Blogogetics » General Info

Big words for little ideas

Luke Shiras — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 17:01:53 +0000

I thought it was a good idea to explain some words that tend to get thrown around in theological discussions but I realized, the folks over at Theological Word of the Day (TWOTD) have already done that. So here are some key words (and their meanings) about why we started this site. Hopefully we can have more fruitful discussions if we all used the same meanings when using our big words. Or at least be able to explain what we mean with our big words. Oh, and if you haven’t already, you might want to subscribe to TWOTD. Apologetics (Gk. apologia “an answer”) Apologetics is the discipline of defending or giving an answer for the faith to those who have questions or objections to the Christian faith. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Significant apologists today include J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig, Robert Bowman Jr., and Alvin Plantinga, among others. Theology Gk. theos, “God” logos “discourse” A reasoned study of God. Theology is a [...]

Big words for little ideas

Hyper-Calvinism

Luke Shiras — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:11:14 +0000

You’re probably here because someone accused us (or you) of being hyper-Calvinists. Hyper-Calvinism is a term of derision that today is often used to negatively label anyone with a strong theological view of God’s sovereignty in the affairs of men. A legitimate understanding of hyper-Calvinism, in its technical sense, appears to be lost today. It seems as if anyone to the right of one’s own theological position is fair game to be labeled a hyper-Calvinist. For example, Arminians regard any who hold to unconditional election as hyper-Calvinists. The four-point Calvinist views the five-point Calvinist as “hyper” because he holds to a limited atonement. We also find five-point infralapsarians referring to five-point supralapsarians as hyper-Calvinists because of their view of the relationship between the fall of man and God’s predestination of the elect. But there is such a thing as hyper-Calvinism Read What is Hyper-Calvinism? by Jim Ellis for an in-depth study of the issue. His conclusion posted below. Simply stated, it consists of two fundamental errors: a denial of duty-faith and a resultant denial of the universal call of the gospel. These fundamental errors are a departure from the teaching of Scripture as well as historic Calvinism. These errors were [...]

Hyper-Calvinism

Controversy

Duane Smets — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:07:47 +0000

What do you do when two “scholars” or “theologians” or “pastors” or “people” disagree on something? What do you do with controversy? There are three main views. 1) Balance. Some think the truth is always somewhere in the middle. 2) Unity. Some think truth pertains only to the things there is no disagreement. 3) Conviction. Others think truth must be worked for by considering both positions and settling on one with a full conscience. Our Motivations It is difficult to separate this discussion from the issues of the heart and its motivations. For no doctrinal or theological or intellectual issue is really just a head matter but our past experiences, biases, and sometimes sinful inclinations effect the way we think about or handle an issue. Our personal presuppositions matter. Often times the vie for balance is motivated by either laziness or disillusionment. That may sound harsh but usually a person who always thinks the truth is in the middle really has not took the time to thoroughly study both viewpoints (laziness) and feels overwhelmed by the amount of information or disagreement on the subject so they preemptively conclude neither position can be wholly true. Often times the vie for unity [...]

Controversy

The Theoanthropos – a hypostatic union

Duane Smets — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:03:34 +0000

Introduction Theos is Greek for God and anthropos is Greek for man so the theoanthropos is God-man, referring to Jesus Christ. Hypostatic means a state union between two substances, ousias, or natures in one unified person. The Westminster Confession describes the hypostatic union this way, “The Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God became man, and so was and continues to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person, forever.” Why is this important? With a word like “hypostatic” I’m guessing that the tendency in our minds is to think that this is simply high theology, mere speculative information, that belongs to white bearded men stuffed in ivory towers. That this is an area of theology which really isn’t all that important but may be sort of fun for us to think about. But don’t let the language fool you. Words are helpful tools, I love big words because they are a way of short hand…you can say a lot in a very little amount of time or give good explanations, if the people you are talking to know what those words mean. So yes, words are helpful [...]

The Theoanthropos – a hypostatic union

Gospel and State

Thomas Moller — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:19:52 +0000

To the community of believers, empowered by Gospel of Jesus Christ. An Appeal of Gospel Application in the voting process. Please forgive the length of this letter, it is not my intent to bowl anyone over with words, but any shortening on my part may be misconstrued. For a summation of this letter refer to the last page. Also please forgive any typos in this! After talking to individuals within our church I have come to understand that there is widespread confusion as to how being faithful to Scripture, through political action, to help encourage city-wide shalom (peace), is attained. In other words I have seen a “disconnect” between how we view God, and how God informs the state, and therefore; how we think and vote in this civic process to attempt to maintain a unity between Scripture and state. Because of this disconnect, we don’t know how to enjoin God’s idea of city-wide shalom and our role in encouraging this through a vote, or whether this is even proper. As an elder of Kaleo it is my responsibility to shepherd you through this thought process and help you make an informed decision come election time. Well, election time is [...]

