Subject: Is there middle ground? |
Bible Note: Hi Joe I have had little interaction with you so bear with me I’m not attacking you or what you believe, in fact I agree with much of what you have said. I think you judged Hank wrong and what he said. The discussion on Calvinism and Arminianism is a debate rather than a reasoning together. One side makes a point and the other tried to make a counter point. A reasoning together is two groups coming together to try to get an understanding of each other and their point of view. You in your rebuttal to Hank you stated some of the things you see the early church debating. However if you will read those books you referred to you will see the church not so much debating those subjects but rather exploring different held ideas about those subjects to impart a cognizant explanation of those subjects, thus the creeds and doctrines of the time. Debate was a tool used but it wasn’t debate for debate sake but rather debate to allow thinking men and women to probe the strong points and weak points and come to, again a term I will use for a lack of a better term, a mutually acceptable conclusion. In other words they weren’t arguing for argument sake they were trying to reach a mutually agreeable definition. In this forum observe the climate, it isn’t to understand the other guy it is to declare ours is right yours is wrong. Nowhere do we see someone present a scripture as “meaning this” and then others discussing alternate interpretations to it accompanied with a discussion of language structure, grammatical content, context and such until a general consensus is reached. We might discuss some of these aspects but rather than reaching a conclusion we lunge forward with a new thrust hoping to reach the hill top before others can knock us off. And I like Hank ask to what end? Again I did not write this to attack you or your belief. In Christ’s love EdB |