Too Consumed With Theology - quiz

I can't get that close to Catholicism. The book you give link to is very catholic, with its "Holy Eucharist" and other Catholic terminology.

I also can't imagine any Baptist preacher suggesting this to the congregation. I can't even imagine the looks one would get.

This wole recitition thing reminds me of the same thing done with the rosary, and I don't see the link between the two as far-fetched.

I also know of Baptists who enjoy Awake! saying there is some truth there. I can't do that. Also, I see the rosary merely a short step away in being accepted if one accepts these Catholic traditional worship methods.

 

He said, "I use the Morning Prayer outline in the Book of Common Prayer," so can you copy and paste something from that prayer online that isn't biblical in your opinion and explain why? Otherwise, you are making a blanket judgement and unmerited argument, which I think is the point Tom was making.

Just because a particular denomination produces something doesn't automatically make it in "error." For example, I obviously disagree with Calvin's soteriological views, but his works on prayer are really good. You don't have to agree on every point of doctrine to find merit in the works of other believers.

 

I guess then I would have to consider Catholics believers to accept that. Coming from a very Catholic background, and town, I don't see it that way. I suppose thats the thing not seen in both of our points. And I don't see Catholicism as a denomination.

There may be some Catholics saved.

To me, that book and rosary are the same things.

It's like Piper talking about receiving infant baptism, I can't do that brother.

Would you consider reading Awake?

I can't, and I don't think there to be any believers there.

Also, I don't read Olsteen, to me it is a false Gospel he preaches.

It all depends on our view of separation I suppose. So my statements are based on a differing platform of my own Biblical separation convictions.

Just asking, would you personally have a problem with praying the rosary for devotions?

My library of course has books from many different points of Christianity, but none Catholic.

 

The list of morning prayers to which he referred just looked like a list of scriptures directly quoted from the bible. That was my only point. It didn't seem to merit any objection. Enough said.

 

I guess I don't see any list of morning prayers anywhere that I could reference that to, all I got was the link to a book at amazon showing what the book looks like, and its description. Maybe I am talking about the wrong thing. I might have looked at the wrong post, but I thought it was #91 I could be wrong.

 

The Lord bless you a 1000 times more as much as you have in your life now.
amen

 

Thanks! May He also bless you! :thumbsup:

 

Back to the OP, I think moderation is the key to all things. We are certainly told to study the scriptures, but anything can be done in excess. What profit is there in great knowledge if it is not applied? If a person is living like the devil, what value is knowledge? So, there has to be a healthy balance, it is far more important that we trust God and obey him than simply acquire knowledge.

I mean, which is really more important, to spend all your time studying, or witnessing to your neighbors? I have known some fairly simple people who are great soul-winners, who will receive greater rewards, the scholar or the soul-winner?

I also think at times theology overcomplicates the simple. Some obsess with unanswerable questions such as why one person chooses to believe while another doesn't. This is like asking why one person prefers mustard on a hot dog while another person prefers ketchup, this can never be determined through study. Jesus said some men love darkness because their deeds are evil, the scriptures say some take pleasure in unrighteousness. That is a simple answer and good enough for me.

I do think a person should know enough to defend their personal position, and to contend for the faith against false doctrine. But even here the goal is to present the true gospel so others might hear and be saved, not that we be puffed up with knowledge.

 

I think Paul reminds us that either of these is pretty useless without love.

 

Show me a soul-winner and I'll show you a man who loves his neighbor.

 

That typically would be the case, but not necessarily:

Matthew 23:15:
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are."

I'd just reverse that by saying, "Show me a man who loves others and I'll show you a soul-winner."

 

You cannot be TOO consumed with theology. Theology is the study of God. There is NO WAY to go overboard in the pursuit of the knowledge of God.

The major problem in this culture is not too much education- it is way, way, way too little education.

The problem is, by and large, a wholesale abrogation of theological education. This is great wickedness. It is the root of the apostasy of our culture.

Thank God there seems to be a revival in the young generation for the knowledge of God.

 

Bob,

Maybe I'm reading you wrong but I get the impression that you don't care for a study of systematic theology (based on years of study) maybe perhaps because you want to declutter your mind. The thing is, the writers of these systematic works are using their internal/external influences and experiences to guide the reader to their understanding of the faith. So it is important in my opinion to verify/compare what they write to the teaching of the Bible.

Regardless, your selection of Oden is in my mind interesting for a number of reasons including but not limited to the fact that he is by some definitions not an evangelical and if you take even a casual look at the bibliography in his 3 volume set he uses works that are not christian.

And not to throw out guilt by association but I'm on friendly terms with a retired UM pastor who loves Oden's theology and is a personal friend of Oden. My friend is an aboslute liberal, the kind who uses his credentials to discredit the likes of me, a laymen without letters. The kind of person who thinks people who believe the Words of the Bible are true are simpletons. I just make my stand on the Word of God, this is the source of much amusement to my friend. My point though being to back up my claim that Oden has appeal to liberals and his works rely on them (liberals) to a great extent.

Like you I try to round out my resources for a wide range of viewpoints and thus have on the Arminian shelf of my personal library Oden, Carter and Wiley plus a few smaller works such as Wynhoop and Olson. If I had to have just one Arminian theology from my collection, Oden would be the first to go, Carter would be the keeper, he has less liberal baggage in my opinion.

 

Shouldn't we who are those who like to tackle "theology" though hav eworks by calvin, Boice, oden, Grudem. Erickson etc?


that we can still be arms/cals neither but still should have the 'best" of what each side believs in in order to be 'well rounded?"