Cheryl Schatz

Peter, Sunday is my day off and with so many deadlines, this is probably the only day I can fit in a discussion. I appreciate that you admit that you may have come across as accusatory. I understand that you feel that you were free to “take the gloves off” because you think I was the first to be accusatory. This is the reason that I paraphrased a quote from a Calvinist even though I didn’t quote him directly or even mention that I was paraphrasing someone else. In essence this Calvinist said that people find it hard to be objective and to evaluate issues about which they feel very strongly as they find it extremely hard to have an open mind to hear what the other person is saying and they tend to evaluate the other position with prejudice. I happen to agree with that Calvinist and I said you appear very sensitive. This is one of the reasons why I said that – it is not an accusation to ask if a person is an Arminian, a Calvinist, a Dispensationalist, etc. These are categories that help one to understand the box that a person places their doctrine within (although some people have a tendency to go past the edges and it is difficult to put them in any one box). Asking about a theological box is not an accusation. If I took offense at these kinds of questions, I myself would be at a great disadvantage, because I would not be willing to hear the other person, and I could not be an effective witness to others who have accepted a doctrine that is untruthful. I have to try to be objective as much as possible and to hear and ask questions to understand as best I can. So, if you could give me the benefit of the doubt that my comments come from a place of grace and not from an attack, it would probably be easier to have a good iron-sharpening-iron discussion. By the way I am still praying for you. I do not know your circumstances, but it seems to me that there is some kind of deep hurt that may have flowed from theological issues in the past,. The Lord Jesus is able to work in these situations because He knows the hearts of all people. We can pray effectively even while not knowing the details. That said, your recent longer post is much more along the line that I have been asking you for. Instead of just saying your view fits with the context and what people were thinking at the time, you actually made an effort to look back at previous verses and spelled out what you mean by the context. I greatly appreciate that and I will respond to that in my next comment.