Free Republic

Riddlebargers article on "sola gratia" is interesting. Sadly that many evangelicals don't understand, but Calvinism is not the Gospel. Neither is Arminianism. Further reading, though the books are not free from all doctrinal errors, are the following books which tell the facts and the truth regarding Calvinism. Dave Hunt, What Love Is This: Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God; Laurence M. Vance, The Other Side of Calvinism. See the internet at The Berean Call, and at Vance Publications, to receive these books.
Sincerely:
Scott Harrington
scotth@velocity.net

Riddlebarger's book on Amillennialism (A Case for Amillennialism, Baker Book House Company) is well-done; and the amillennial teaching agrees generally with the eschatology of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Regarding this article by Riddlebarger on "Grace Alone", most Americans are not buying into the Augustinian-Calvinist god-devil double predestinarian "Christ". We do not need to be saved from the Father by Jesus Christ, or from the wrath of God. God is love. Not wrath. Only impenitence brings wrath from God. God doesn't initiate it. Moreover .... It is a Calvinist straw man to call every non-Calvinist an Arminian, as if either Calvinist or Arminian were biblical/Scriptural choices. They are not.
Scott Harrington scotth@velocity.net

The people of Kosovo deserve tolerance of Serbs. The Serbs of Kosovo are yet other innocent casualties of the Muslim terrorist war on non-Muslims, and on Muslims they also hate.

The Serbs are being treated like trash because they are true Christians and their enemies are enemies of God and the Serbian and Macedonian, etc. Orthodox people. The true Albanians are still Orthodox.

Dear jecIIny: I believe the Eastern churches should get together before considering any kind of merely "political" alliance between the Orthodox Church and the papal Church of Rome ... unity is doctrinal and eucharistic (sacramental), and in this regard, the non-Chalcedonian (Oriental Orthodox) churches [Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Syrian, etc.) are much closer in doctrines, spirit and ethos, history, than the Constantinopolitan-Slavic-Romanian, etc. churches are with the "Roman Catholic Church". Only the Nestorians are farther away from Orthodoxy (as, of course, are the modern Arians (Jehovah's Witnesses) and Gnostics (Mormons), etc.) ... But once the churches following the "mia physis" formula of St. Cyril of Alexandria (the Oriental Orthodox Churches are merely non-Chalcedonian; none of them, at least none of them today, are "monophysites" ... they are "miaphysites", which is not about a singular nature but a composite, united nature of Christ, God the Incarnate Word, two natures united together .... in Christ.
Well, I'm no expert on this, but this division is tragic, if there is one. These people surely believe the same Christian faith, and no one today follows what were said to be the errors of Eutyches or Dioscoros .... Go figure ...
God bless you all.
It's time for the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox to come together as one (John 17), but for all the eastern churches to come out or stay out of the WCC.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Harrington, Erie, PA scotth@velocity.net

All of the Orthodox Churches should get out of the ecumenical movement or at least out of the WCC (World Council of Churches) completely. There should be a WCOC World Council of Orthodox Churches and I believe also a WCEOOOC World Council of Eastern Orthodox & Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Orthodox Churches (Chalcedonian) should work for reconciliation with the Coptic, Armenian, Syrian, Indian, Ethiopian Churches which have followed the "mia physis" teaching of St. Cyril of Alexandria but which have not accepted Chalcedon. They are wrongly labelled "monophysites"; they are "miaphysites", one united, composite unity, one composite nature of God the Incarnate Word. They hold that two natures are united in one nature or one person. I'm not sure this is anything more than semantics, and it seems clear the Oriental Orthodox have the same faith in Christ in his humanity and His divinity as the Chalcedonian Eastern Orthodox do.
Anyway, the WCC (World Council of Churches) is a Protestant scam and should be abandoned by all thinking Orthodox Christians.
Sincerely, Scott R. Harrington, Erie, PA
scotth@velocity.net

Jimmy Carter is simply uneducated and misinformed regarding matters of truth, logic, sound doctrine and belief, let alone acceptable common sense principles of political philosophy. He is dead wrong to criticize President Bush. He didn't criticize President Clinton when he was in office. Mr. Carter is biased, unfair, and is currently acting stupidly. Go figure.
Life is to short to think about what he believes. His opinions are illogical and based upon prejudice.
One thing President Bush is not handling correctly, though, is the immigration and illegal workers issues. He should be tougher on people who break our laws but get benefits law abiding citizens do not have.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Harrington, Erie, PA

Regarding the KJV (King James Version)-Only controversy; there is at least one serious doctrinal error in the KJV; in the KJV, in Romans, the text reads "The Spirit Itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." The Holy Spirit is not an "It"! The Holy Spirit is a "He"! This could encourage the Jehovah's Witnesses and Armstrongites, and the followers of Jacob O. Meyer and his "Assemblies of Yahweh", all of whom believe the Holy Spirit is not a Divine Person, but rather an impersonal energy force, a mere "it". This is a SERIOUS ERROR in the KJV. Only the Greek Old Testament LXX and the Greek N.T. Textus Receptus (Byzantine/Majority texts) are inspired of God the Holy Spirit.
Sincerely, Scott Harrington
Erie, PA

On relics of Saint Andrew It's time for the Vatican to honor the common saints of the Orthodox Church. My favorite Apostles are Andrew, John, and Peter.
Scott in Pennsylvania