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| Emerald Bay, California |
Now that my metabolism is back to normal without medication for months, I have noticed I have a slightly larger appetite although still a quite conservative consumer of calories (moderate appetite). The body is working more efficiently and still looking thinner (for a muscular type). The sleep apnea surgeries are paying off now.
Theology and Culture
Within
William G.T. Shedd’s (1874-1890)(1980) text Dogmatic
Theology he writes ‘profound insight into theological truth was no mere
matter of casual intellectual reflection.’[1] This is a correct and reasonable approach to
the difficult academic field of theology and Reformed theology. Careful and thorough scholarship is required.[2] Theology is not to be done at the expense of
the Scripture,[3]
but within a correct study of that Scripture.[4] Shedd reasons that ‘methods of investigation
are continually undergoing correction and modification’[5]
and this can lead to better organization of the subject.[6] Methodologically, ‘theology is disciplined
consideration and exploration of the content of divine revelation.’[7]
Franke cautions that although there is truth
in this definition, human knowledge of God is not sufficient without a proper
knowledge of humanity while this theology is being considered.[8] Theology is always considered in the light of
cultural and historical setting of the day,[9]
the implication being that a culture will influence theology and therefore
theology needs to be scrutinized with this concept always in mind.[10]
Biblical
Inspiration
The
Holy Spirit guided the thoughts of Biblical writers.[11]
Shedd names this basic theory of Biblical inspiration as ‘plenary inspiration’
meaning writers were moved by the Holy Spirit in respect to thought and
language and were kept from error.[12] Modern
theology needs to correctly discern what the Spirit is stating through the
Bible and this needs to be done through proper research techniques.[13]
Although this section concerns the
Reformed methodology in regard to how the Holy Spirit inspires Scripture, ‘intuition
theory’[14]
is another approach to the Bible that is separate from traditional theory and
dictation theory mentioned. I shall
discuss it briefly.
James Martineau
(1889) presents the intuition view[15]
which is popular among some within the liberal progressive segment of the
Church,[16] the view being that some are spiritually
gifted with intuition and able to write religious literature as were some
within the Hebrew people.[17] There would be persons of various religious
backgrounds also having this gifting.[18] This idea would mean the Hebrew Bible and New
Testament are not necessarily the only legitimate divine Scripture.[19]
Many persons of different religious
viewpoints could have superior insights into morality and religious truth, and
they would possess a spiritual genius of higher order.[20] Schleiermacher and his related view on
Biblical inspiration reasons that the Holy Spirit would not be providing within
Scripture a set of perfectly inspired doctrines, but would rather have God
interact spiritually with persons open to this divine religious experience.[21] This approach allows for the possible
revision of Biblical doctrines over time as needed via human experience with
God and his Spirit.[22]
No compulsion
There
is ‘no compulsion of the will in regeneration.’ states Shedd.[23] Calvin
reasons that a person is not forced or coerced to believe in the gospel.[24] I would view conversion as taking place
simultaneously with regeneration in a person, although again I state that God
alone via the Holy Spirit causes the regeneration process.[25] This means as God chooses to regenerate a
person he simultaneously persuades one to freely believe.[26] Murray states that regeneration is logically
antecedent to any conscious response,[27] and I reason that God’s choice
to commit the act of regeneration must be antecedent due to the corrupt and
sinful nature of persons.[28]
The work of salvation was confined to God’s
part in the calling. This does not
prohibit God from causing a compatibilistic human choice within conversion at
the moment that God’s initial eternal choice to regenerate[29] becomes a divine act of
regeneration.[30] As persons were regenerated they would hear
the call of salvation, repent and believe in Christ.[31] I would view conversion as an aspect of
regeneration, which is the beginning of the Christian experience.[32] Regeneration was to encompass the entire
divine plan of recreation from the initial change in persons to the ultimate
culmination of a new heaven and new earth.
BAVINCK,
HERMAN (1918)(2006) Reformed Dogmatics
Volume 2: God and Creation, John Bolt (gen.ed.), Translated by John Vriend,
Baker Academic, Grand Rapids.
BAVINCK,
HERMAN (1918)(2006) Reformed Dogmatics
Volume 3: Sin and Salvation in Christ, John Bolt (gen.ed.), Translated by
John Vriend, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids
BROWING,
W.R.F. (1997) Oxford Dictionary of the
Bible, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
CALVIN,
JOHN (1539)(1998) The Institutes of the
Christian Religion, Book II, Translated by Henry Beveridge, Grand Rapids,
The Christian Classic Ethereal Library, Wheaton College.
CALVIN,
JOHN (1539)(1998) The Institutes of the
Christian Religion, Book IV, Translated by Henry Beveridge, Grand Rapids,
The Christian Classic Ethereal Library, Wheaton College.
CALVIN,
JOHN (1540)(1973) Romans and
Thessalonians, Translated by Ross Mackenzie, Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company.
CALVIN,
JOHN (1543)(1996) The Bondage and
Liberation of the Will, Translated by G.I. Davies, Grand Rapids, Baker Book
House.
