things... (a lot of help I was...), as he said to me "Son, God's not calling you into 'campus ministry' or youth ministry. He doesn't do that. He calls people into Pastoral ministry, or missions work. That's it."
Let me tell you something about my pappa-He's hard core. My Pappasugar's title is Dr. [anonymous]. He is (or was at the time, I don't know if he still is) on the faculty of a brand new seminary that recently opened up in [city, state]. He has his doctorate in Biblical Languages. He gets up at about 5 or 6 EVERY MORNING and studies for 2-4 hours. He's literally forgotten more sermons and lessons that he's written in his collection of folders and binders and works than I have heard.
He is a BIG man in the ABA. He once stood up to the whole lot of them, the ENTIRE ABA, because some people from LOUISIANA MISSIONARY BAPTIST INSTITUTE & SEMINARY were starting some stuff at one of their yearly associational conferences. You know what happened? They backed down. And you'd be hard pressed to find a tougher guy; Men, when we're done, ask me about the time he got kicked by a horse. *shudder*
I remember looking up at him through those... support things... with all of these things and more going through my mind like BANG BANG BANG BANG, at the speed of thought. I was looking Dr. [anonymous] in the face with all of these thoughts, feeling a bit angry, and a bit offended, and a lot sad, but NEVER confused, and in all of this was the realization that the day is not far off when I'm going to have to grow a spine and tell my Pappasugar that he's just wrong.
And that's ok.
A lot of people our age would be ok with that verbally, but not in practice. "Who am I to tell such a distinguished member of the Body of Christ about God?" "What is my learning compared to theirs?" Part of that, I think, comes from us. I was like that, and still am to some degree. "What if I'm wrong? They know so much more than I do. They're so much more experienced. They're so much wiser than I am."
Part of it, I think, comes from the church. Churches everywhere have this mindset that "they're the leaders of tomorrow, the future of the Church!" *fanfare* "So we'll keep them in this warehouse, and train them, and educate them, and grow them, and when we're dead and gone, they will take our place and be unleashed upon the world to do the works of God!" And they tell us that, all the way from middle school up into and through college.
But we're not the church of tomorrow. We're the Body of Christ now.
Acts 16:1-5
Paul and Silas went first to Derbe and then on to Lystra. There they met Timothy, a young disciple whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Greek. Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. Then they went from town to town, explaining the decision regarding the commandments that were to be obeyed, as decided by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew daily in numbers.
At the beginning of his second missionary journey, Paul met Timothy. That's about A.D 49. He went with Paul on the missionary journey, split up with Paul in Macedonia, and joined up with Paul later and went with him on his third missionary journey in about A.D. 54, where they first stopped at Ephesus and stayed for three years (Acts 20:31). Paul went From Ephasus to Troas and Macedonia, but Timothy stayed in Ephesus. Paul was later arrested, and by appealing to Ceasar was transported to Rome in about A.D. 60, where he waited for two years for legal things to happen. Some time after that imprisonment is when Paul wrote 1 Timothy, and Timothy is still a "young man."
1 Timothy 4:12
Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
Yeah, that's borring stuff nerdy stuff, but it gives us a clue about the thing I'm getting after; age. These are all clues as to about how old Timmothy was.
Keep in mind that, in the Hebrew tradition, a child was 13 years and under. They would be considered a "young man" until about 30 years old. You do the math, and you'll figure out that timothy started out with Paul at about 16 or 17 years old. At 16 or 17 years old, he was traveling about with Paul, strengthening the church in faith. And because of that, the church grew larger in numbers daily.
That means that 8 years later, when Timothy was running the church in Ephesus, he was about 24 or 25.
I'm 22. How old are you?
What does Paul tell Timothy to do at that age? "Teach."
1 Tim. 4:11
Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.
1 Tim. 4:12
Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
1 Tim 6:2
Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.
2 Tim. 2:2
You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others.
2 Tim. 2:24
The Lord's servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people.
