Theopoetic

The Theopoetic as Way Forward. By Jason Derr Chaplaincy Assistant – LAMM(Lutheran/Anglican Mountaintop Ministry) – SFU THE CHURCH AS S/HE IS LIVED The unavoidable truth is that the church as we know it is dying. Wherever I travel in the church I hear grumbling about shrinking attendance, the increasing isolation of the church from the post-modern generation and the lack of relevance of faith to the world. Add to that the arguments, bitter disputes and controversy’s which cut straight to our...Read Full Story

Below is an outline for the two major, Christian hermeneutical systems existing after the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment.  Being that this excerpt begins the "Systematic Theology" portion of an essay I am composing, I have included a preamble to set up context for the outlines.  Note that the Dispensational outline is, as best as I can tell, representative of the sort of Dispensationalism subscribed to by Ryrie, and other "Post-Dallas" dispensationalists.  The outline representing...Read Full Story

Apocalypse/Utopia William Stringfellows North American liberation theology/theology of the cross requires us to read the contemporary world through the apocalypse. In contrast to other popular views of the apocalypse Stringfellow does not view the text as a road map to the end of the world but instead as an imaginative telling of the possibility and future of the world captive to the principalities and powers he names as Babel. If we bring into that conversation the comments of Gustava...Read Full Story

Contrasting Baines with Waldron on Gal. 6 Galatians 6:11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, [remember Romans 2 here] but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to...Read Full Story

The following section deals primarily with, “ Section 1 of: The Lord's Coming , Israel , and the Church. 4th edition, revised and enlarged. Broom, 1881. In this section of Baines’ work, he also shows his misunderstanding of the Amillennial position. Baines writes, “ Everybody is aware of the difference prevailing among the Lord's people as to the interpretation of those passages of Scripture which foretell the future in reserve for the Church and the world. The ordinary interpretation is...Read Full Story

Baines’ Citations and Explanations of the book of Hebrews Taken from: The Hope of Israel and Creation. by T. B. Baines. “To some minds it may present a difficulty that animal sacrifices should be again spoken of But an animal sacrifice was never in itself of any value as an offering. It was but a type of the true sacrifice, and such a type may be just as suitable in remembrance of the sacrifice as in anticipation”. It is very interesting that, just today (March 27, 2008), Dr. Sam Waldron...Read Full Story

On the surface it appears as though Baines would have his readers believe that a compelling argument for the secret rapture is the fact that, other than in the passages addressed immediately above, Christ never tried to give His disciples hope of His return as being eminent, and because it is spoken of here in eminency then here Christ cannot be speaking of the end of the world because prior to that event we know other things must happen, thus Christ must here be speaking of a different...Read Full Story

Moving on to another pertinent passage, Baines furthermore dismisses the evidence of the relationship of Christians to spiritual Israel by removing verses 27-29 of Galatians 3 from their context entirely. Here is the passage in Galatians 3 in context. 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 A nd the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9 So...Read Full Story

In conclusion to the series I have posted contrasting dispensational with covenantal hermeneutics , I would like to say that I certainly think of the vast majority of dispensationalists as my brothers in Christ, and most of popular dispensational teaching remains within the bounds of Christian doctrine, though portions of it (when one considers the context of the entire canon of Scripture and the great resources we have in studies of historical theology) tend toward aberrancy. As in all...Read Full Story

Section 2 of: The Lord's Coming, Israel, and the Church. 4th edition, revised and enlarged. Broom, 1881. Baines’ misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the Amillennial view aside, here is his view on several passages that consider the Church/Israel distinction: “Now that believers are the children of Abraham is not disputed. The question is, whether they drain into themselves, and divert from Israel, the promises given under this head. In one of the Abrahamic promises, the seed named is...Read Full Story