Re: [TruthTalk] Christians and violence

[Knpraise]

In a message dated 6/25/2004 2:57:58 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

The debt you owe them is immeasurable.  The eyes you read scripture with every day are not fresh eyes (none of us has fresh eyes); rather, they are eyes that have learned both wrongly and rightly from what has gone on before.  Surely you do not believe that your faith has been created in a vacuum?

I guess the question I have is this:  are we capable of "original thought?"   I was raised in the Church of Christ.   One of its primary doctrines is the "binding of approved apostolic example."   In my early twenties and going into my 5th year as pastor (we were called "ministers"  --  pastors/elders/bishops all words for the same leader was something other than the minister or preacher).   As I said, I was in my early twenties and preaching in northcentral Washington State.   I purchased a book by one of the brethren, a book that defended the "binding of example (only)."   I was shocked at the authors poor sense of logic  --  his complete failure to verify his position.  I left that teaching behind, never again to visit that teaching.   I believe that I with the help of God, of course, worked my way out of that teaching proving that I am capable of original thought.   Understand that "original thought" and "unique thought" are not the same, necessarily. 

Jonathan, all of the above is really a question to you.  


What do you think.

John Smithson