2 Tim. 2:25
They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will believe the truth.
We are not the church of tomorrow, we are the church now. We have lessons to teach, we have knowledge and wisdom to give, and I'll bet the money that I don't even have right now that [new campus minister] would LOVE to learn a thing or two from us when he gets here.
But we also have to be careful. There's a trap here, easy to see but still easy to fall into. Righ here. Right here.
Hubris. Arrogance. "I'm wise, I have things to teach, I don't care what you say."
There are some things that have to be in place before we can teach and be active in growing the body of Christ.
Acts 16:2
Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium,
Respect is earned. It doesn't matter what you know, no one will listen if they don't have a reason to. And we have to respect them, too.
1 Timothy 5:1-2
Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as though he were your own father. Talk to the younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat the older women as you would your mother, and treat the younger women with all purity as your own sisters.
We have to study.
2 Timothy 2:2
You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others.
2 Timothy 2:15
Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
How can we teach what we don't know?
There's also one more thing.
1 Timothy
1:19
cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clean
4:7
Train yourself to be Godly.
4:12
Live your life so that you're an example of Godly living.
4:16
Keep a close watch on how you live, and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salcation of those who hear you.
6:11
So run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a Godly life, along with faith, love, and persevearance.
We have to live what we're teaching.
oops. Yeah, I've messed that up, too, but not looking behind me, I am trying SO hard to run the race in such a way as to win, and I can't do it alone. I need you to teach me. I need you to be my examples, and so do [anonymous adult] and [Chair of the Board of Directors] and [New Campus Minister]. The Body of Christ can't function right unless all of the parts work together, so as we are going through this transition between ministers, let's keep that in mind. One of the things I LOVE about our campus ministry is that I can see how many people actually take ownership of it; We know that [Former Campus Minister] wasn't the ministry, and [New Campus Minister] won't be either. We're the ministry. But, I think we can do better. I think that we can do SO much better than the awesomeness that we are right now.
That's a decision we all need to make now. That is your only option from this message that makes you faithful to God, and I truly believe that, even if it does sound incredibly manipulative. If you want to talk to some one about the specifics and details of how you can do that better, if you need some one to pray for you, there will be some people over there. I don't know who, but now some one is going to be there whether it was planned or not. We have all summer to prepare for the coming year. We have all summer to study and train; it's pre-season conditioning. Let's make the most of it.
However, whenever I did, I always ripped my sermons off of the internet. I always managed to find free websites with pre-prepared sermons. This one is the first one that I have ever written and developed MYSELF. I will be speaking this up coming Wednesday to my fellow students who are involved with our campus ministry.
Some things to note:
There is some rather personal information here. I don't mind sharing it, but bear that in mind.
Our Campus Ministry is going through a major change; we're getting a new minister. My mentor has not yet left, but his office is very weird and bare looking. He was minister here for 12 years.
I have a pattern of anonymity. I'm keeping it that way, so there will be some missing names here.
There is a day in my mind, about a year back, which I can look back on and call a turning point in my life in Christ.
I had just come from watching my young cousins march in a parade, and was helping my Grandfather (we call him Pappasugar) rebuild a house that had burned pretty badly. I was talking to my Pappasugar about the thing that we had talked about pretty much all summer; God. He's a preacher in the American Baptist Association, and I was trying to figure out if God was calling me into ministry. What else were we going to talk about?
I still remember him up on a ladder, looking over the top of a door frame through the... um... support things... (a lot of help I was...), as he said to me "Son, God's not calling you into 'campus ministry' or youth ministry. He doesn't do that. He calls people into Pastoral ministry, or missions work. That's it."
Let me tell you something about my pappa-He's hard core. My Pappasugar's title is Dr. [anonymous]. He is (or was at the time, I don't know if he still is) on the faculty of a brand new seminary that recently opened up in [city, state]. He has his doctorate in Biblical Languages. He gets up at about 5 or 6 EVERY MORNING and studies for 2-4 hours. He's literally forgotten more sermons and lessons that he's written in his collection of folders and binders and works than I have heard.
