tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065406139986258489.post3476368737808449376..comments2023-07-27T05:49:05.756-07:00Comments on C. Orthodoxy: An Evangelical ManifestoKen Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08014885672703727636noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065406139986258489.post-12675967206301994932008-05-09T18:53:00.000-07:002008-05-09T18:53:00.000-07:00The Christian Fundamentalist's response to this pa...The Christian Fundamentalist's response to this past year's election cycle highlighted the need for this call to common sense. Christian leaders, and I use the term loosely, endorsed candidates with little or no Christian conviction and often candidates who held views on abortion and gay marriage that are at odds with scriptural mandates. Too many looked like garden variety politicians who seek power at any ethical or moral cost. <BR/><BR/>I rarely am willing to sign off on anything, but I will be a signer of this Evangelical Manifesto.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065406139986258489.post-24780207234561875922008-05-08T20:06:00.000-07:002008-05-08T20:06:00.000-07:00YES!!! Can I get an "AMEN" people?? This is long...YES!!! Can I get an "AMEN" people?? This is long overdue in my opinion. I think the word "evangelical" has been hijacked.<BR/><BR/>I totally agree with your statement:<BR/><BR/> "I have many times felt shame and disappointment over the actions and beliefs of those who bear the name Evangelical, but always with the sympathy of an insider, not the derision of an outsider." <BR/><BR/>Once again, Ken, you are able to articulate things in a way that I only wish I could.Super Churchladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02441661673208075329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065406139986258489.post-54313204121165752462008-05-08T09:18:00.000-07:002008-05-08T09:18:00.000-07:00Carmen,Your point about lack of definitions is a g...Carmen,<BR/>Your point about lack of definitions is a good one, and in their absence the media creates them for itself. It's amazing how easy we can come to think that our own church or community must be an exception, since all we ever hear about from elsewhere are the crazies.<BR/><BR/>As for inerrancy, I don't have a post on it, but I really should. The short answer is that inerrancy is the belief that scripture is entirely accurate in every detail, even matters (like science, history, etc.) incidental to the point of the text. I don't see anywhere in scripture claiming this about itself, nor do I think the Bible lives up to such a claim. Examples of errors (incidental or otherwise) are trivially common: how many times did the rooster crow before Peter denied Jesus? How many angels were at Jesus tomb when Mary arrived? etc. For an inerrantist, each of these requires exegetical contortions to escape the plain meaning of scripture, whereas I don't see why such incidental details should be given such prominence - they are not the point.<BR/><BR/>Mike,<BR/>Thanks for your comment! I too appreciated their largely positive approach, but I'm glad they also included the direct rejections (of anti-intellectualism, political pandering, etc) that they did. And "Republical Jesus bobble-head doll" LOL I love it!Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08014885672703727636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065406139986258489.post-76017896318780670512008-05-08T07:38:00.000-07:002008-05-08T07:38:00.000-07:00nice analysis. i think i originally had some of t...nice analysis. i think i originally had some of the same hesitations and misgivings before reading the document, but was actually quite impressed and invigorated after taking in the whole of what it addressed.<BR/><BR/>i, too, am glad they chose not to say that creationism and inerrancy were non-negotiables. for the first, there's very little biblical justification behind whatever the latest flavor of anti-natural selection is being put forward; for the latter, somehow we can admit that we cannot prove the existence of God, but goshdarnit we have this golden egg this unprovable God laid right here. kind of stupid when you think about it ... not that thinking is a pre-requisite in any of these endeavors.<BR/><BR/>more than anything, i was motivated and energized by the very positive nature of the piece - that it wasn't yet another "here's everything we're against" rant but an effort to make the gospel again a message of "good news." that's what American Christianity has lost as it has embraced the Republican Jesus bobble-head doll.<BR/><BR/>mike rucker<BR/>fairburn, georgia, usa<BR/><A HREF="http://mikerucker.wordpress.com" REL="nofollow">mikerucker.wordpress.com</A>spud tooleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09921322553025339949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065406139986258489.post-5325213974023939122008-05-08T06:18:00.000-07:002008-05-08T06:18:00.000-07:00thanks for the heads up on this. my heritage rests...thanks for the heads up on this. my heritage rests in evangelicalism and anabaptism, and this will make for some good reading. for what it's worth, one of the things i've heard folks lament on the journalism side of life is the lack of strong definitions or characteristics of evangelicalism, i hope this helps.<BR/><BR/>also, if you have the time and don't mind, could you explain (in a dumbed-down way for my limited capacity for complex thoughts, heh) what you mean by inerrancy and why you reject it? if you've already got a post on this, just point me in that direction (if it's not one of those brain-bursting posts, heh).Carmen Andreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16611988330284931136noreply@blogger.com