Category: hermeneutics

Calvinist Klein, hermeneuticsLeave a comment

Thayer’s Strikes Back

TheSire

In discussion with fellow Christians that are committed to their traditions will use outdated materials to defend their beliefs. These desperate maneuvers to preserve a position is quite bad. I’m not directing this at anyone, but I’m leaving that for future discussions. Josh Smith(Calvinist Klein) directs you to Wallace: “…in 1895, Adolf Deissmann published his Bibelstudien – an innocently titled work that was to revolutionize the study of the NT. In this work (later translated into English under the title Bible Studies) Deissmann showed that the Greek of the NT was not a language invented by the Holy Spirit (Hermann … Continue reading Thayer’s Strikes Back

hermeneutics, theologyLeave a comment

Universal Agreement

TheSire

It is often presented by certain individuals that a universal agreement exists in certain debates. This may be possible, but often it is an attempt to be intellectually lazy and maybe even deceptive. In a discussion about Election in the New Testament an individual proclaimed that the Jews had a uniform concept of Election that is very alien to that of Protestant and Reformed thought. That the Pharisees, Essenes, and Sadducees all agreed on the issue of Election. Fundamental to any study of the history of Judaism in Late Antiquity is the question of how to understand the diversity of … Continue reading Universal Agreement

Calvinism, Cosmology, hermeneutics, PolemicsLeave a comment

Shamounian Mistakes

TheSire

In an exchange with Sam Shamoun in his comment section. Sam tries to debunk Calvinism and he fails to do so. I informed him that he missed the point in his video attacking Calvinism. I explain that the reformed perspective on Colossians 1:20 is directed towards an eschatological interpretation and that he is inconsistent in his interpretation. I argued he ended up creating difficulty between the members of the Trinity. That reformed Christians maintain that faith is the means by which we are united with Christ and is not irrelevant. He deleted my original statements and I will try to … Continue reading Shamounian Mistakes

hermeneuticsLeave a comment

Work of God

TheSire

John 6:29~ 29 Jesus answered them, “This is God’s work: to believe in the one whom he has sent.” This text is used in a number of ways that abuse it and really miss the point of what Jesus is saying here. It is not saying that faith is this meritorious work that saves. Nor is it the point that our faith is the product of Divine activity. Even though that is true, I think it misses what this text is saying. We force issues into this text and force it into the Works vs faith debate. We need to … Continue reading Work of God

Ancient Near East, apologetics, Articles, Blogs, Cosmology, Flat Earth, hermeneutics, Inerrancy, Jason Engwer, LiberalismLeave a comment

Flattening out the Facts

TheSire

A few nights ago I was in an argument with a friend that has given up inerrancy to force a Flat Earth cosmology into the text. He assumes a universal background continued into the early church and sticks to his talking points. I just deny the existence of any universal agreement on anything. He ignores evidence to the contrary and acts as if those ANE worldviews have no political reasons. Jason Engwer has done a masterful job in showing this is naive. He was responding to John Loftus and it shows liberals and atheist feed off each other. The liberal … Continue reading Flattening out the Facts

Ancient Near East, Cosmology, hermeneutics, InerrancyLeave a comment

The triple-decker universe

TheSire

The common claim that the entire ANE all believed in a Three Tiered Cosmology and that it is even thought in our own Bible is a common annoying claim. Those who present such ideas miss the simplest observations to maintain their narrative. Steve Hays once wrote: Critics of the Bible like to belabor the triple-decker universe. This overlooks a number of considerations. 1.The Bible employs a double-decker formula (e.g. Gen 2:4) as well as triple-decker formula (e.g. Exod 20:4). Given this stylistic variety, there is no reason to privilege the triple-decker formula over and above the double-decker formula. Continue reading The triple-decker universe

Ancient Near East, Cosmology, hermeneutics, Impassibility, theologyLeave a comment

Accommodationism

TheSire

Here are the other parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, and Bibliography. The common alternative to Concordism is Accommodationism. This view is defined different way according to different individuals. The term is used to explain how an infinite God can communicate to creatures. Unfortunately, it is also sometimes used as a ploy to deny inerrancy. It is used very loosely. God communicating in Human language is an example of accommodation. He uses such things as the Covenant is another example of accommodations for us. It is … Continue reading Accommodationism