He is a BIG man in the ABA. He once stood up to the whole lot of them, the ENTIRE ABA, because some people from LOUISIANA MISSIONARY BAPTIST INSTITUTE & SEMINARY were starting some stuff at one of their yearly associational conferences. You know what happened? They backed down. And you'd be hard pressed to find a tougher guy; Men, when we're done, ask me about the time he got kicked by a horse. *shudder*
I remember looking up at him through those... support things... with all of these things and more going through my mind like BANG BANG BANG BANG, at the speed of thought. I was looking Dr. [anonymous] in the face with all of these thoughts, feeling a bit angry, and a bit offended, and a lot sad, but NEVER confused, and in all of this was the realization that the day is not far off when I'm going to have to grow a spine and tell my Pappasugar that he's just wrong.
And that's ok.
A lot of people our age would be ok with that verbally, but not in practice. "Who am I to tell such a distinguished member of the Body of Christ about God?" "What is my learning compared to theirs?" Part of that, I think, comes from us. I was like that, and still am to some degree. "What if I'm wrong? They know so much more than I do. They're so much more experienced. They're so much wiser than I am."
Part of it, I think, comes from the church. Churches everywhere have this mindset that "they're the leaders of tomorrow, the future of the Church!" *fanfare* "So we'll keep them in this warehouse, and train them, and educate them, and grow them, and when we're dead and gone, they will take our place and be unleashed upon the world to do the works of God!" And they tell us that, all the way from middle school up into and through college.
But we're not the church of tomorrow. We're the Body of Christ now.
Acts 16:1-5
Paul and Silas went first to Derbe and then on to Lystra. There they met Timothy, a young disciple whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Greek. Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. Then they went from town to town, explaining the decision regarding the commandments that were to be obeyed, as decided by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew daily in numbers.
At the beginning of his second missionary journey, Paul met Timothy. That's about A.D 49. He went with Paul on the missionary journey, split up with Paul in Macedonia, and joined up with Paul later and went with him on his third missionary journey in about A.D. 54, where they first stopped at Ephesus and stayed for three years (Acts 20:31). Paul went From Ephasus to Troas and Macedonia, but Timothy stayed in Ephesus. Paul was later arrested, and by appealing to Ceasar was transported to Rome in about A.D. 60, where he waited for two years for legal things to happen. Some time after that imprisonment is when Paul wrote 1 Timothy, and Timothy is still a "young man."
1 Timothy 4:12
Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
Yeah, that's borring stuff nerdy stuff, but it gives us a clue about the thing I'm getting after; age. These are all clues as to about how old Timmothy was.
Keep in mind that, in the Hebrew tradition, a child was 13 years and under. They would be considered a "young man" until about 30 years old. You do the math, and you'll figure out that timothy started out with Paul at about 16 or 17 years old. At 16 or 17 years old, he was traveling about with Paul, strengthening the church in faith. And because of that, the church grew larger in numbers daily.
That means that 8 years later, when Timothy was running the church in Ephesus, he was about 24 or 25.
I'm 22. How old are you?
What does Paul tell Timothy to do at that age? "Teach."
1 Tim. 4:11
Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.
1 Tim. 4:12
Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
1 Tim 6:2
Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.
2 Tim. 2:2
You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others.
2 Tim. 2:24
The Lord's servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people.
2 Tim. 2:25
They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will believe the truth.
We are not the church of tomorrow, we are the church now. We have lessons to teach, we have knowledge and wisdom to give, and I'll bet the money that I don't even have right now that [new campus minister] would LOVE to learn a thing or two from us when he gets here.
But we also have to be careful. There's a trap here, easy to see but still easy to fall into. Righ here. Right here.
Hubris. Arrogance. "I'm wise, I have things to teach, I don't care what you say."
There are some things that have to be in place before we can teach and be active in growing the body of Christ.
