tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post631546273512163023..comments2024-01-24T10:39:27.668-05:00Comments on Coming Untrue: How Not to Crash and Burn (60) Dr. S. L. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06303707167715370504noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post-69545588635955513982019-05-25T20:20:54.390-04:002019-05-25T20:20:54.390-04:00I had about 20 years I'd love to get back. It ...I had about 20 years I'd love to get back. It wasn't spent particularly sinfully, but it was certainly less profitable than it ought to have been. <br /><br />You're right: it comes down to choice. God does not force us to spend the necessary time and effort to make the connections he'd love to be able to show us. Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00346761712248157930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post-41255272807825240042019-05-25T18:59:04.321-04:002019-05-25T18:59:04.321-04:00And this is where the difficulty comes in.
I was ...And this is where the difficulty comes in.<br /><br />I was talking to a Protestant once and he said "We can certainly interpret and apply God’s words with the aid of his Spirit, but we must do so without introducing ideas that are not really there."<br /><br />Then I was also talking to a Catholic once and he said "Most of our difficulties with understanding scripture come when we import our own preconceptions into it rather than simply hearing what it is saying." <br /><br />Now both of them thought that their perception and interpretation of the situation is the correct one. <br /><br />We all know the end result, which is, for most people, we'll follow whoever we think makes most sense to us and offers the best deal with regard to minimizing inconvenience. For example, the Center for Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which is evangelical Protestant<br /> estimates that there are currently 47,000 Protestant denominations on earth (which is probably an exaggeration). <br /><br />Nevertheless, it suggests that most people are not bent on spending time on working out the "correct" way to figure out the Bible but simply prefer to let someone else do it and then follow that. Put another way only few are willing to trade watching Games of Thrones for scholarly interpreting Bible contents, which may simply be a lack of aptitude (besides interest) to start with. If you think about it that does not make much sense and the main question here is why should there be any confusion or lack of clarity about what God has said and meant at all? I suspect that in the final analysis it always comes down again to free will.<br />Qmannoreply@blogger.com