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mlsoft

11/10/05 3:12 AM

#136340 RE: harrypothead #136332

harry...

I do not have time at this hour to give a full response to your post, but from the article it is clear that the writer's theology is quite liberal and that he rejects much of the teaching of Scripture (that which he finds objectionable) while accepting those ideas with which he agrees. That is not the way to approach Scripture, where all of it is to be accepted as authoritative and to be obeyed.

"I am a Christian who believes the doors of the church should open wide for all and I am more concerned about the content of one's character than anything else.

Long ago the congregation I pastor adapted this statement: “Our congregation knows some measure of God's grace, compassion, mercy, justice, peace and love. It is our desire to share this measure and more with you regardless of your age, race, marital status, physical condition, sexual orientation, ethnic or economic background. Jesus welcomes you and so do we.”


All of this sounds very nice and inclusive and what he wrote is true. The problem is not what it says, but what it leaves out that makes it contrary to Scripture -- he omits entirely God's holiness and hatred of sin, and the coming Judgement, of which Jesus often spoke. Jesus welcomes the adulterer, the fornicator, the liar, the thief, the homosexual, and all manner of sinners and bids them to come to Him for salvation, but once they do so, His command to them is to repent from their sinful lifestyles and "sin no more" and follow Him, obeying His commandments. If they refuse to do so, they are not of Him. That does not mean they are to be without sin -- none of us are. But it does mean that we are not to continue in the sinful way of life we led before.

God too, is "more concerned about the content of a man's character than anything else", but He sees us from His holy point of view which we can only know by reading His word, and not in the way that one man judges another.

The author claims to believe that "life begins at conception, yet in the same breath argues for abortion, the intentional, premeditated murder of that life. That is hardly a Christian (or Godly) point of view.

There is much in the article with which I would agree, but he comes at Christianity with a view of using it as a weapon for liberal thought just as too many folks use Scripture as a weapon for conservative thought -- both sides are wrong. God is neither liberal nor conservative -- He is God. He calls us to follow neither liberal nor conservative values, but to follow His values and commands. We do not learn His values apart from His word as found in Scripture.

mlsoft
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goodluck

11/10/05 8:30 AM

#136352 RE: harrypothead #136332

Nice post/letter, thanks for posting. I needed a dose of sanity.

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goodluck

11/10/05 6:45 PM

#136478 RE: harrypothead #136332

I thought they said that Intelligent Design wasn't "religious," it's science. Robertson's God sure is a sensitive kind of God, if his version of him bears any resemblance to truth

Televangelist Robertson warns town of God's wrath

By Alan Elsner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative Christian televangelist Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them on Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck.

Robertson, a former Republican presidential candidate and founder of the influential conservative Christian Broadcasting Network and Christian Coalition, has a long record of similar apocalyptic warnings and provocative statements.

Last summer, he hit the headlines by calling for the assassination of leftist Venezuelan Present Hugo Chavez, one of President George W. Bush's most vocal international critics.

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city," Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, "The 700 Club."

"And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there," he said.

The 700 Club claims a daily audience of around one million. It is also broadcast around the world translated into more than 70 languages.

In voting on Tuesday, all eight Dover, Pennsylvania, school board members up for re-election lost their seats after trying to introduce "intelligent design" to high school science students as an alternative to the theory of evolution.

Adherents of intelligent design argue that certain forms in nature are too complex to have evolved through natural selection and must have been created by a "designer." Opponents say it is the latest attempt by conservatives to introduce religion into the school science curriculum.

The Dover case sparked a trial in federal court that gained nationwide attention after the school board was sued by parents backed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The board ordered schools to read students a short statement in biology classes informing them that the theory of evolution is not established fact and that gaps exist in it.

The statement mentioned intelligent design as an alternate theory and recommended students read a book that explained the theory further. A decision in the case is expected before the end of the year.

In 1998, Robertson warned the city of Orlando, Florida that it risked hurricanes, earthquakes and terrorist bombs after it allowed homosexual organizations to put up rainbow flags in support of sexual diversity.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051110/ts_nm/religion_robertson_dc