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i do not ignore the fact that societies evolve and change over time as we can see in the rapid rise of the nones that segment of america that in surveys claims no religion to be autobiographical i once strongly held to libertarian freewill rather than a hard determinism i wed myself to substance dualism the idea that there is more to man than just meat and that we possessed some ethereal spark of divinity i also earnestly believed that there was a god that took a personal interest in me with my theology always conservative christian evolving however from an arminian to reformed theological framework over the years as previous posts will illustrate i was also staunchly conservative in my politics voting until recently a straight republican ticket over the next few blog posts i will discuss the ideas and experiences that have influenced me and i will start with the clash between free will and determinism one that is perhaps the easiest for me to articulate following i will discuss my drift from the religion of my youth a journey that was fraught with tension perhaps last i will delve into my abandonment of the idea that we are soul bearers a discussion that might perhaps be most controversial of all one may find in the end that the aforementioned topics are woven together and that one weakened strand stresses all the others i hope you stay for the discussion posted on january 26 2017 january 26 2017 by ron the efficacy of prayer i am conflicted there are things that i wish to be true but experience and reason seem to dictate otherwise christians find in their sacred texts commands to pray with the promise that their prayers are perhaps with a few conditions heard and acted upon however if god is sovereign then a prayer of petition is ineffectual in that one is attempting to convince god act in ways he would not have otherwise one is futilely attempting to change the implacable mind of god on the other hand if god is not meticulously sovereign and god does actually act on or is moved by prayer then we find ourselves in another dilemma suppose we petition god to heal someone of a life threatening malady and for the sake of argument let us assume that god providentially intervened on the behalf of another and that person was healed does it not follow that without a petition for healing perhaps god would have allowed the person to suffer maybe die in absence of prayer does god require that someone intervene on another s behalf before he acts further it seems that prayers have more influence if we gather others to pray for the same thing as if one prayer may sometimes not be sufficient to move god but perhaps he could be convinced to act if we gather others to ask along with us also does the conceit that god is not actually sovereign if he is to actually act on prayer diminish in some way the nature of god was he prior to our supplication unaware of our need as would be the god of open theology ultimately over 7 billion people the current estimated human population of earth are going to die in less than ninety years they will die of among many things malaria cancer heart disease accidents war murder suicide malnutrition and you and i will be among them we will continue to experience depression heartbreak natural disasters civil unrest and war and we all die in the end too there is the agonizing hiddenness of god the sense that all our petitions are ultimately lost in the ether that no one is picking up the phone when we call often desperately looking for hope for help yet without regard to all the aforementioned i sometimes pray there are rumors of answered prayer grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness it strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life it strikes us when our disgust for our own being our indifference our weakness our hostility and our lack of direction and composure have become intolerable to us it strikes us when year after year the longed for perfection of life does not appear when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades when despair destroys all joy and courage sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness and it is as though a voice were saying you are accepted paul tillich posted on december 10 2011 april 11 2015 by ron can random mutations and natural seletion build a cambrian animal posted on november 14 2011 june 3 2012 by ron 3 comments don t place yourself under a curse addendum12 8 11 the thoughts below are directed more towards those who preach that the christian or his or her finances are cursed if they do not give their church a tithe robert morris perry noble sundry ifbers etc while i personally do not believe that tithing is required in the new covenant i certainly do not disparage those who disagree and tithe out of love of god let me offer as a prologue to this essay a bit of text from the epistle to the galatians galatians 3 10 14 for all who rely on works of the law are under a curse for it is written cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them now it is evident that no one is justified before god by the law for the righteous shall live by faith but the law is not of faith rather the one who does them shall live by them christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree so that in christ jesus the blessing of abraham might come to the gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith last sunday i made my third visit to a local church one where i had previously enjoyed grace centric preaching however what i heard on november 13 was not far removed from what i have heard so many times at the local mega church what i heard was proof texting of biblical text what i am struck by is the massive lack of distinction between the law and the gospel offered freely to those not under the jurisdiction of the mosaic law when i hear tithing positively preached i hear an attempt ultimately doomed to failure to mix oil and water i see moses dressed in a jesus suit among the oft repeated rebuttals to grace givers one heard in the aforementioned sermon is that you should look to ten percent of the gross income as a starting point in ones giving now when i hear silly distinctions being made between giving off the net or gross of using the law as a starting point of obedience my mind immediately connects such to the well intentioned but damning attitude of the first century religious elite of 2nd temple judaism putting up extra biblical barriers around the law so as to protect people from breaking the law jesus was harsh in his rhetoric to those people as said in previous articles the topic of tithing is not so much about financial stewardship or generosity but absolutely about romans 8 1 there is no condemnation for those in christ jesus if you are in christ neither you nor your finances are cursed by lack of adherence to the law of moses to assert such is to preach as paul affirms in the book of galatians another gospel if not by the tithe then how should the redeemed give by grace as the spirit leads the regenerate to whom should we give first to those in the church who are in need second to the true teachers and preachers for they are worthy of double honor third charitably to those in the world how much should we give we should give sacrificially we should also be content with