well, I have to admit, I was unaware that correct exegesis constituted "making ridiculous statements."
And the “correct exegesis” is of course, yours?
Who said? We will let Jesus be the judge of that. He is the best judge of everything, after all.
Perhaps, if you weren't so quick to dismiss a scholastic treatment of the texts, you could come to a better understanding of how biblical interpretation is undertaken, and you wouldn't find them so "ridiculous."
“Scholastic treatment of the texts”? Who said it needs scholastic treatment? Why can’t we take the texts as they are written? Why do Jesus’ teachings need to be complex when he made them deliberately simple? When Jesus said something difficult to understand, he did so deliberately so that he could explain it to his apostles in more detail. It is their teachings that fill the Greek scriptures.
We can allow scripture to interpret itself by the use of other scripture. It does not require scholars to argue over whose interpretation is correct. Those are just the opinions of men.....which is what you are expressing.....you do understand that your opinion matters as much as anyone else’s.....You posture like a wounded animal when someone questions your beliefs....you do understand that opinions are all we have? You can believe whatever you wish......we all can. It doesn’t mean that any of us are somehow infallible.
No. They didn't. They don't even read like legitimate genealogies.
Then what was the point of recording them? Jesus had to have the right lineage to prove that his claim to be the Messiah was legitimate. Without the genealogies he had no basis for his claim. The religious leaders said that his widely acclaimed miraculous power was from the devil. But they could not argue with scripture concerning his lineage, and never tried.....all they could do was misinterpret the scriptures to justify their denial in other ways.....and call him a blasphemer. He died as an innocent man, not a criminal.
I'm tickled pink that you've finally tumbled to the error of your ways. You're forgiven.
Oh please.....that is nothing more than childish ego talking. Read my signature....
Jesus took a whip and beat the dog slap out of people who were making a mockery of sacred things. Isn't that a "lovely Christian response, and so full of lovingkindness?"
Jesus used a whip to drive animals out of God’s house of worship. The ones selling those valuable animals would never have allowed them to be lost. They would have chased after their investments. It was no place for commercial enterprise, especially when a fat profit was the reason for their presence there. Jesus never raised a hand to a single human being. He was righteously indignant about the misuse of that sacred place for extorting money from their own brothers, as it was prophesied. (John 2:16-17)
I wasn't the one who first 1) ridiculed the correct use of scholastic terms, 2) incorrectly identified my denomination and called its legitimacy into question without provocation or foundation, 3) stood in judgment of me without knowing me and intimated that I'm not to be included in the community of Christians. I wasn't the one running wild with a mistreatment of sacred text, as if I knew what I was talking about without a scholastic foundation.
1) The use of “scholastic terms” is not required in my studies. But I have no problem referring to those who can teach me about ancient languages. Unless you have a good grasp of the meanings and broader application of the terms used in scripture, misinterpretation can run riot. Nowhere is that more clearly demonstrated IMO, than with the trinity.
2) You have identified your own denomination. I looked it up....it’s not really part of mainstream Christianity, and apparently involves spiritistic beliefs and practices, (which I believe are condemned in the Bible) so I have no idea why you feel offended. Did you not remove yourself from the mainstream?
I am proud to be NO part of mainstream “Christianity”. It is so far removed from the original teachings of Christ, that I can fully understand Jesus’ condemnation of those, who at the judgment, claim him as their “Lord” (in Matthew 7:21-23) but he tells them that he “NEVER” knew them. What does “NEVER” mean?
3) Now that was rich coming from you....you ‘know what you are talking about’ according to your own interpretation of scripture....and maybe a piece of paper that says you have a degree in "theology". Does God require a degree in theology or is it only Christendom? That is all you have....man-made credentials that seem to indicate an imagined position of authority. It’s yours....and you are welcome to it. The Pharisees in Jesus' day had an imaged position of authority too, until they orchestrated the death of their Messiah.
We will allow Jesus to be the judge of anyone's authority....
I think the post was justified, given what I was handed in the first place. One tends to reap what one sows, I think.
I can see that justification is a large part of the excuses you offer for denying what scripture clearly states. We will all reap what we have sown....I am grateful that our judge is not fooled by anything or any one.
If you're taking the stance that "God is causing Corona virus, the bad economy, and civil unrest due to systemic violence perpetrated upon minority groups," that, too, is theologically untenable and a terrible argument.
Talk about running away with what was not said. I pointed to the current state of the world as a fulfillment of the end times prophesy.....'cause and effect' means that whatever is prophesied has to have a cause......humans alienated from God are the cause. (1 John 5:19) Their puppet master behind the scenes is pulling all the strings. (1 John 5:19) Perhaps the major problem affecting the “many” on the road to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14) is stated for us in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4? It’s a special kind of “blindness”....
We did all this to ourselves, largely through Trump's failings and power structures that go back centuries. This has got nothing to do with "divine retribution." Jonathan Edwards' theology went out with the abolition of slavery, equality of the sexes, and systemic homophobia. Jonathan Edwards' God is an angry, entitled, bitter white guy in a wife-beater, holding a beer can and cussing at his children. That's simply not the God the biblical redactors intended to display.
If you think the God I worship is anything like this description then what hope is there for you ever understanding who he is. It sounds like a knee jerk reaction that you have turned God into the very opposite of that fallacy, when he was never portrayed like that by Jesus in the first place. (It seems like you worship a God who wants to agree with you, rather than you adjusting your mindset to agree with him.)
God never approved of the kind of slavery practiced by the nations.
He never created the sexes to be equal, but complementary, with each assigned a role specifically outlined in the Bible. Its about knowing your place and keeping it. Competition was never promoted.
And nowhere does God condemn homosexuals....but he does condemn homosexual activity. Why? Because God is the creator of marriage and his sexual laws did not allow for unlawful sexual activity of ANY description. Sex is for scripturally legal marriage. It was for the production of children within a God ordained family arrangement......no marriage meant NO SEX. That is God’s law and it is not negotiable. There is no way to legitimize S S marriage. You can change man’s laws about it, but that does not change God’s laws. Tread carefully. Teachers in the congregation are doubly accountable.
Modern Christian theology is way beyond that of the iron-age bible writers. You seem stuck there, and I think it's because your dismissal of scholarship keeps your reasoning stuck there.
How convenient for humans to wave away what they find inconvenient in today’s "modern" world. God does not change his standards to suit 'modernity'.....humans do, and it amuses me that some think that they can dictate to God and expect him to drop his standards to accommodate the desires of fallen human flesh, rather than to raise their own standards to meet his. Sorry......but he does not do that for anyone.
