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.
Pithy Quotes often = Poor Theology.
Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by asterisktom, Mar 18, 2012.
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asterisktom Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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'God helps those who help themselves'.
That's a problematic one, too. -
asterisktom Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
A. Automatically look up the context? or
B. Copy-and-paste it and add it to our repertoire of footers and one-liners that might serve some future need.
Most people use and abuse quotes rather than investigate them.
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BTW - and this is beside my point in this thread - I believe I do know something about Tozer's theology. I have been taking a closer look on his major works. You can see these articles here. I believe I understand his context reasonably well. Certainly well enough to make the assertion above in the OP.
My articles on Tozer are here:
http://asterisktom.xanga.com/528878026/aw-tozer-reconsidered/ -
asterisktom Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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Methinks thou dost protest too much.
:)
HankD -
asterisktom Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Now about my "misrepresenting": This cuts two ways. 1. My supposed misrepresenting of Tozer's writing (though the six articles I wrote, linked above) should show otherwise).
2. The misrepresenting of God's Writing. This is what short quotes do - not just from Tozer . They all misrepresent God's Word. By being pithy and catchy there has to be, the vast majority of times, something essential (though difficult) pared off. -
asterisktom Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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HankD -
"There but for the grace of God go I"
I think I have heard folks say this hundreds of times in my life. It is false and very misleading. It is usually said when someone observes another person who is less fortunate than oneself, a homeless man, a drunk lying on a sidewalk, someone born with a disability, etc...
It assumes two things that are not necessarily true, first, that the person saying this is enjoying God's grace and favor, second, the other person somehow is not receiving God's grace and favor.
Scripture shows this false, such as the poor sick beggar who died and went to Abraham's bosom, and the rich man who died and went to hell in Luke 16.
We see an example of this false thinking from the disciples themselves in scripture.
Jhn 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
The disciples falsely assumed there was some secret sin committed by this man or his parents that he was born blind. Jesus corrected them and told them this blindness was not because of sin either the blind man or his parents had committed, but that the works of God could be demonstrated through him.
So, next time you see a homeless man, do not assume that you have or are receiving God's favor more than him. The exact opposite may be true. -
asterisktom Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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I saw the quote as well on BB. I believe that the person using it (as a tagline at that!) has a context in which he is using it. Maybe it was in the same context that Tozer was using it and maybe it was in a different context. Maybe ask Skandelon in what context he is using it? I have found him to be a thoughtful, pleasant person. -
asterisktom Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
I wanted to discuss how the overuse of quotes is perhaps symptomatic of modern Christianity's low attention span and sparse concentration tolerance.
I read somewhere (Was it Neil Postman?) that, while we were awaiting a fearful Orwellian ("1984") dystopia we, instead, have been engulfed by a Huxleyan ("Brave New World") one.
In the first, freedom of thought is very rare because it is very efficiently stamped out by brute force. In the second it is very rare because the people are so distracted by entertainment, drugs, and such that they are not even able to even desire freedom of thought, let alone formulate their own free-standing thoughts.
I think there is also a collateral dumbing down in Christianity, slogans and sound bites taking the place of careful reasoning and mature Berean testing of all things.
Present company - and me! - excluded of course. ; ) -
I see this on Facebook as well... -
On the other hand some of these cliches are not totally without merit.
e.g. "There but for the grace of God go you or I...".
Though I avoid quotes and cliches of this nature this one does have some merit.
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".
Admitedly a mouthful (and your friends might think you a bit strange).
Perhaps there could be other modifications to align it with the several variations of schools of thought (that is if one is concerned about cliches and the correctness of their theological root).
Tom, you need to get back to the states (at least temporarily) to refresh your outlook on life.
HankD -
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Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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asterisktom Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Where I do not get refreshed is reading some of the comments here from those who veneer their ungraciousness with a thin veneer of cleverness. Not you of course, Hank.
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