Acts 16:2
Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium,
Respect is earned. It doesn't matter what you know, no one will listen if they don't have a reason to. And we have to respect them, too.
1 Timothy 5:1-2
Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as though he were your own father. Talk to the younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat the older women as you would your mother, and treat the younger women with all purity as your own sisters.
We have to study.
2 Timothy 2:2
You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others.
2 Timothy 2:15
Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
How can we teach what we don't know?
There's also one more thing.
1 Timothy
1:19
cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clean
4:7
Train yourself to be Godly.
4:12
Live your life so that you're an example of Godly living.
4:16
Keep a close watch on how you live, and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salcation of those who hear you.
6:11
So run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a Godly life, along with faith, love, and persevearance.
We have to live what we're teaching.
oops. Yeah, I've messed that up, too, but not looking behind me, I am trying SO hard to run the race in such a way as to win, and I can't do it alone. I need you to teach me. I need you to be my examples, and so do [anonymous adult] and [Chair of the Board of Directors] and [New Campus Minister]. The Body of Christ can't function right unless all of the parts work together, so as we are going through this transition between ministers, let's keep that in mind. One of the things I LOVE about our campus ministry is that I can see how many people actually take ownership of it; We know that [Former Campus Minister] wasn't the ministry, and [New Campus Minister] won't be either. We're the ministry. But, I think we can do better. I think that we can do SO much better than the awesomeness that we are right now.
That's a decision we all need to make now. That is your only option from this message that makes you faithful to God, and I truly believe that, even if it does sound incredibly manipulative. If you want to talk to some one about the specifics and details of how you can do that better, if you need some one to pray for you, there will be some people over there. I don't know who, but now some one is going to be there whether it was planned or not. We have all summer to prepare for the coming year. We have all summer to study and train; it's pre-season conditioning. Let's make the most of it.
Woe unto who?
Ray Comfort's orriginal post
“I just wanted to thank you for the kind word about atheists. Glad to see there is one Christian here that can recognize that we're just good people like everyone else. Thanks for the compliment. I have no problem admitting that Atheists can be good people . . .. I think that men who don't have God can be good, normal people, just not perfect. Thanks again for the kind words.”
It deeply concerns me when I hear a professing Christian telling an atheist that he is a good person. There is a reason for my concern. Jesus said that there is no one good but God (see Mark 10:18). Anyone who says that human beings are good is calling Jesus a liar. My concern isn’t just that the atheist is being confirmed in his deception, but it makes me doubt the genuine nature of Christian’s salvation, because it seems that he has no biblical knowledge of sin himself. This deception comes when the Law is not used to bring the knowledge of sin (see Romans 3:19, 20), and to show sin to be “exceedingly sinful” (see Romans 7:13).
Not surprisingly, he believes that preaching the gospel simply means to tell people “Jesus loves you,” something for which there is no precedent in Scripture. Wherever the love of Christ is preached, it’s almost always in direct co-relation to the cross (see John 3:16, Romans 5:8, etc.), and the cross makes no sense without mentioning sin, and sin makes no sense without preaching the Law, for "sin is transgression of the Law" (see 1 John 3:4).
I thought I was a good person until I understood that in God's Book, "good" means to be morally perfect. The only just rule by which we can measure our morality is by the Ten Commandments. It was through the moral Law that I found that God considers lust to be adultery, and hatred to be murder. When I measured myself by that standard I realised am not good. At all.
It’s also not surprising that the atheist has kind words for the Christian. This is because he is not offended by his message. However, to fail to warn sinners of the terrible consequences of sin (damnation in Hell), and to instead tell them that they are good people, is the ultimate betrayal. Jesus warned, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).
My Response:
See, Ray, not only did you take what I said to mean something entirely other than what it was communicating, you went on to completely put words in my mouth about what the Gospel is.
