But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10 KJV
The Irresistible Revolution
"While the voices of blockbuster movies and pop culture cry out for a life outside the matrix of numb efficiency, Christianity often has offered little to the world, other than the hope that things will be better in heaven."
"Sometimes we speak out to change the world, and other times we speak to try to keep the world from changing us."
"In our culture of "seeker sensitivity" and radical inclusivity, the great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd. With the most sincere hearts, we do not want to see anyone walk away from Jesus because of the discomfort of his cross, so we clip the claws on the Lion a little, we clean up a bit the bloody Passion we are called to follow."
"We would like to include people like the rich ruler and Ananias and Sapphira, but we would end up with the sort of Christianity that arose after Constantine, in which everyone can be a Christian but no one knows what a Christian is anymore."
"For us, belief is only the beginning. What really matters is how we live, how what we believe gets fleshed out, so we also have a statement of orthopraxis (meaning, "right living, right practices"). And this is where most belief-oriented faith communities fall short. They tell us only what they believe, but they do not tell us how their beliefs affect their lifestyles."
"We live in an age in which people, when they hear the word Christian, are much more likely to think of people who hate gays than people who love outcasts, and that is a dangerous thing."
"The world has seen Christian extremists who will blow up abortion clinics and dance on doctors' graves. We have seen Christian extremists who hold signs that say, "God hates fags." The world has seen Christian extremists who declare war in the name of the Lamb. But where are the Christian extremists for love and grace?"
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Non traditional thoughts about life, the world, and God from a Christian's perspective.
"I am seized with fear that my own will will be given place, and I will thus ruin my usableness for God. It would be easy to follow my feelings...to interfere with the voice of the Lord when He says, 'This is the way, walk ye in it.' "
Elisabeth Elliott
Friday, August 18, 2006
OverwhelmedWow. Traffic really picked up yesterday! But then...what else would I expect when I invite a bunch of athiests to comment on a Creationist post? It ended up being a little overwhelming, which is why I didn't respond directly to any of the comments left here. I did still participate in the comments over on Martian's blog though.
One thing I want to make sure everybody understands. The purpose of my post was not to "defend Creation." It wasn't meant to change anyone's mind. I was attempting to start a dialogue between two groups of people who are polar opposites. I'm tired of the banter back and forth that goes something like this:
Athiest: You're wrong and you're stupid for being wrong.
Christian: No, you're wrong and you're going to hell for being wrong.
Everybody is so intent on proving the other side wrong that nothing really gets accomplished.
And I'd say it worked to some degree. There was a fair amount of rudeness, but there were a few people who saw my sincerity and were willing to talk with me. In an email to one, I wrote:
I'm not a scientist. I don't have a PhD. Heck, I've only done 1 semester towards a MA. Before recently, I'd never even thought about why I believe in Creation other than the Bible says so. Now that I'm studying it, I see a lot of things that make sense (obviously you disagree). But I can't really get anybody to give me a straight answer about what's wrong with it. I get a lot of "you're stupid" or "you need a brain" but that isn't going to change anything (not that I think my mind can be changed, but at least I'm willing to listen).
And I am willing to listen. I will also be continuing my series, when I have time to write up the other sessions.
And to the people who are critical of Dr. Hovind because of his personal life: That has no bearing on whether or not creation is true or false. Don't tell me that his theories must be false because he was charged with a felony (or 50). If his theories are false, tell me why. You would take me through the wringer if I tried to tell you that Darwinian evolution must be false because Darwin frequented establishments of ill repute.
Tags: Christianity, Dr. Hovind, Evolution
Posted by Amanda at 8/18/2006 09:21:00 AM
5 Comments
Cheryl of the Wilds of C posted at 8/18/2006 01:10:00 PM
Well said, Amanda. You are very gifted.
Paul posted at 8/18/2006 10:03:00 PM
Amanda,
Wanted to encourage you. Keep writing and thinking through these things it is what helps us clarify what we believe and exposes the weaknesses in our arguments. One thing that I noticed from reading the comments from the previous post is that that these people are not interested in a dialogue, but rather a monologue where only there voice is heard. So don't take to heart too much of what they wrote. Keep hanging in there.
Kim posted at 8/18/2006 10:20:00 PM
Yes, I agree - very well stated. I like your blog too.
Barbara posted at 8/19/2006 08:02:00 AM
Amanda, I've read the information and comments on the other blog. Anyone that is not a believer in Christ are going to come against anything you say on this subject. I agree with Paul that those people are not wanting a dialogue. They simply want to let you know YOU are wrong, and they are right. Just keep putting out the truth.
I've been reading up on this guy and found another site that is also interesting 'against' him. This professor is happy that nobody in that particular class wanted to debate Dr. Hovind.
http://www.usao.edu/~facshaferi/hovind.htm
In his Biography I see no claim of his as being a scientist. He has just came to the conclusion that evolution is wrong, and GOD is right, and he dares to stand up for his convictions. Well, I stand with Him that GOD is the Creator! Nothing the atheists can say would ever change my mind.
ontheedgeofmyseat posted at 8/20/2006 08:15:00 AM
Amanda,
I am so glad Paul and Barbara saw the discussion for what it is. I really admire you for putting your neck on the line, especially with the sincerety of heart that you have. God's very proud of you.