Thursday Bullets: A need for deeper reason
Photo from Sandy, Utah May 2018
• Theologically, a biblical Christian's highest authority is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit revealing self through the Hebrew Bible and in particular, the New Testament. (Matthew 28 as example, but in reality there is the entire New Testament text).
• To be understood reasonably well, this authority and any biblical worldview attached needs to be accepted in scriptural context with reasonably, rational, correct theology.
• I am not completely opposed to political correctness (PC) where it matches a reasonable, highly rational, biblical worldview. However, where political correctness differs from a biblical worldview, as described, the Christian is morally and ethically obligated to follow God through scriptural revelation.
• Rulers and government should be obeyed. Law and order should be maintained (Examples: Romans 13, 1 Peter 2 as secular authorities as well).
• Titus 3: 1 English Standard Version (ESV): 3 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work...
• Romans 12: 18 English Standard Version (ESV): If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
• Biblical Christians are to love God firstly and foremost, but secondly also one's neighbour (Matthew 23, Mark 12, Luke 10).
• Biblical Christians are to one another in the Church (John 13, 15, 1 John as examples).
• In a democracy, religious and philosophical organizations in regards to membership should have the reasonable right to discriminate based on worldview. For examples: I am not a Latter-Day Saint/Mormon in worldview and should not be offered membership within that Church. I am not Islamic, in worldview and should not be offered membership within any mosque.
• In the same way, within a democracy, a biblical Christian church and/or organization should have the right to limit membership to those that follow a biblical Christian worldview, which includes morality and ethics.
• Those with differing, less traditionally orthodox, for example progressive views, have the right within a democracy to have their own type of church.
• Within a biblical church, I for example, will still face reasonable discrimination within as a member. I am not offered work as an overseer or elder (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1). But in my case not by moral and ethical grounds, rather my ontological attributes favour academic, theological and philosophical work and less church work that is service orientated.
• I am also not invited onto a cooking or baking team...
• Discriminating against me for overseer or elder position, does not necessarily mean a church is against me, 'anti' me, or hates me.
• Discriminating against (Discrimination against) me by an organization with a different worldview which prohibits me from membership does not necessarily mean a group is against me, 'anti' me or hates me.
• Philosophically in practical terms, often when critics of biblical Christian positions state a church or biblical Christian organization is 'anti' this or hates this, in many cases it is not true. Yes there are some radical groups of all sorts likely to be violently 'anti' something and to contain hatred, including those claiming Christianity.
• This dismissive terminology is often used to eliminate any debate on the issue or issues by portraying the opposition as unreasonable by societal standards and so ridiculous the positions held to are not even worthy of debate.
• In many cases, not all, the critic has dismissed religious studies and philosophy of religion as relevant academic disciplines and would be unable to reasonably defend the critiques against an educated opponent.