It deeply concerns me when I hear a professing Christian telling an atheist that he is a good person. There is a reason for my concern. Jesus said that there is no one good but God (see Mark 10:18). Anyone who says that human beings are good is calling Jesus a liar. My concern isn’t just that the atheist is being confirmed in his deception, but it makes me doubt the genuine nature of Christian’s salvation, because it seems that he has no biblical knowledge of sin himself. This deception comes when the Law is not used to bring the knowledge of sin (see Romans 3:19, 20), and to show sin to be “exceedingly sinful” (see Romans 7:13).
Firstly, I never said that it is possible for any one to meet God's standards without God. You even quoted me as saying that people can't be perfect without God. It's right there in your post!
I think that men who don't have God can be good, normal people, just not perfect.
The problem, Ray, is I wasn't talking to you. So I didn't use your language. Good to you is not the same as good to them otherwise, you wouldn't have posted this riddiculousness. (I believe the word Paul would have chosen in this situation is "Scubalon.")
When I say good to [anonymous], he understands that I mean "Beneficial to society, kind, giving, philantrhopic, etc." If I want to communicate to him the thing that you heard when you read "Good," the word I would have chosen would be "Righteous."
And no one can be Righteous without God. I've never ever said otherwise.
Now, if I wanted to communicate to you "Beneficial to society, kind, giving, philantrhopic, etc."; I might have chosen a group of words that communicate that they are not righteous, that they are without God, but that they are not societal ills. Maybe I would have chosen to say "Good Atheist people," but then you would have taken that and made it into something that it's not also, wouldn't you?
I have stated many times, where you have proofread and posted, that it is impossible for humans to recieve salvation on their own. I dare you to tell me where I said otherwise.
Not surprisingly, he believes that preaching the gospel simply means to tell people “Jesus loves you,” something for which there is no precedent in Scripture. Wherever the love of Christ is preached, it’s almost always in direct co-relation to the cross (see John 3:16, Romans 5:8, etc.), and the cross makes no sense without mentioning sin, and sin makes no sense without preaching the Law, for "sin is transgression of the Law" (see 1 John 3:4).
Secondly, haven't I always spoken about both halves of the gospel? That the Law is one half, Grace is the other, and that to preach one without the other is a false gospel? I have ABSOLUTELY advocated emphasizing one half over the other when the situation calls for it, even the law over grace!
I dare you to go back through your blog and find the post where I say "You don't have to repent of your sins." No quote mining allowed. If you can find it, point me to it, and post a link to it so that I can see, I'll buy your next DVD.
Lastly, you should look at the NAS translation for that particular verse from 1 John, because those translators handled it much better.
Sin is not transgretion, but transgretion is always sin.
A Transgretion (Anomia) is breaking a specific law that God has laid out.
A Sin (Hamartia) Is simply "missing the mark;" being less than perfect.
However, Anomia can also describe the state of being ignorant of the law.
So a better translation of that passage, one that doesn't confuse the words "transgretion" and "sin," is found in the NAS translation
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
A few other minor things I have wrong with that post.
However, to fail to warn sinners of the terrible consequences of sin (damnation in Hell), and to instead tell them that they are good people, is the ultimate betrayal.
If you think that I haven't Told [anonymous] that the dying without Christ will send him to Hell, then you have not been paying attention.
My concern isn’t just that the atheist is being confirmed in his deception, but it makes me doubt the genuine nature of Christian’s salvation, because it seems that he has no biblical knowledge of sin himself. This deception comes when the Law is not used to bring the knowledge of sin (see Romans 3:19, 20), and to show sin to be “exceedingly sinful” (see Romans 7:13).
Do you even read the posts that you "moderate?" Or do you let some one else do it for you and then just thumb through them later to find the ones that you can turn and twist into something you can complain about?
Jesus warned, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).
Yes, he did, but we can see clearly that the only way to make me fit that category is to take what I have said out of it's context, change it around, and then turn it itno something that it isn't.
I've been intimidated by some skilled intimidators, Ray. You ain't one of them.
