tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post5043671508772291327..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: Growing PainsRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-55242364335119995102015-07-05T22:46:09.880-04:002015-07-05T22:46:09.880-04:00FWIW I think it's well-intentioned and general...FWIW I think it's well-intentioned and generally commendable when a Christian has a fairly large public platform to use it for the sake of the kingdom, however it's possible in these situations for the Christian to misfire, and seem to do more damage to the cause of Christ than good, especially if he's naive and uninformed about the topic(s) on which he opines.<br /><br />Unfortunately Kirk's friend Ray Comfort has also had more than his fair share of gaffes.<br /><br />But at the end of the day I'd still prefer to see boldness and speaking out rather than timidity and silence. The Lord can even use the gaffes and foolishness of His people to advance His cause, and His power is perfected in our weakness.CRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03231394164372721485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-72841067992272598012015-07-05T18:18:39.987-04:002015-07-05T18:18:39.987-04:00When Jesus' life on earth ended, had he caused...When Jesus' life on earth ended, had he caused the world of his day to stop being immoral? When the apostles died, the Roman empire was still corrupt. Does that mean the apostles failed to do what they should have done on their watch, took their hands off the wheel, etc.?<br /><br />I suspect that Kirk Cameron and others who argue along these lines (<i>many</i> people do it) are largely relying on some Biblical principles taken out of context. There are many Old Testament passages about how responsible the religious leaders of Israel were for the depraved state of their nation, for example. But religious leaders in a culture like the United States aren't in as high of a social position as the religious leaders of ancient Israel. Furthermore, modern Americans aren't nearly as dependent on their religious leaders as people were in ancient Israel. We have a far higher literacy rate, much better technology, much more access to information, etc. I see no rational way to avoid the conclusion that church leaders in a culture like the United States are significantly <i>less</i> responsible than church leaders have been in contexts like ancient Israel, whereas laymen are now significantly <i>more</i> responsible than they were in Biblical times. Circumstances have changed, and we need to make adjustments accordingly. Only about twenty percent of Americans attend church weekly (research has shown that about half of the forty percent who claim to attend church are lying), and many of those are attending non-Evangelical churches. Evangelical pastors have somewhat of an influence on American culture, but not a lot.<br /><br />There are some New Testament passages about judgment beginning with the house of God, not judging outsiders, etc., but, once again, those principles need to be kept in context. The same Biblical authors criticize the Jewish and pagan culture of their day, tell their readers to shine as lights in their corrupt culture, tell their readers to confront the world's sin at the same time that they're addressing sin within the church, etc. It's true that we don't judge outsiders in the sense of having certain types of authority over them and disciplining them, but Jesus, the apostles, and other Biblical figures frequently tell us to judge outsiders in <i>other</i> ways (John the Baptist's criticisms of Herod; Paul criticizing the pagan authorities he interacted with by calling them to repent; Paul opposing his pagan opponents in legal contexts, including by asserting his innocence and claiming rights as a Roman citizen; Paul telling the Ephesians to expose deeds of darkness; the apostle John's criticisms of the Roman empire in Revelation; etc.). The Christians of the patristic era frequently did the same. See, for example, the criticisms of Jewish and Roman culture found in Justin Martyr and Tertullian. They were aware of corruption within the church and sometimes discussed it. That didn't prevent them from criticizing the culture and trying to transform it. Jason Engwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17031011335190895123noreply@blogger.com