6 Things I Wish Christians Would Admit About the Bible

[William Thornton]

No one is complaining here. I have a high degree of tolerance and acceptance of my more lib colleagues. I prefer not to fund their paychecks, though.

[KeithE]

[Stephen Fox]

William, friendly questions though frank, I don't mean them condescendingly or with menace.

But it is clear to me, especially after reading Molly, that the SBC takeover group has a problem with liberal arts education. When you prefer not to fund the paychecks of Foy Valentine and Lolley, Molly Mrshall, Tom Corts and Ken Chafin, you don't have or didn't have an alternative other than the groups which I routinely invoke at this juncture. That evidence is clear.

So you can testify where you are now, but that is not where the takeover artists were then.

Jeff Rogers 20 years ago in his address in the Furman lecture series What Really Matters made the distinction clear between an Adrian Rogers and Jerry Vines education on one hand, and Tom Corts and Bill Leonard, Bill Obrien and Elizabeth Davis, the new presidents of Carson Newman and Furman respectively; and I think in your gut you are too bright to throw in with Vines and Adrian with all the baggage, the ignorance and backwardness that brings.

Maybe as W said I misunderestimated if not misunderstood or misunderstand you and Sandy.

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

Stephen, hope you had a nice Christmas. Make it a resolution to get over here sometime in 2015. I see no value in any discussion of this with you. I understand your feelings, bro.

[Tim Bonney]

[KeithE]

by Derek Flood.

I highly recommend this book for ya’ll to read although I’m only through Chapter 2 (19% per Kindle). But I’m already convinced it will be one of the most significant books I will ever read. In my case it does not so much transform my thinking (as did in the 80’s) but it confirms and gives intellectual weight to my overall understanding of the Bible as trajectory from a rules/violence-to“ungodly” basis to a Spirit-driven-love/encourager-of-all (even-the-ungodly) basis.

The basic premise (so far) is that we must learn to read the Bible as Jesus did. The OT is an extended dispute between a violent vengeful God (majorian view in the OT) and a compassionate God (minority view in OT; mainly in Prophets but Psalms and Job contain both the vengeful and compassionate visions). OT scholar Brueggemann calls this testimony and counter-testimony. Jesus in all cases sided with the compassionate view and took up the disputation in His dispute with the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law.

Removing the statement of the BF&M "The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ", is seen to be a gigantic step backwards.

Flood says one should not be a “liberal cherry-picker” (who should value the non-cherry portions in that a clearer contrast can be drawn between vengeful and compassionate streams). And one should certainly not be a violence-condoning or judgmental conservative if one is to be a follower of Christ.

I post this here in hopes of it “disarming” (or at least pausing for reflection) the great debate over inerrancy as well as being a seventh (and probably an overriding) admission of what I would wish Christians understand about the Bible. I'll will write a book review when I’m finished.

BTW, Stephen, I bought a Kindle version of Worthen’s Apostles of Reason and read 2 chapters of that as well. Flood’s book is much better. And William I found a $2 version of The Flash Boys at McKay used books in Nashville last Friday. That will also take a back seat to this and many other books.

[Stephen Fox]

You know Merritt to be the son of fundamentalist SBC President James.

Makes this interview all the more fascinating, especially when Molly uses Billy Graham and Francis Schaeffer as reference in single breath An easy google

[Stephen Fox]

http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com ... y-worthen/

[John Sneed]

If the Bible is errant and fallible then Christianity is whatever we say it is and there is no standard by which to establish doctrine and life practice. With an errant Bible, we are god and no one else.

[Dave Roberts]

[KeithE]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Stephen Fox]

It does not appear Keith, Snee nor Pettibone rad the Molly Interview. Why not read the interview and address it rather than trot out the same statementen years and more now.ts that have been made on this board for

Engage the new light by Molly and Merritt

[KeithE]

[Tim Bonney]

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

[Tim Bonney]

[Haruo]

Where does the Bible define its canon? That's only the beginning of the questions that for me make assertions about the infallibility or inerrancy of 'the Bible' moot if not idolatrous.

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]