by KeithE » Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:40 am
Interesting perspective.
Reflecting on my life, I had many questions from late HS days (late 60's). I saw that most of my cohorts at church expoused the officially endorsed answers and I wonder how many these days have come to question many aspects of theology like the quotee above.
Through study, observation and meditation, I have found what I'll call pragmatic answers to stand on. Not that I can prove them as absolute truth but that I feel comfortable with in terms of a framework for living/decisions/understanding. Chief among these pragmatic answers are
1) Situational Ethics
2) Open View of God
3) Corporate and Individual accountability to God; by "corporate' I do not mean just companies/businesses but any group of people large or small.
4) creationism (with a small c and old earth) - definitely through abiogenesis maybe biological development as well
5) a caring God who is constantly rooting for us individually (always redemptive through the Spirit) - the Individual Gospel / soul competency
6) a caring God who is constantly rooting for us corporately (small groups/families through churches and nations and the world) - the Social Gospel
7) the need to emulate Jesus
So my experience is quite different from the quotee above; but I can understand where he comes from if he was indoctrinated in early life. And I agree with his ONE CONSTANT that Jesus Loves Me and never gives up on any of us (basically point 5 above).
Ultimate truth about God is unobtainable, imo, but a theological framework for living that jives with the Spirit and learning is a necessity, imo.
Informed by Data.
Driven by the SPIRIT and JESUS’s Example.
Promoting the Kingdom of GOD on Earth.