tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post114158680045321521..comments2024-03-29T08:14:32.748-04:00Comments on Bonfire of the Vanities: Why are Bible debunkers not smarter?Fr Martin Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1141667115152560392006-03-06T12:45:00.000-05:002006-03-06T12:45:00.000-05:00If he wants to see the same face of God in all fou...If he wants to see the same face of God in all four of the Gospels then perhaps the face he's expecting to see is his own. And it sounds like he's having a bit of a tantrum when he didn't find it there.<BR/><BR/>Peace,<BR/>Curtis in SeattleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1141656620908570912006-03-06T09:50:00.000-05:002006-03-06T09:50:00.000-05:00Let's step outside the Gospels for a moment and vi...Let's step outside the Gospels for a moment and visit the letters of St. Paul, the earliest-written documents of the New Testament. In Philippians 2:7-11, he writes:<BR/><BR/>"Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."<BR/><BR/>If memory serves, Philippians was written before 60 A.D., and most scholars believe Paul is citing a liturgical hymm confessing Christ's divinity. So the Gospels, written largely after Paul's letters, reflect what Paul and the Church already recognized: Christ's divinity.Rich Leonardihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01060538864273399240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1141606249928617262006-03-05T19:50:00.000-05:002006-03-05T19:50:00.000-05:00jackie:I did not take any of your comments as a cr...jackie:<BR/><BR/>I did not take any of your comments as a criticism; merely that your comments prompted me to think that someone else might wonder if I was hitting the man too hard, and I offered further thoughts. . .Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1141604315947161772006-03-05T19:18:00.000-05:002006-03-05T19:18:00.000-05:00Fr Fox,Aww - the problems with communicating only ...Fr Fox,<BR/><BR/>Aww - the problems with communicating only via writing and not having sat down to chat - I never thought that you were picking and I ABSOLUTELY AGREE that if you step into the ring (particularly of something so important) - and throw the punches - you ought not be surprised to find a return. And, I don't think your jabs were nasty or uncharitable but logical and truthful. <BR/><BR/>God Bless - JAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1141603535566232282006-03-05T19:05:00.000-05:002006-03-05T19:05:00.000-05:00jackie:Yes, I think the other theme of his story, ...jackie:<BR/><BR/>Yes, I think the other theme of his story, as the <I>Post</I> tells it, is way some Evangelicalisms (there are variants) set their folks up for such a fall. <BR/><BR/>A too-shallow notion of what it means to say "the Bible is true" or "the Bible is inspired" or even, "the Bible is inerrant" only serves to set someone up for a crisis of faith such as this man had.<BR/><BR/>By the way, I am not meaning to pick on the man, and I certainly feel compassion for him, I pray he finds his faith; I am confident God is at work in his life; the article bears many signs of that.<BR/><BR/>But insofar as the man has chosen to go to war against the Christian Faith, to the extent to writing a book, and doing so under the claim of expertise -- then he's stepping into the boxing ring, as it were; and he is inviting the rhetorical blows. Insofar as he is searching for what is <I>reasonable</I> and intellectually sound, then he needs people to show the unsoundness, and unreasonability of what he's currently advocating.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1141600398601131232006-03-05T18:13:00.000-05:002006-03-05T18:13:00.000-05:00OK - so I read the article. In addition to findin...OK - so I read the article. In addition to finding the 'logic' and 'scholarship' shoddy (and very, very boringly similar to the other 'debunkers'), I also found a intersting comment from Darrell Bock (Dallas Theological Seminary)-that they may be 'guilty of asking the Bible to do too much.' I think this is crux of Bart's lose of faith - because, in fact, his faith was based on a book - the word of God and not the WORD. And, in fact, that is one of the pillars of the Reformation so it is logical. And when you find conflicting texts - that you should be able to solve on your own and you can't - what are you left with. There is no place for that kind of questioning, since it shows a lack of faith, and there is no place for understanding suffering other than 'Why would a good loving God allow this?'. So he has filled the restless place in his heart with academic success, student adoration, a 2nd marriage and the 'finer things of life' but it's not REALLY filled - so he spends his time debunking the Who who continues to call him. Let's pray he responds.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1141596815693186902006-03-05T17:13:00.000-05:002006-03-05T17:13:00.000-05:00You go Father! Unfortunately there are more than a...You go Father! Unfortunately there are more than a few priests who buy lock, stock and barrel in to the Jesus Seminar nonsense. One thing that has always troubled me in that regard is, if one is going to have so little faith, why bother becoming a priest? I enjoy your blog. FrankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com