I read, fascinated, the review published in the University of York's Christian periodical Christis of David Tomlinson's book The Post-Evangelical, and also the chain of letters responding to the article. (by way of a comment on Simon Cozen's webog)
Are there any exploratory Christians in Shanghai who would like to discuss this kind of writing? I'm afraid of even broaching the subject at my pretty cut-in-stone evangelical church for fear of being immediately and thoughtlessly branded a heretic (or being accused, or even guilty, of trying to break up the group). And Chris is probably not informed of or interested enough in Christian theology to take up the offer.
(A quick reaction to the above review: I think everything he says is good, except for the part where he questions God's sovereignty. God should be, be definition, sovereign. cf the weakness of the clockmaker God ("build it, then let it run"), and Job chapter 1 (God allows Satan to test Job).)
posted by Micah Sittig at 14:57,
1 comments
1 Comments:
heh, if these people could see themselves from afar! XD if she loves the Bible so, then is it so hard to take Paul at face value? "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended (summarized) in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
as far as my personal interests in theology, i find this Thomas Henry Huxley quote useful: "When I reached intellectual maturity and began to ask myself whether I was an atheist, a theist, or a pantheist; a materialist, or an idealist; a Christian, or a freethinker; I found that the more I learned and reflected, the less ready was the answer; until, at last, I came to the conclusion that I had neither art nor part with any of these denominations, except the last. The one thing in which most of these good people were agreed was the one thing in which I differed from them. They were quite sure they had attained a certain "gnosis,"--had, more or less successfully, solved the problem of existence; while I was quite sure I had not, and had a pretty strong conviction that the problem was insoluble" except i'd replace this last word with irrelevant. the point is to begin solving real problems, not wonder about the genesis of life. worry about the genesis of death.
ooh, making sure i had that quote right turned up this nice one: "I have never united myself to any church because I found difficulty in giving my assent without mental reservation to the long, complicated statements of Christian doctrine which characterize the articles of belief and the usual confession of faith." (Abraham Lincoln)
Impressive, ne? parroting quotes is pretty silly (because it is impersonal), though. this i what i think of the Bible.
Post a Comment
« Home
Post a Comment