Under Much Grace

technomom wrote: “And even if you find some reasonable people to talk to, they want it to be a debate instead of fellow believers coming together to resolve differences or at least try to understand that other people’s views have legitimacy too. And to think, here we are having such difficulty communicating among people of the same language and culture, yet we demand that the Bible be read only on the surface.”

Thank you for this both passionate and well-reasoned response. As an idealist at heart (working hard to overcome cynicism), I’ve always assumed that fellow believers do want to come together to resolve intermural issues in a spirit of mutual respect for the Lord’s sake. It’s been a hard learning process realizing that if this was the norm at one time, it is certainly less true today.

I’m also recalled of James Sire in “The Worldview Next Door” in his discussion/comparison of the Christian Existentialist vs the Biblical Theist. The Biblical Theist, of course, is grounded in God’s Word; however, the Christian Existentialist is grounded in his own experience and circumstances. Because everything is contextual, all knowledge and truth is inextricably bound to the knower. It starts with the man and not with God. To bring criticism then threatens his experience and knowledge which is ultimately grounded in his own concept of self, making any criticism very personal. To bring criticism to a Biblical Theist, however, even if they are in error, does not induce the same kind of personal response. A desire to learn truth and be true to the standard makes clarification and new understanding (even of concepts that are foreign) is a welcomed venture and not a personal threat.

So, in observing these responses in those like Matt Slick, I suppose that any understanding that is not earnestly focused on God’s Word and faith in God’s guidance of His people into all truth will produce this type of defensiveness. We’re apparently now in an age where it is also acceptable to launch offensive tactics also. It’s certainly not any litmus test of someone’s doctrine, but it may indicate from whence one derives his confidence. (I hope my witness demonstrates that my confidence is rooted and grounded in the Lord and His Word, moreso with each passing day. I pray that for Matt Slick and all these others like him in the body. And Cheryl’s demonstrating a fine example, IMHO.)