“I just wanted to thank you for the kind word about atheists. Glad to see there is one Christian here that can recognize that we're just good people like everyone else. Thanks for the compliment. I have no problem admitting that Atheists can be good people . . .. I think that men who don't have God can be good, normal people, just not perfect. Thanks again for the kind words.”
It deeply concerns me when I hear a professing Christian telling an atheist that he is a good person. There is a reason for my concern. Jesus said that there is no one good but God (see Mark 10:18). Anyone who says that human beings are good is calling Jesus a liar. My concern isn’t just that the atheist is being confirmed in his deception, but it makes me doubt the genuine nature of Christian’s salvation, because it seems that he has no biblical knowledge of sin himself. This deception comes when the Law is not used to bring the knowledge of sin (see Romans 3:19, 20), and to show sin to be “exceedingly sinful” (see Romans 7:13).
Not surprisingly, he believes that preaching the gospel simply means to tell people “Jesus loves you,” something for which there is no precedent in Scripture. Wherever the love of Christ is preached, it’s almost always in direct co-relation to the cross (see John 3:16, Romans 5:8, etc.), and the cross makes no sense without mentioning sin, and sin makes no sense without preaching the Law, for "sin is transgression of the Law" (see 1 John 3:4).
I thought I was a good person until I understood that in God's Book, "good" means to be morally perfect. The only just rule by which we can measure our morality is by the Ten Commandments. It was through the moral Law that I found that God considers lust to be adultery, and hatred to be murder. When I measured myself by that standard I realised am not good. At all.
It’s also not surprising that the atheist has kind words for the Christian. This is because he is not offended by his message. However, to fail to warn sinners of the terrible consequences of sin (damnation in Hell), and to instead tell them that they are good people, is the ultimate betrayal. Jesus warned, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).
My Response:
See, Ray, not only did you take what I said to mean something entirely other than what it was communicating, you went on to completely put words in my mouth about what the Gospel is.
It deeply concerns me when I hear a professing Christian telling an atheist that he is a good person. There is a reason for my concern. Jesus said that there is no one good but God (see Mark 10:18). Anyone who says that human beings are good is calling Jesus a liar. My concern isn’t just that the atheist is being confirmed in his deception, but it makes me doubt the genuine nature of Christian’s salvation, because it seems that he has no biblical knowledge of sin himself. This deception comes when the Law is not used to bring the knowledge of sin (see Romans 3:19, 20), and to show sin to be “exceedingly sinful” (see Romans 7:13).
Firstly, I never said that it is possible for any one to meet God's standards without God. You even quoted me as saying that people can't be perfect without God. It's right there in your post!
I think that men who don't have God can be good, normal people, just not perfect.
The problem, Ray, is I wasn't talking to you. So I didn't use your language. Good to you is not the same as good to them otherwise, you wouldn't have posted this riddiculousness. (I believe the word Paul would have chosen in this situation is "Scubalon.")
When I say good to [anonymous], he understands that I mean "Beneficial to society, kind, giving, philantrhopic, etc." If I want to communicate to him the thing that you heard when you read "Good," the word I would have chosen would be "Righteous."
And no one can be Righteous without God. I've never ever said otherwise.
Now, if I wanted to communicate to you "Beneficial to society, kind, giving, philantrhopic, etc."; I might have chosen a group of words that communicate that they are not righteous, that they are without God, but that they are not societal ills. Maybe I would have chosen to say "Good Atheist people," but then you would have taken that and made it into something that it's not also, wouldn't you?
I have stated many times, where you have proofread and posted, that it is impossible for humans to recieve salvation on their own. I dare you to tell me where I said otherwise.
Not surprisingly, he believes that preaching the gospel simply means to tell people “Jesus loves you,” something for which there is no precedent in Scripture. Wherever the love of Christ is preached, it’s almost always in direct co-relation to the cross (see John 3:16, Romans 5:8, etc.), and the cross makes no sense without mentioning sin, and sin makes no sense without preaching the Law, for "sin is transgression of the Law" (see 1 John 3:4).
