Religious School Fires Theologian For "Open Theism"

Christianity Today ^ | 12/22/04 | Stan Guthrie

[stuartcr]

I don't know any personally.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

I do not know what you mean?

I agree, and yet I doubt it, all at the same time.

How can that be?

Perhaps the question mark erroneously placed at the end of your declarative sentence is a hint, a bread crumb left by careless children on their way to Sunday school.

Let's check for more clues in the Old Clock Tower, shall we, Nancy?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Why do you say...'more's the pity'?

Because cursing you would be just plain wrong, objectively speaking.

[ThanhPhero]

I know. I've been around here as long as you have in one guise or another.

[ShadowAce]

I'm sorry. I thought my last post implied that I do not know.

That was my intention.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

That's two in a row for me, Stu.

You're slipping.

[stuartcr]

Wouldn't a truth then, be subjective to the time and place and society it was self-evident in? There have been times and peoples that condoned human scrifice...I imagine to them, this was a self-evident truth...not today though. How can this be an absolute? Our country legalises abortion..is this murder a self-evident truth? Why is it OK to steal to keep your family alive, but not for personal gain?

These are just a few examples. I believe these things are relative, not absolute.

[HarleyD]

"Truth is an absolute?"

Sounds like something Pilot stated to Jesus.

[DannyTN]

"I do not understand salvation"

Here's the quick version.

• God is a perfect Holy God who knows know sin.
• All men have sinned.
• God said the punishment for sin was physical and spiritual death.
• Man cannot redeem himself, because there is no good that we can do that we shouldn't be doing anyway. Ie. If it's good we should do it. If its good and we don't do it, that's sin. So unlike many of the worlds religions that teach a balance of good vs evil. God judges us according to His own expectation, not some average human expectation.
• Because we have sinned and there is no way to make it up, we are condemned to death.
• However God provided a substitute. God came to earth in the form of Jesus to show us how to live and then to become the substitute payment for us, that we might be free from the condemnation we are under.
• Repentance (agreeing with God that sin is wrong and wanting to change and do what is right), believing in Jesus, accepting Him as your Lord, and putting your trust in Him for salvation and asking for that salvation through prayer, basically constitutes a contract whereby Jesus's death is counted as payment for your sins and you receive a full pardon for sin.

  Any questions?

[jude24]

Sounds like something Pilot stated to Jesus.

Was that before or after asking him to put His tray in the upright and locked position for landing?

[DannyTN]

Knows know no sin

[xzins]

Either God must not be omniscient or the Bible must be wrong.

There are other choices.

1. Omniscience doesn't mean what you think it does. (The open theist's answer)

2. God changing his mind or being surprised doesn't mean what you think it does. (anthropopathic answer)

3. God being the creator of time means that a thing can be changed that "had been" but "suddenly is" or "suddenly never was." (the "God outside time" answer)

[HarleyD]

"Was that before or after asking him to put His tray in the upright and locked position for landing?"

What a riot. :O)

Of course I meant "Pilate".

[stuartcr]

I still don't know what you mean, but I will try to improve my grammar. Can't you just answer without being cryptic?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Nope, it's a fact. Dr. E and I have quite often disagreed.

Even about grammar, subjectively speaking. 8~)

[stuartcr]

Why in the world would you curse me?

[stuartcr]

OK

[stuartcr]

2 what?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

I am, objectively speaking. 8~)

[stuartcr]

Why do you believe this?