and more
Submitted by F.O.D. on November 24 2000 07:38:34
In reply to The way you do the things you do... submitted by F.O.D. on November 24 2000 06:01:02
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I did a bit more thinking about the Bible, the way we read it. Another, different, question that's been egging me is the one of how to treat the teachings of all those Christians who came in the centuries before us (a question which Dirk helps me to think about with his Orthodox point of view.) It's the conservative protestant approach to say the Bible contains everything there is to know. However, when I think about it, that does not seem to be the attitude Jesus had. In his teachings in John 15 or whereever it is, he tells the disciples "I have much more to tell you, more than you can now bear. But I will send you the Spirit of Truth, who will guide you into all truth". What time frame did Jesus have in mind? Was he only referring to his disciples, the Twelve? Then that excludes Paul. Or James (depending on which James wrote the Epistle). Or Jude. I guess he meant that his Spirit would be working within his followers, in the Church, guiding them over time into truth, as they slowly are able to understand. So again I ask, over what time frame? Did the apostles ever get things wrong, but the Spirit kept guiding them? Paul told Peter off for behaving hypocritically towards Gentile Christians. Did the Early Church Fathers ever get things wrong, but the Spirit kept guiding them? I don't know enough Early Church History to know the names, but they generally seemed to oppose sex and marriage at all, and effectively considered Celibacy the only True Way. Has the modern Church got things wrong, but the Spirit of God is patiently guiding us and drawing us into greater understanding? Something to think about... Fod |
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