Secondly, haven't I always spoken about both halves of the gospel? That the Law is one half, Grace is the other, and that to preach one without the other is a false gospel? I have ABSOLUTELY advocated emphasizing one half over the other when the situation calls for it, even the law over grace!
I dare you to go back through your blog and find the post where I say "You don't have to repent of your sins." No quote mining allowed. If you can find it, point me to it, and post a link to it so that I can see, I'll buy your next DVD.
Lastly, you should look at the NAS translation for that particular verse from 1 John, because those translators handled it much better.
Sin is not transgretion, but transgretion is always sin.
A Transgretion (Anomia) is breaking a specific law that God has laid out.
A Sin (Hamartia) Is simply "missing the mark;" being less than perfect.
However, Anomia can also describe the state of being ignorant of the law.
So a better translation of that passage, one that doesn't confuse the words "transgretion" and "sin," is found in the NAS translation
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
A few other minor things I have wrong with that post.
However, to fail to warn sinners of the terrible consequences of sin (damnation in Hell), and to instead tell them that they are good people, is the ultimate betrayal.
If you think that I haven't Told [anonymous] that the dying without Christ will send him to Hell, then you have not been paying attention.
My concern isn’t just that the atheist is being confirmed in his deception, but it makes me doubt the genuine nature of Christian’s salvation, because it seems that he has no biblical knowledge of sin himself. This deception comes when the Law is not used to bring the knowledge of sin (see Romans 3:19, 20), and to show sin to be “exceedingly sinful” (see Romans 7:13).
Do you even read the posts that you "moderate?" Or do you let some one else do it for you and then just thumb through them later to find the ones that you can turn and twist into something you can complain about?
Jesus warned, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).
Yes, he did, but we can see clearly that the only way to make me fit that category is to take what I have said out of it's context, change it around, and then turn it itno something that it isn't.
I've been intimidated by some skilled intimidators, Ray. You ain't one of them.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
What am I doing?
Early this past semester, I had decided that I was going to get a head start on seminary. I was going to actually study my faith. What happened to that?
Amanda and I went to see "The Happening" with our campus minister, his wife, and a married couple who are alumnus of our campus ministry. Ok movie, but not Shyamalans best, btw. Afterward, we went out and ate and talked and goofed off.
Well, when you get theology nerds together, it's hard to avoid a theology conversation. And three of them were graduates from Emanuel School of Religion. Way out of my legue, but I understand more than I used to.
Any way, my campus minister told me about a teacher that he had. He donated his books to ESR's library when they were getting started. It was like 5,000 volumes. And that's not all that he had.
He had a book shelf in every room and in his hallway. Full. He had a fire proof room with every wall linned with bookshelves and rows of bookshelves in the middle; a literal actual library in his house.
His belief was that if you're serious about studying, then you put your money into it. Tithing goes to the church, and another tithe goes into stocking your personal library.
Another of his teachers graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a degree in The Bible. Literally. He has a Doctorate in Old Testament, and a Doctorate in New Testament from Princeton. Wrote his discertation in one week on a manual typewriter.
I've got four or five books. And I haven't read one of them all the way through. I've all but finished my Metzger book, but I managed to let myself get side tracked. And when I read the stuff from Metzger's book, I manage to forget it as soon as I close it because I'm not doing anything with it. It's just in my head for a time.
I will probably never be the guy that writes his discertation in one week. There are certain genetic limitations on intelligence, and while my family's got brains, we ain't got alien technoledgy implanted in our skulls. I'll probably never be the guy who has a personal library that rivals Princeton's. But, I can be the guy that I had planned on being, that I had claimed that God is calling me to be. Not a genius, but serious.
