Roger,
I feel rather badly for asking this, but (since this is about musings) I'll go ahead...
In your view, do God's ethics change like our ethics change? God wanted the Israelites to wipe out the Jebusites (among others) - was God so ethically challenged at that time that He wasn't aware how utterly abhorrent it was? Isn't such a God worth of condemnation, not just "reform" as you say Jesus did with regard to God and divorce? (Although we, in our post-modern ethical competency, have done a good bit of "dis-reforming" Him back on the issue of divorce!)
If we don't stop to ask "Why" God might have commanded these things AND we get an answer that is ethically acceptable for all times, then aren't we simply changing God instead of God changing us (when we contrast Him with the NT God)? Why not simply discard the unethical God of the OT? Shouldn't that ethical-drag-of-a-deity be jettisoned to preserve our more Christian sensibilities? How are we to keep on progressing with such an anchor?
If we can't find acceptable reasons for Capital Punishment in principle, we can hardly call the OT God good. Jesus called the OT God good - the only One who was good. I shall defer to Jesus and I invite you to join me in doing so.
-Tim
That's one way to be non-Reformed...
ReplyDeleteIs that code for I use a sharpie and scissors on my Bible?
ReplyDeleteOlson: "I am not a biblical inerrantist."
ReplyDeleteAs a response to Tim Reisdorf's question, what the heck does Olson's response mean??!?
That Olson believes that some of the OT accounts are wrong and in error?
I'm flabbergasted. But I shouldn't be.
So, Steve, are you implying that disqualifies Dr. Olson from being a Christian? I'm asking a question, and not making a statement.
ReplyDeleteSince he repudiates OT theism, he lacks a credible profession of faith.
DeleteOlson has to reject any teaching of Jesus that doesn't fit with Olson's preexisting beliefs. He admits that.
ReplyDeleteOlson worships an imaginary invention. Hard to call him a Christian. Better to appeal to him to humble himself and submit to God as He has revealed Himself in the scriptures.
For some reason I'm not surprised. His open theology already made him apostate, but he's been treating God's revelation with disdain for a long time. The question now is the same for all self-described Christians who deny the reliability of the Bible: I wonder how he figures he knows what he thinks he knows about God since he doesn't think the Bible is good enough to rely on.
ReplyDeleteSteve how about guys who denied the historicity of Adam I read elsewhere that Alister McGrath is like that, do they lack credible profession of faith as well?
ReplyDelete