Posted on 12/25/2016 2:33:41 PM PST by Gamecock
The pastor of one of America’s largest megachurches stirred up Christmas controversy after preaching that the story of Jesus’ virgin birth is not crucial to the Christian faith.
“If somebody can predict their own death and resurrection, I’m not all that concerned about how they got into the world,” Andy Stanley said in a Dec. 4 sermon at North Point Community Church, which draws 36,000 attendees across six locations in suburban Atlanta. “Christianity doesn’t hinge on the truth or even the stories around the birth of Jesus. It hinges on the resurrection of Jesus.”
Read it for more depth ... he is not correct, not even technically. Those who fail to see that God’s Word throughout is about God’s plan for Salvation are reading His Word at too shallow a level, dabbling with it on an ‘intellectual’ level instead of the spiritual.
His birth, His life, His death and His resurrection are all key factors.
You can actually start with His conception in Mary’s womb ...
Lazarus didn’t raise HIMSELF from the dead. JESUS did.
I disagree, fully, completely and absolutely.
It is the birth, life, teachings, examples set and then the death and resurrection of Christ that defines Christianity.
The entire package, from start to finish, is necessary. Give up ground on one part or piece to the destructionist filth and they’ll eventually take everything else away from you too.
Well said:
1 Cor. 15:14 "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain."
We all know that Christ was born, but the details of His birth are, quite simply, far less important that those of His ministry.
I understand very well the point made about "destructionists" chipping away at anything and everything, but Christ's Resurrection transcends all other events in human history in terms of importance.
Every other detail of Christ's life could be dismissed and swept away, but the entire Faith, as the writer of I Corinthians notes, hinges on one lone tenet: the Resurrection.
I haven’t given up ground on anything. On the other hand, everyone in born, and that is nothing special. Then everyone dies, again, nothing special. Only Jesus rose from the dead of His own; and, that is the game changer.
With the conception of Jesus, GOD, The Creator of this Universe, took flesh to dwell among us. Look at what Jesus told His disciples the night before He was crucified (John 14). All we humans can see of God The Father Almighty in space and time is where He is in our spacetime coordinate system.
So, the Christ was just normally born like all the rest of us slubs, huh?
Me and you ain’t gonna agree. So, you can have the last word if you want it, but I’m so done with this particular convo.
PS. And yes. You’ve surrendered ground but simply aren’t aware enough to know it.
Yep, from a woman, no less.
Because of His death and resurrection, which is a good deal more that the rest of us slubs can manage, we can be sure of His Deity. From that we validate His Immaculate Conception and all of His teachings, and so on.
You’ve surrendered ground but simply aren’t aware enough to know it.
Smug little Pharisee, aren't you?
Yes, sure. But His resurrection proves that he is not ordinary, but Deity. All of the rest follows from that. We were not sanctified by His birth. Grace stems from His death where He accepted the punishment of our sins in our stead.
Wow. You can rearrange words!
Feeble. And malicious, as always.
The hate you spew makes no converts.
Plus, at some point, Lazarus died again.
Jesus didn’t.
And there some alive today who will not die ... in the usual sense of it. The Rapture is coming ...
Once again, here is a formally valid syllogism. You will pretend that there is something illegitimate about it, proving once again that you are without intellectual honesty.
Sally is the mother of Sam.
Sam is a fireman.
Sally is the mother of a fireman.
Oh, please. Not this again. I’ve already shown you what’s wrong with your logic.
Did Sam exist before Sally?
For the catholic’s argument to work a number of definitions and qualifications have to be issued and understood. It’s why this argument fails.
Maybe he is pushing back on the pagan aspects of Christmas.
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