Help! I'm soooo confused

Thats Catholicism for ya. That is what sucked in alot of Protestant eggheads like Scott Hahn and Gerry Matitics. They have a knack for taking something simple, like the gospel, and turning it into something that you need a 10 year seminary education to understand.

 

The Gospel is as simple as can be! That's the way Christ intended it! Regarding the other stuff (that which makes your head spin) - it depends!

The scholarly stuff (which I personally love!) has its place and certainly has value in that place. While it is not necessary to be a theologian to be saved it really is necessary to know something about languages and history to get some of the DETAILS of biblical theology. For instance it really helps to know something about second temple Judaism, the Qumran community, and intertestamental Jewish literature if one wants to have a deep understanding of the whole way of life in NT times.

Keep the academic stuff in its place and it's great!

 

Hi JustAsIAm
I appreciate your posts in the Other Religions Forum. Carson is a Seminarian, and quite well educated. But he doesn't always stick to the Scripture. The best advice I could ever give is:

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Just answer him with Scripture if you can. God bless you.
DHK

 

Good post and one I can relate too. It is noteworthy that the men that the Lord Jesus called to be His Apostles were not intellecual giants. With the exception of the Apostle Paul, who was very well learned, they were common people.
Charles Stanley stated that the Bible is simple enough for a child to understand, but complicated enough for Phd's to debate forever.
In science, one scientist can look at a piece of evidence and say, "Random selection", another, looking at the same evedence conclude, correctly, "Intelligent design."
So it is that scholarly people, like Carson, come to the wrong conclusions. They do so, most likely out of faulty pre-conceived ideas; The evolutionist it is "there is no God," so there MUST be another explanation. For Carson it is Catholic dogma if there is something in scripture that seems to be contrary to Catholicism there MUST be another explanation.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 NKJV

Simply spending time with Him is the best education one can get.

 

Amen Watchman!

Love is power!

Smile,

Dave.

 

I have found that when the base of your belief is smothered in false doctrine or lies, it takes alot of untangling to get to the truth in ones mind. The more they are taught, the more there that has to be corrected. Facts based on untruth cannot be untangled until the beginning lies are corrected.

 

JustAsIAm, Basically, I agree with everything said above. I have spent a lot of years of my life studying cults and aberrant doctrine, and when my mind starts spinning (familiar feeling?), I go for "just Jesus." I KNOW in whom I have believed and I will clean my mind out of EVERYTHING else and just think about Him, my Lord and my Savior.

That produces a great feeling of peace and rest, and times communing with Him are wonderful. It's not that I'm trying to base any religion on feelings, but the feelings I do get when I shove all the intellectual stuff aside and simply remember Jesus and talk simply to Him -- those feelings are quite refreshing after all the other junk.

Remember, "if you have faith as a child..." Just grab onto Him as a child would and don't let go and let the other stuff pass you by.

When you are ready for another foray into intellectual combat (which, you are right, never won anyone to Christ, but it can help sharpen your own sense of discernment and logic! And, if you learn to refer everything to Bible, it will increase your Bible knowledge as well...), go ahead.

But remember who your Rock is, and remember where your Shelter is, and don't fuss about the rest.

He used fishermen and a hated tax collector for Disciples, right? Didn't need any intellectual arguments. Just faith and following.

You're doing fine.

 

What good advice!

I read more than I post on this Board and when I get into a thread that is confusing to me....I do not continue to read it.

I know what I believe and am eager to learn more, but certainly not be confused and some posters seem to contradict themselves, or at least that is the way it appears to me....so I stop reading that thread.

I also am fortunate that I have a Biblical Scholar in my home. I just ask him. He has not only read the entire Bible, but I think he has most of it memorized and you should see his reference library.

 

It's true that some people over-intellectualize, but they are no worse than those who believe ignorance is bliss. Balance between academic arrogance and willful anti-intellectualism is what is called for, IMO. Obviously, God intends us for us to use our minds (guided by the Holy Spirit), and turning them off is not an expression of trust or piety on our part.