Champs Et Arbre, Charmey, Switzerland (photo from trekearth.com)
http://satireandtheology.blogspot.com/2008/06/lochness-monster.html
My PhD is bound and under review at Wales and all prayers for my success are appreciated. Additionally I have completed the task of searching through my entire thesis making pencil notes with background information concerning my exemplars, for the verbal defence.
With my sleep apnea, I have noticed an increase in energy since completing the PhD thesis. Truly the Wales PhD and MPhil theses are very tiring projects. God willing, once I pass my PhD thesis, I shall be looking for work as a professor and this will require much research to find a right position. If anyone associated with academics likes my academic work here, and perhaps views my work on satire and theology, in links, as making me more relatable to students, please feel free to pass along any suggestions for possible work. This can be done in the comments on either blog, or through the email address for either blog which can be found by clicking on view my complete profile. Thank you.
In my Christian journey I have come across in different forms some pseudo-Christian cultists, and misinformed Christians that reason that someone is spiritually deficient if they have too much Biblical, theological, and philosophical education. Let us look at some possibilities:
a) Persons are outside of Christ, as in not enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and do not significantly study the Bible, Christian theology, philosophy of religion relating to Christianity, and other disciplines to assist in an understanding of God’s truth.
These persons are unbelievers, and John describes unbelievers that will take part in the lake of fire, the second death in Revelation 21:8. Robert Mounce writes that Revelation is stating that the entirety of apostates and pagans will be cast in the lake of fire. Mounce (1990: 375). Some apostates may very well have taken Biblical, theological, and philosophical studies relating to Christianity, but the pagan seemingly fits my first category.
Persons in this category may be very intelligent and have other significant knowledge to offer, but usually will not have anything significant to offer in regard to Christianity.
b) Persons are outside of Christ, and are not enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and do significantly study the Bible, Christian theology, philosophy of religion relating to Christianity, and other disciplines to assist in an understanding of God’s truth.
We can include in this category, perhaps, at least some of the apostates from Revelation. Mounce (1990: 375). In First Corinthians 6: 9-11, it lists types of persons that shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Paul W. Marsh explains that certain Corinthians needed to reexamine their standing in Christ. Marsh (1986: 1359). These could be potential apostates that had some Biblical, theological, and philosophical training relating to Christianity and yet perhaps did not believe and therefore lived outside of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
There are people with very academic degrees such as perhaps MPhil or PhD degrees, and yet live as pagans and/or are apostates that may claim Christ and yet deny Biblical essentials for following the true Christ. These persons can be scholars and can serve as valuable sources of information for Christian readers, but non-Christian worldviews should be significantly understood with an open mind and then rejected where they contradict Biblical truth.
c) Persons are in Christ, as is enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and do not significantly study the Bible, Christian theology, and philosophy of religion relating to Christianity and other disciplines to assist in an understanding of God’s truth.
These persons are regenerated in Christ, but in ignorance can be prone to Biblical, theological, and philosophical error in life, and these persons can potentially serve as obstacles to both Christians and non-Christians. These types can potentially oppose solid Christian teaching, as they are largely ignorant of such, and can at times provide the wrong impression of how a Christian should act and live to non-believers. Hopefully, this type of Christian in many cases will live a quiet basically secret Christian life and not become an obstacle to others, but simply believe in and trust in the Lord in a quite private manner with basic Christian morality. I am not stating this is a good way to live, but within this category would be a lesser evil.
d) Persons are in Christ, as is enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and do significantly study the Bible, Christian theology, and philosophy of religion relating to Christianity and other disciplines to assist in an understanding of God’s truth.
It is not necessary for each person to have an academic degree, and with all the books, audio teaching, websites and blogs available there is much to potentially learn to supplement preaching heard from the pulpit.
This is the best option and since these persons are guided and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, persons in the category can be both spiritual, as in following God closely, and intellectually pursuing God’s truth. First Peter 3: 15 tells the Christian to be able to defend the faith with gentleness and reverence, and Second Timothy 2: 15 informs the Christian to be one that can accurately handle the word of truth.
Humility is a key in all education as one should primarily trust in God, and not in what God provides.
MARSH, PAUL, W. (1986) ‘1 Corinthians’, in F.F. Bruce, (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/Zondervan.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
