Troubling things I hold to be true:
- The Bible is the Word of God, inspired and inerrant in its original autographs.
- There are some parts of the Bible that we are not quite sure what the original autographs said.
- Modern translations of the Bible reflect both original authorial intent and the theology of the translator.
- The Bible contains both cultural applications and timeless principles.
- Justice is more than just helping the poor.
- Justice is no less than helping the poor.
- God hates sin.
- There is a hell.
- Jesus is the only way to the Father.
- There is truth in other religions.
- God is a person who is present.
- The gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be reduced to moralism.
- Legalism in all of its forms is an affront to the message of Jesus.
- Pastors are people.
- Being homosexually oriented is not a sin, but practicing it is.
- God loves sinners, and we cannot claim to follow him yet not do the same.
- God disciplines his children who disobey.
- Love is sacrifice.
- There is no separation between the secular and sacred.
- There is a real difference between evil and good.
- Evil sometimes must be stopped by force.
- There is no such thing as a godly vote.
- Global warming is real.
- The mortgage crisis is the fault of greedy lenders AND borrowers.
- Sex finds its place only in marriage.
- Marriage is between a man and a woman.
- Salvation is as much of an event as it is a process.
- President Bush is not the worst president in U.S. history.
- President Bush is not the prime example of a godly leader.
- I am a citizen of God's kingdom before I am a citizen of the United States. Those two are not the same.
- Jesus wouldn't bomb anyone.
- Jesus will one day kill all of those who oppose him.
- Heaven isn't just later, it is now.
- Retirement is not the goal of working.
- The family unit is not the cornerstone of a good society.
- You can not legislate morality.
- We should not filter our votes by the hot-button issues of abortion and homosexuality.
- Liberalism is fiscally irresponsible and dangerously naive.
- Conservatism protects the wealthy at the expense of the poor, and permits the hating one's enemy.
- Terrorism is a real threat.
- Darwinistic evolution is incompatible with the Genesis story.
- Geological evolution is compatible with the Genesis story.
- Adam and Eve were real people.
And I could go on, and on, and on. It just seems like lately, I've had to either test/reexamine some of these things, or stand up and claim allegiance to them under criticism or attack.
6 comments:
Hey Jesse,
Great post. Thanks for the thought provoking comments. I didn't know you had a blog - someone forwarded me this link. A lot of really good thoughts, I think we definitely need to evaluate our stances sometimes, as they get out of alignment with what Christ teaches. As you may know, I have been somewhat involved politically, and I know that it is very easy allow one's thinking to begin to conform to the standard practices and procedures of this earth and not of Gods way. In contrast, I do take issue with your point 39, whereas I don't believe that conservatism HAS to be practiced at the expense of the poor, and it does not HAVE to be practiced as a protective measure for the rich. I believe in it's "least tainted" form, conservatism can be a very compassionate ideology, because it is tied with free choice, and encourages people to discover their talents and skills to utilize them to their fullest potential. Sometimes the most compassionate thing you can do for a man is to put him in a position where he is forced to discover the joys of hard work. In my opinion, a man's spirit can be crushed if he begins to think he only has, because others give. Obviously capitalism, closely tied with conservative principles has been abused and twisted, sometimes brimming with greed, but it does not have to be that way. Anyways, just thought I would provide a counterpoint. Thanks again for the post. See ya.
Hey man,
Great post. I'm on board for most of it (you know where I stand on the creation/evolution debate). One question: if heaven is not just later, but also now - can hell also be now?
Adam
Huck & Adam,
Thanks for the comments. Huck, I agree--conservatism does not have to be practiced at the expense of the poor. However, it seems to me that conservatism as it is most commonly understood and practiced in the United States is certainly a double-edged sword--it tells me that I have to work to eat (certainly a very biblical and spiritually vital principle, like you said), but it also tells me that I can keep whatever I earn. Again, I agree that conservatives should and can be compassionate... but that obligation to be compassionate has to come from somewhere outside of the conservative philosophy (you know... like the Christian faith).
Adam--I love the fact that you came up with a question that I've never thought about before. That just doesn't happen very often. Anyways, my statement about heaven being now and not just later stems from my theology on the kingdom of God being here already and not yet (as I'm sure you know all about). My theology on hell is admittedly a lot less clear. If you understand hell to be Satan's kingdom, then yes, hell can also be now in a very real sense. But if you understand hell to be the place of spiritual separation from God after death, then no, hell is always "later" and not "now".
Great comments. Thanks for taking the time to read!
Oh by the way Jesse, this is Dave Lindley, forgot to disclose that in my post. Thanks for your response, and, incidentally, I agree with it.
Dave--thanks for making that clear! I had an inkling that it was you, but I didn't want to assume. Your comments are always welcome!
If Jesus wouldn't bomb anyone, does that mean that God wouldn't bomb anyone?
Post a Comment