I sit around and get bored. I get bored. How? If I'm doing what I say I am, how do I get bored? I play the same video games over and over again (because I can't afford new ones). I check my email about 30 times a day; not because I'm expecting something important, but because I enjoy talking to people on Ray Comfort's weblog about theolog. Many may think that this is an honorable endevor for one who is doing the things I say I'm trying to do, but is it really? What comes out of it? No one's comming to Christ on the internet. Especially if their image of Christianity comes from his blog. Ray's a bit conservative for my taste, and my dislike of his style doesn't mean anything of great value, but there are some REAL NUT JOBS there.
My campus minster once showed me his class notes from one of his M.Div. classes. The test is entirely concepts and ideas. EVERYTHING was fill in the blank, no word banks and short answer. No multiple choice. No true/false. My school is not likely to prepare me for that level of study. We can barely call our collection of books a real library, for cryin' out loud.
So what am I doing?
Amanda and I went to see "The Happening" with our campus minister, his wife, and a married couple who are alumnus of our campus ministry. Ok movie, but not Shyamalans best, btw. Afterward, we went out and ate and talked and goofed off.
Well, when you get theology nerds together, it's hard to avoid a theology conversation. And three of them were graduates from Emanuel School of Religion. Way out of my legue, but I understand more than I used to.
Any way, my campus minister told me about a teacher that he had. He donated his books to ESR's library when they were getting started. It was like 5,000 volumes. And that's not all that he had.
He had a book shelf in every room and in his hallway. Full. He had a fire proof room with every wall linned with bookshelves and rows of bookshelves in the middle; a literal actual library in his house.
His belief was that if you're serious about studying, then you put your money into it. Tithing goes to the church, and another tithe goes into stocking your personal library.
Another of his teachers graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a degree in The Bible. Literally. He has a Doctorate in Old Testament, and a Doctorate in New Testament from Princeton. Wrote his discertation in one week on a manual typewriter.
I've got four or five books. And I haven't read one of them all the way through. I've all but finished my Metzger book, but I managed to let myself get side tracked. And when I read the stuff from Metzger's book, I manage to forget it as soon as I close it because I'm not doing anything with it. It's just in my head for a time.
I will probably never be the guy that writes his discertation in one week. There are certain genetic limitations on intelligence, and while my family's got brains, we ain't got alien technoledgy implanted in our skulls. I'll probably never be the guy who has a personal library that rivals Princeton's. But, I can be the guy that I had planned on being, that I had claimed that God is calling me to be. Not a genius, but serious.
I sit around and get bored. I get bored. How? If I'm doing what I say I am, how do I get bored? I play the same video games over and over again (because I can't afford new ones). I check my email about 30 times a day; not because I'm expecting something important, but because I enjoy talking to people on Ray Comfort's weblog about theolog. Many may think that this is an honorable endevor for one who is doing the things I say I'm trying to do, but is it really? What comes out of it? No one's comming to Christ on the internet. Especially if their image of Christianity comes from his blog. Ray's a bit conservative for my taste, and my dislike of his style doesn't mean anything of great value, but there are some REAL NUT JOBS there.
My campus minster once showed me his class notes from one of his M.Div. classes. The test is entirely concepts and ideas. EVERYTHING was fill in the blank, no word banks and short answer. No multiple choice. No true/false. My school is not likely to prepare me for that level of study. We can barely call our collection of books a real library, for cryin' out loud.
So what am I doing?
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Ok, so I have a confession to make...
I'm not a published musician. The only music I do are when I'm on the worship band, and in my school's concert choir. That's about it.
What I mean by the title is that even though I'm under an assumed name here, I'm making every attempt to be absolutely real without giving away any identifying information.
Sorry for the mix up, Jason.
As a side note, if I ever did fire performances, I would take Rob Penn as a stage name for that. I'm not QUITE good enough for that yet...
What I mean by the title is that even though I'm under an assumed name here, I'm making every attempt to be absolutely real without giving away any identifying information.
Sorry for the mix up, Jason.
As a side note, if I ever did fire performances, I would take Rob Penn as a stage name for that. I'm not QUITE good enough for that yet...
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