CALVIN,
JOHN (1550)(1978) Concerning Scandals,
Translated by John W. Fraser, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
CALVIN,
JOHN (1552)(1995) Acts, Translated by
Watermark, Nottingham, Crossway Books.
CALVIN,
JOHN (1553)(1952) Job, Translated by
Leroy Nixon, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.
CALVIN,
JOHN (1554)(1965) Genesis, Translated
by John King, Edinburgh, The Banner of Truth Trust.
ERICKSON,
MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology,
Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.
ERICKSON,
MILLARD (2003) What Does God Know and
When Does He Know It? Grand Rapids,
Zondervan.
FRANKE,
JOHN R. (2005) The Character of Theology, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids.
HINDSON,
EDWARD E. (1874-1890)(1980) ‘Introduction’ within SHEDD, WILLIAM G.T. Dogmatic Theology, Volume 1, Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
KREEFT,
PETER AND RONALD K. TACELLI (1994) Handbook
of Christian Apologetics, Downers Grove, Illinois, InterVarsity Press.
LINDSELL,
HAROLD (1976) The Battle for the Bible,
Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House.
MARTINEAU,
JAMES (1889) A Study of Religion: Its
Sources and Contents, Oxford, Clarendon.
MURRAY,
JOHN (1937-1966)(1977) Collected Writings of John Murray, Vol. 2: Select Lectures
in Systematic Theology, Edinburgh, The Banner of Truth Trust.
SHEDD,
WILLIAM G.T. (1874-1890)(1980) Dogmatic
Theology, Volume 1, Nashville,
Thomas Nelson Publishers.
SHEDD,
WILLIAM G.T. (1874-1890)(1980) Dogmatic
Theology, Volume 2, Nashville,
Thomas Nelson Publishers.
SCHLEIERMACHER,
FRIEDRICH (1799)(1961) On Religion,
in Elie Kedourie, Nationalism, New York, Praeger University Series.
SCHLEIERMACHER,
FRIEDRICH (1821)(1928)(1976) The
Christian Faith, Edited by H.R. Mackintosh and J.S. Stewart, Philadelphia,
Fortress Press.
THIESSEN,
HENRY C. (1956) Introductory Lectures in
Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids, Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[2] Hindson
(1874-1890)(1980: iv). This is the case
in all theological writing and especially in academic writing and research.
[4] Scripture
is also not to be evaluated in isolation as various Scripture needs to be
compared. Erickson (1994: 21).
[10] Franke
(2005: 14). Cultural influences and how learning is done always relates to how
theology is understood by the reader. Erickson (1994: 21).
[13] Franke
(2005: 133). A student of Scripture must
attempt to be more true to what the Scripture actually states than to prior
theological positions. As noted
previously, many within the Christian community from a liberal and progressive
position claim a trust in the Bible but do not view it as without error as in
infallible and inerrant. Since the
original Scriptural autographs are all missing, even with many largely accurate
copies and parts of copies, there is room for legitimate debate and serious
study of Scripture in the original languages and as translated. Lindsell admits that only the original
autographs are free from all error, and I agree. Lindsell (1976: 30). A fundamentalist and naïve approach to
Scripture through the eyes of a Western reader devoid of serious study of
contexts and background has always been strongly rejected by this writer. This type of fundamentalist approach is also
not an aspect of legitimate Reformed scholarship, even as I admit this thesis
in not in the field of Biblical Studies but rather Theology and Philosophy of
Religion.
[14] Martineau
(1889: 168-171).
[19] The
Bible would not so much be the word of God, but a word of God, or more
precisely a word from those that intuitively and naturally understand God to
some extent. Browning suggests there are
contradictions and inconsistencies within the Bible that threaten any
traditional view of inspiration.
Browning (1997: 186). Kreeft and
Tacelli reason that modernist reviewers
of the Scripture take a sceptical attitude toward it, especially in regard to
the supernatural. Kreeft and Tacelli
(1994: 205). A disbelief in a
supernaturally inspired Scripture free from spiritual error would in my mind
logically fit within some modern approaches.
But, I do not reason this means these types of modern thinkers would
therefore necessarily all completely abandon the Bible as a divine book in any
sense.
[26] This
allows for a limited but significant human freedom within the salvation process
that is not incompatibilism. Salvation remains alone a work of God. Weber writes that God with his freedom
effects both human freedom and human bondage as he reaches out to a saved
person through the Word of God. Weber
(1955)(1981: 245). This would be a work
of the Spirit.
[30] Persons
have via the Holy Spirit been molded and transformed in order to freely
believe. Thiessen, an incompatibilist,
states that in regeneration the human is passive and is active in conversion.
Thiessen (1956: 367). I agree concerning
regeneration, and I can agree in regard to conversion, only if by active the
human being is convinced freely via the Holy Spirit and is not assumed to have
incompatibilist free will.
[32] Franke
notes that the Scripture explains that the Holy Spirit continued to guide the
earliest Christians. Franke (2005:
132). The Spirit continues to work in
regenerated/converted believers that embrace the gospel.
