Pithy Quotes often = Poor Theology.

[asterisktom]

I suppose to make it more in line with a particular theological philosophy one would have to say (for instance):

"There but for the Common grace decree of an absolutely Sovereign Triune God (from the calvinistic 5 point Supralapsarian point of view) go you or I".
HankD

Hard to fit all that on a bumper sticker.

 

[asterisktom]

:thumbs::thumbs:

I see this on Facebook as well...

Alas! Facebook is blocked here, as are almost all blogs and videos and many other sites.

 

[asterisktom]

No, stay in China. This place is overrun with goofballs!

Case in point right here. You have an excellent footer (your Bible quote) coupled with a comment that is contrary to the spirit of it. You don't bother me with your "goofball" comment. I just wonder about you.

Here is another goofball comment for you, brother: We all need very much God's gracious teaching. As we do our best to treat others with respect - especially those who name the name of Christ - we are better able to receive God's ongoing wonderful grace.

In a cab yesterday I was witnessing to a lady, a fellow passenger, about what it means to be a Christian. The thought occurred to me: "I really hope she doesn't meet some of the Christians that I know." Up to this point she has been very impressed with us.

And I hope she never signs up on this board. We would have, as Ricky Ricardo used to say to Lucy, "a lot of 'splainin' to do."

 

[HankD]

No, stay in China. This place is overrun with goofballs!

But aren't we all considered that by the world?

HankD

 

[HankD]

Hard to fit all that on a bumper sticker.

Buy a bigger car?

HankD

 

[thomas15]

And I hope she never signs up on this board. We would have, as Ricky Ricardo used to say to Lucy, "a lot of 'splainin' to do."

A good place to start splainin would be with Bible in hand, showing where there is clear teaching of some who say Jehovah made an actual covenant of grace with man, that the Bible teaches that the gentile Church is actually Israel and then move on to a post mill kingdom and then finally a preterist answer to why with all of the Biblical details given for the time when Jesus returns, it is simply the sacking of Jerusalem by Titus that proves that Jesus returned in 70 AD. None of this is clear from the Bible and yet you think I have some splainin to do because I think some here on this board might possibly be a goofball?

 

[asterisktom]

Buy a bigger car?

HankD

Off-topic rant:
We sold our car for junk in Florida for $400. That was only a little more than what it would have cost for tags, license, etc. That state is crazily expensive when it comes to those kinds of fees.

We are now happily carless here. But bus fares are only 17 cents, cabs a little over a dollar for anywhere in the city.

 

[Skandelon]

Have you ever noticed that pithy, well-worded quotes often promote wrong ideas more than right. A case in point is this one Ijust noticed here on this board:

“We might be wise to follow the insight of the enraptured heart rather than the more cautious reasoning of the theological mind.” - AW Tozer

This could very easily be pared down to "Man's heart is wiser than the Word of God."

Now I know that Tozer did not quite mean this. However I put "quite" in italics. Given what Tozer has written - his frank endorsement of several of the Roman Catholic mystics (several of whom were enemies of the Reformers) - he shows a willingness to trust "enraptured hearts" more than he should. He downplays that...
1. The heart is deceitful. Who can know it?
2. "Enraptured" is a nebulous, subjective term. It is useless as a guide for growing Christian. Unlike the guideline of the Word of God.
3. He also downplays the Bible and those who teach it.

My point, getting back to our time, is that we are too prone to base our theology, and our evangelism to others, on catchy quotes. We don't rely enough on the Bible, patient teaching of it. Trusting God to enlighten (not enrapture) those He calls.

Spoken like a man who has had much experience with theological concepts and very little with "enraptured hearts."

The scribes of Jesus day were the theologians who knew their scriptures backward and forward, but what did they lack? Knowing God. An enraptured heart. A first love.

That is all Tozer was saying, IMO. Sometimes we must back away from our theological speculations, our debates over nuances of this verse versus that verse, and be influenced by a babe in Christ who just loves God with all his heart and wants to serve him passionately. I love hanging out with new believers like this. They encourage and challenge me. They remind me not to lose my first love. That is all the quote is intended to invoke...sometimes it might be wise to "become like a child." Wait, I think someone important said that.

 

[Skandelon]

By the way, I just read back over that and I should note that 'it takes one to know one,' in that I tend to be more 'theological' and less emotional and loving, so that Tozer quote is more a reminder to me than any kind of a criticism of another. Sorry, if that wasn't clear. I can't judge your heart, I barely know mine.

 

[HankD]

We can have both, there can be a balance between intuitive passion and cautious doctrine.

I think Tom is talking about being overly lopsided in one direction.

HankD

 

[Skandelon]

We can have both, there can be a balance between intuitive passion and cautious doctrine.

I think Tom is talking about being overly lopsided in one direction.

HankD

:thumbs: Good advice. It's just that here in a theological debate forum we seem to be more tilted toward the doctrine and less so with the passion.