That is called anthropological theology (man to God). It uses what we experience and then slaps it onto God making Him experience exactly what we experience. True Christianity works the other way around (theological anthropology – God to man).
I think this last sentence is a very dangerous premise. While I might agree that we should not cast God in our image based entirely upon our own cultural experience, you carry this perspective too far IMO. Jesus taught us that we must first learn the earthly things God has created here before he can share with us heavenly things.
John 3:12
(12) If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Luke 16:11
(11) If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Jesus often used the experience of men to explain spiritual truth. He compares sowing seed to preaching the gospel, and he likens the germination of seeds upon different soil types to the different ways that people respond to the gospel. He speaks of the kingdom of God like a man finding a treasure in a field and selling all to go buy it. Paul taught that the relationship of man to woman and woman to man gives us understanding of Christ's relationship to the Father and of man's relationship to Christ.
Jonathan wrote:
It astounds me that the fundamentalists on this forum (Terry, Izzy, Judy and David) are all disagreeing with what has been considered one of the more important articles of faith by orthodoxy. ... It is a sad day when even the fundamentalists have no idea what they believe and why.
I do not consider myself a fundamentalist and would appreciate it if you did not apply that label to me. Furthermore, I never disagreed with the doctrine of Eternal Sonship. I have been looking into it and raising some questions. Unfortunately, you guys have not had very good answers. I will keep looking into it on my own even though Bill discerns that the discussion should end.
As for "articles of faith" and "orthodoxy," well, I don't believe in that. Such are always divisive. I believe in relationship and community above all these things. :-)
Peace be with you.
David Miller.
---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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