Wednesday, April 20, 2005
This Discussion Is Getting Out Of Hand
Adrian Warnock and I, along with some others, have been having a very nice discussion about the nature and effects of preaching. In typical blogging fashion, it was little brief snippets of thought here and there meandering in a general direction, but not too hurried to a conclusion. You have to bear in mind, Adrian and I have two very different perspectives. Adrian is a preacher, I am a consumer of preaching, though I do have some significant training in the area and have done it from time to time.
Then I have to go and make a new friend -- John Gillmartin of Sheep's Crib. John sees some of the posts I had on the subject and chimes in -- cool, that's what blogging is all about. He then asks me to send him links to all the related posts which I gladly did. The result was this opus of a post. Adrian then almost immediately responded with the longest post I have ever seen on his site that is not a quote from something he was reading.
I'm left wondering if there is room for a mere consumer of a preaching in the discussion at this point? Oh well, I've never been accused of being bashful, or afraid to express my opinion. I do not have the time I need right now to give both these posts the very serious (and lengthy) response they deserve. For now, I first want to throw a few scripture out there and see what sticks...
Clearly, being a Christian involves some sort of process...Heb 12:11 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us...it requires endurance.
Paul seems to think there is a beginning and a perfecting...Gal 3:33 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?...Could this be salvation and sanctification?
Then I just need to add this comment, in an analogous vein. The first post college job I had in chemistry was at a very large corporation. There were a number of us there with freshly minted degrees, most from very large universities, I from the very small Butler. It was soon discovered that I had many multiples more laboratory experience than those from the larger institutions, because my smaller college simply provided more opportunity. I was put to work doing things that really helped the company almost right away.
Those that, unlike me, had degrees based primarily on lectures and book work spent several months in the company's training program. I got to be a chemist almost right away. It took them a little longer. Listening and reading can only take us so far down the road to becoming, well, anything.
Then I have to go and make a new friend -- John Gillmartin of Sheep's Crib. John sees some of the posts I had on the subject and chimes in -- cool, that's what blogging is all about. He then asks me to send him links to all the related posts which I gladly did. The result was this opus of a post. Adrian then almost immediately responded with the longest post I have ever seen on his site that is not a quote from something he was reading.
I'm left wondering if there is room for a mere consumer of a preaching in the discussion at this point? Oh well, I've never been accused of being bashful, or afraid to express my opinion. I do not have the time I need right now to give both these posts the very serious (and lengthy) response they deserve. For now, I first want to throw a few scripture out there and see what sticks...
Clearly, being a Christian involves some sort of process...Heb 12:11 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us...it requires endurance.
Paul seems to think there is a beginning and a perfecting...Gal 3:33 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?...Could this be salvation and sanctification?
Then I just need to add this comment, in an analogous vein. The first post college job I had in chemistry was at a very large corporation. There were a number of us there with freshly minted degrees, most from very large universities, I from the very small Butler. It was soon discovered that I had many multiples more laboratory experience than those from the larger institutions, because my smaller college simply provided more opportunity. I was put to work doing things that really helped the company almost right away.
Those that, unlike me, had degrees based primarily on lectures and book work spent several months in the company's training program. I got to be a chemist almost right away. It took them a little longer. Listening and reading can only take us so far down the road to becoming, well, anything.