what we have not coveting the newest latest biggest and best being on guard because our hearts are idol factories too sacrificial giving for one may be two percent while another may be able to give 90 percent without sacrifice jesus cares more about the attitude of your heart rather than the percent of income given you know what each and every one of us in the church will fail to live up to the aforementioned standards to some degree left to my own devices i will covet the next digital hand held device though i do not need it you will covet a newer better automobile even though what you own is serviceable there is grace through christ for us as we struggle sometimes failing against the competing gods in our hearts for there is no condemnation for those in christ jesus it is by grace that those idols will be torn down i will conclude with a short and far from exhaustive rebuttal to some common arguments regarding the tithe 1 the tithe predates the law so does circumcision and animal sacrifice do you suggest a return to these types and shadows also those who assert that the tithe is relevant for the church also mention abraham s tithe to melchizedek in genesis 14 18 20 understand this is a tithe off the spoils of war other peoples property it was a unique event 2 jesus seems to affirm tithing in matthew 23 23 jesus is speaking prior to his crucifixion and resurrection to those still under the law too is this text more about the lack of mercy and justice on the part of the pharisees 3 the first ten percent is holy to the lord all that you think do give earn all that you are should be holy and christ honoring you were purchased at great price you do not belong to yourself but you are a bond servant to christ you don t get a pass for the remaining 90 percent also there were three tithes in the old testament not just one totaling 23 3 percent one tithe was performed every third year too in a culture that had and used money tithing was rarely money some might find deuteronomy 14 22 26 interesting as to how the tithe was sometimes used especially those who think all should abstain from alcohol deuteronomy 14 22 26 english standard version esv you shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year and before the lord your god in the place that he will choose to make his name dwell there you shall eat the tithe of your grain of your wine and of your oil and the firstborn of your herd and flock that you may learn to fear the lord your god always and if the way is too long for you so that you are not able to carry the tithe when the lord your god blesses you because the place is too far from you which the lord your god chooses to set his name there then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the lord your god chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink whatever your appetite craves and you shall eat there before the lord your god and rejoice you and your household recall too the jerusalem council in the book of acts chapter 15 in which it was determined what parts of the old testament law converted gentiles would be required to obey tithing is not mentioned i do not frustrate the grace of god for if righteousness come by the law then christ is dead in vain gal 2 21 if you give ten percent out of love for god god bless you if you give 10 percent because you think the law requires it of you think carefully about the gospel and your understanding of it you may be placing yourself under a curse by adding to the gospel addendum 6 3 2012 also remember that the poor did not tithe that those who practiced certain occupations did not tithe carpenters and fishermen for example too when someone desired to use money rather than bring the tithe to jerusalem god required a 20 penalty added god discouraged the tithing of money lev 27 30 34 posted on october 22 2011 october 23 2011 by ron 2 comments he is a functional deist while listening to a christian talk radio host a pastor and political pundit on the way home from work last week i heard something quite disturbing among the many eyebrow lifting statements made was that god surrenders some of his sovereignty so that we may be free moral agents while i agree that we are responsible for our actions to say that god can surrender even a bit of his sovereignty is akin to saying that god can surrender a bit of his holiness a bit of his omnipotence that god is changeable if true god ceases to be immutable god and becomes an object not worthy of worship we may as well be deists or open theists and perhaps that is the unconscious and default attitude of much of the church in america the effect of this errant theology if embraced is this i cannot trust completely a god who is not absolutely sovereign over the created order over his created moral agents i cannot trust that god works all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose if he allows created beings to thwart his plans i lose any comfort and solace from god if i find myself suffering trial and tribulation if god is not sovereign who is as the saccharine sentiment goes too much a gentleman to intrude on our free will i could entertain such a god when life goes well when all i need is a god who acts to enhance an already nice life with motivational platitudes but such a god who is even able to surrender even the smallest quantum of his sovereignty could not possibly be a mighty fortress in times of trouble i need to know that god is in control even when immediate circumstances seem otherwise what amazes me is that so many cling to some notion of a free will that god respects so much that he will not act against it when the biblical witness is diametrically opposed to such a sentiment biblically the unregenerate are not free but are slaves to their fallen nature apart from the grace of god humanity is as free to choose the triune god as a zebra is free to change it s stripes follows is but a small handful of biblical proclamations on the nature of god s sovereign rule over his creation that the aforementioned pastor pundit would do well to dwell upon ps 103 19 his sovereignty rules over all isaiah 46 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done saying my purpose will be established and i will accomplish all my good pleasure prov 16 33 the lot is cast into the lap but its every decision is from the lord ps 135 6 whatever the lord pleases he does in heaven and in earth in seas and in all deeps pr 16 4 the lord has made everything for its own purpose even the wicked for the day of evil pr 20 24 man s steps are ordained by the lord how then can man understand his way pr 21 1 the king s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the lord he turns it wherever he wishes jn 6 44 no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him acts 13 48 and as many as had been appointed ordained to eternal life believed posted on october 2 2011 october 2 2011 by ron 1 comment awol from the culture wars evangelical culture warriors long for days gone by when america was a nation uniquely blessed by god many especially in the bible belt of the south patriotically voice their pride in being a christian american beyond the oxymoronic concept of a proud christian and the counter christian synthesis of parochial nationalism and the christian ethos of the redeemed as being citizens of another kingdom one not of this wo...