Gospel and State

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Duane Smets — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:03:14 +0000

The resurrection is a fabricated myth used for religious propanda, only effective with an audience of unsophisticates and children. “…after the crucifixion Jesus’ corpose was prbably laid in a shallow grave, barely covered with dirt, and subsequently eaten by wild dogs; the story of Jesus’ entombment and resurrection was the result of ‘wishful thinking.’” – John Dominic Crossan1 Introduction: - the resurrection of Jesus Christ is perhaps the most frequently and violently attacked belief of the Christianity. yet the resurrection is the “crowning proof” of the Christian faith. - of all the religions of the world, Christianity is the best one to start investigating because Christianity places its whole foundation on the one miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and says that if it did not happen then Christianity is false (1 Cor 15:14). therefore, all one has to do is disprove this one miracle and they can go on to investigate the next religion. - “the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, or it is the most fantastic fact of history.” - in order to best respond to the challenges regarding the resurrection of [...]

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Cat and the Car

Thomas Moller — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:03:02 +0000

Tico was killed by a coyote last week. Even as I type this I have to hold back the tears of a pet remembered. When I explain to my friends that my cat was killed; the words don’t capture the depth of pain and love I have for that particular cat named Tico. I want to find that perfect explanation to convey just what type of cat Tico was and why I miss him so. Ultimately the explanation is in the experience and not in the word. But I will try to explicate the experience. What follows is a cathartic reminiscing of black on white to help you understand that Tico was an original, not easily duplicated; and maybe, glean some theological, metaphysical and anthropological significance along the way. Tico was not an outdoor cat, his idiosyncrasies would not allow that. An 11-13 lb. Himalayan who was occasionally confused for a raccoon in dim light. He couldn’t run fast or far, he had a high jump of 4.2 feet. He had no interest in objects that crawl, slither or scurry, and if you placed him among the bears on my bed you’d be hard pressed to distinguish between fabricated and [...]

The Cat and the Car

is Once Saved, Always Saved?

Luke Shiras — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:24:05 +0000

Perseverance (or preservation) of the saints is also known as “eternal security.” The word saints is used in the Biblical sense to refer to all who are set apart by God, not in the technical sense of one who is exceptionally holy, canonized, or in heaven (see Saint). The doctrine asserts that, since God is sovereign and his will cannot be frustrated by humans or anything else, those whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until the end. Those who apparently fall away either never had true faith to begin with or will return. This doctrine is slightly different from the Free Grace or “once saved, always saved” view advocated by some evangelicals in which, despite apostasy or unrepentant and habitual sin, the individual is truly saved if they accepted Christ at any point in the past; in traditional Calvinist teaching, apostasy by such a person may prove that they were never saved. Perseverance of the saints is a controversial Christian teaching that none who are truly saved can be condemned for their sins or finally fall away from the faith. The doctrine appears in two different forms: (1) the traditional Calvinist doctrine found in [...]

is Once Saved, Always Saved?

The Death of Celebration

Thomas Moller — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:46:12 +0000

Originally written Mar 18, 2005 I have had a few months to reflect on the tsunami that killed upwards of 250,000 people in Southeastern Asia . I have heard sermons, read obituaries, and seen images that evoked a range of emotions. I have talked to people that tell me we should celebrate the life of the deceased and not dwell on the death. And I have attended a memorial in the past with this same sentiment. The memorial service was celebrating the life of a former college professor of mine who died prematurely and in “celebration” the service was held on the beach at one of his favorite surf spots. I suppose this memorial service was intended to be a kind of subtle reminder of the new day we all have as we reflect on another’s death. I have also heard the plaintive conversation between a mother and her child: “Mommy, do you and Daddy love me?” “Of course we love you, Honey! Why do you ask?” “I was just wondering who will love me when you die.” That child was asking a much deeper question than most of the commentaries and analyses I have read over the deaths that [...]

The Death of Celebration

God, Creation and Evolution

Duane Smets — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:44:35 +0000

Introduction: the purpose of this teaching is three-fold: 1) to demonstrate that belief in the theory of evolution does not prove God does not exist and one can believe both in the theory of evolution and God at the same time. 2) to demonstrate evidence for the existence of God as creator which does not require or exclude the theory of evolution. 3) to demonstrate specific scientific difficulties with the theory of evolution. I. A Compound Argument for the Existence of God A. “Why is there something rather than nothing?” > when we look around the room we begin to realize that for everything we see there is a chain of cause and effect relationships that got them there. B. the problem of “infinite regression” 1. we cannot infinitely keep tracing the effects and their causes there must be a starting point, one cause that started it all. an uncaused cause. 2. actual infinites do not exist (illustration of a rabbit & turtle race: if the turtle is given any amount of lead the rabbit could never catch up if there is an actual amount of infinite points of distance to cross) C. what is this first cause? call it [...]

God, Creation and Evolution