I’m a Bible Christian of sorts. But there is nothing so foreign to the Bible as “the Bible alone” and “faith alone”. So I’m not afraid to use the intellect God gave me and to profit, I hope, from the insights of others who love God and seek truth (even Aquinas or Scotus or the Pope!).
Speaking of the Baptists, I do have to say that as a boy I too went to a Baptist church with a friend on several occasions and even publicly accepted Jesus (a big deal for a boy of 9-10 years old) and was “saved”. That act of faith was a big step in my life. My friend’s family was profound in their faith and love for Christ; but as my friend grew up he began to live a very scandalous life. According to them, that was “okay” because he was “saved”—very illogical and unbiblical—the kind of predetermination/predestination you wrote of earlier (how one could be destined for Heaven yet not freely cooperate with God’s grace or even blatantly reject it can be a scary doctrine, and it’s not biblical). This was one of the experiences that helped me to realize the importance using my intellect and looking at tradition to understand better what the Bible really means and how to follow Christ.
I’m clocking out until Monday...
Do you believe illness is caused by "demons?" Do you believe medicine belongs in demonology? Where do you draw the line and how do you decide what is believable and what is not?