tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post1780220895308465629..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: Trying to be a ChristianRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-67543161445172214232011-02-09T15:51:25.057-05:002011-02-09T15:51:25.057-05:00As I recall, I was 16, going on 17. I felt led to ...As I recall, I was 16, going on 17. I felt led to read the NT. I began with Matthew. As I read, I believed. And I came under conviction.stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16547070544928321788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-19844775940464328542011-02-09T10:34:28.627-05:002011-02-09T10:34:28.627-05:00Steve wrote, “2011 will mark my 35th year as a Chr...Steve wrote, “2011 will mark my 35th year as a Christian.”<br /><br />Would you mind elaborating on your conversion experience? To what event or moment do you index your becoming a Christian? As I understand it, some Christians are not aware of a specific moment when they passed from death to life.Distant Cousinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05765621905219905064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-15353622859863949632011-02-08T05:12:11.526-05:002011-02-08T05:12:11.526-05:00The person Steve quotes refers to "the amount...The person Steve quotes refers to "the amount of work I was doing to patch over the Bible's teachings". What about all of the work he now has to do to dismiss Biblical miracle accounts, dismiss extra-Biblical miracle accounts, justify his latest moral standards, dismiss arguments for God's existence, etc.? Skeptics have their own forms of inerrancy to defend. A naturalist, for example, can't let a single miracle account stand. Those who abandon Christianity exchange one set of difficulties for another, but they seem to give so much less consideration to their newfound difficulties. They're so focused on the previous ones, and so interested in avoiding them, that they say little or nothing about the new difficulties they've taken upon themselves. Often, their thinking seems to be so shallow that they don't even realize that this sort of comparison has to be made, or they make it in a hasty and lopsided manner. They're so focused on throwing off the chains of Christianity, even if it means taking up heavier chains of some other type.Jason Engwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17031011335190895123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-7718935408847477622011-02-08T01:53:08.305-05:002011-02-08T01:53:08.305-05:00That does help, thanks Pete - not surprising for a...That does help, thanks Pete - not surprising for a guy whose name means "rock" :)Matheteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13527032591499860552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-79857400241647670662011-02-07T23:38:25.363-05:002011-02-07T23:38:25.363-05:00Mathetes,
How quick a stoning death is depends en...Mathetes,<br /><br />How quick a stoning death is depends entirely on who does it. Most of us know about stoning only through the images of Islam, since they're the only people still doing it these days. But considering the way most capital punishments went back then, stoning, even in the Islamic way, is actually fairly quick.<br /><br />In the ANE, capital punishment was supposed to be torture until death. That's how virtually every culture did it. That's why it wasn't at all unusual that the Romans would use crucifixion for their capital punishment, even though someone could take up to a week to die during that method--and in those cases, death was usually due to exposure. The Greeks and Egyptians, or even the Assyrians and the Persians, had very unpleasant capital punishment techniques. The purpose of all of them being that not only would the criminal (or innocent person, as could sometimes happen) die, but that his manner of death would be so bad that no one would ever want to do what he did lest he die in a similar fashion.<br /><br />In other words, the bare brutality of the torture before death itself functioned as a deterrent to the behavior. So, in the grand scheme of things, stoning actually was pretty humane at the time.<br /><br />As for the other results of stoning--the idea wasn't just to kill the person, but also to make a giant pile of rocks that would serve others as a reminder that that's what happened when you broke the law. In other words, it was still for a deterrent effect, even though it was more humane than, say, the Assyrian method of hanging people (which was to impale them on a sharpened stick, and then hoist them into the air--and the impalement was designed not to be immediately fatal, as the criminal was supposed to suffer for a long time up there; and it is *THIS* type of hanging that is the basis for the verse: "Cursed is anyone who hangs upon a tree").<br /><br />As for beheadings, they are not necessarily going to be quick and humane themselves. It depends on the skill of the execution, as was discovered via many botched executions during the Middle Ages when beheadings were common. This is part of the reason why the Guillotine was invented--it was supposed to be a more human way of execution by guaranteeing it wasn't dependent upon how well someone could swing a sword or axe. Needless to say, however, that didn't work out all that well during the French Revolution.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm not sure if that gets around to answering your question completely, but I think the issue isn't quite as simple as one might think coming at it from an American culture that's been largely insulated from the brutality of the ANE.Peter Pikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11792036365040378473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-73102120243494738252011-02-07T22:53:01.083-05:002011-02-07T22:53:01.083-05:00"Barbaric because it’s realistic. The Bible i..."Barbaric because it’s realistic. The Bible isn’t a Hallmark movie with beautiful people, cute kids, watered lawns, adorable pets, and a happy ending for all concerned."<br /><br />This kind of reminds me of something I was wondering about a while ago. Hopefully it's not too tangential. Anyways, the Bible in the OT prescribes the death penalty by way of stoning. Now that's a pretty nasty way to die. Even if you agree with capital punishment (which I do), can you offer thoughts as to why such a brutal method of punishment is prescribed? Why not something quick and painless, like beheading? True, swords might not always be available, while rocks are never in short supply. But still, in that sort of case, why not go with a quick method of execution is available, and then stoning as a last resort?Matheteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13527032591499860552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-27641884971532950832011-02-07T15:29:40.355-05:002011-02-07T15:29:40.355-05:00One of your best! Thanks Steve.One of your best! Thanks Steve.Rohanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06674602320620557210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-41782584190901559562011-02-07T15:16:16.919-05:002011-02-07T15:16:16.919-05:00Thank you, SteveThank you, SteveUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06547400722995765877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-34213101721974250502011-02-07T15:07:17.221-05:002011-02-07T15:07:17.221-05:00Ben,
Short answer: no.
A penitent desire is its...Ben,<br /><br />Short answer: no. <br /><br />A penitent desire is itself a type of repentance.<br /><br />In context, the verse in Hebrews is simply making the point that, having sold his birthright to Jacob, Esau couldn't turn back the clock. <br /><br />That's not "repentance" in the evangelical sense. <br /><br />And he wasn't contrite over sin. He merely regretted a rash act which was irrevocable.stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16547070544928321788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-22259353326948669242011-02-07T15:00:36.157-05:002011-02-07T15:00:36.157-05:00"I don't know how I'd even try to try..."I don't know how I'd even try to try to be a Christian."<br /><br />Is it possible that someone tries to repent and really wants to repent but God will not let him? <br /><br /><br />(Heb. 12:16 comes to mind)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06547400722995765877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-8216898218456378472011-02-07T13:47:35.815-05:002011-02-07T13:47:35.815-05:00"Likewise, the walk of faith is a formative e..."Likewise, the walk of faith is a formative experience, with its own lifecycle. It’s own developmental stages. God shapes us by his grace and providence."<br /><br />Well said!<br /><br />I would add that the blessing of His grace in our lives is also effected by our obedience and our decision to not surrender ourselves to unrighteousness but to God, as Paul reminds the Romans and us in Chapter 6 of Romans.GREVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10415494137313565242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-25732680434571727732011-02-07T11:43:24.879-05:002011-02-07T11:43:24.879-05:00"In my observation, folks perceive lots of co...<i>"In my observation, folks perceive lots of contradictions in the Bible because they don’t acquaint themselves with the compositional techniques of the Bible writers. They seem to think that a true historical account should read just like a security camera which records every single thing that happens, in the order that it happens, from a single viewpoint. <br /><br /><br />But Bible writers have various plot devices which they use in arranging the material to make it more readable, comprehensible, and insightful."</i><br /><br />Yes!Truth Unites... and Divideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08891402278361538353noreply@blogger.com