Theology & disputes about meaning.

[MoreCoffee]

In theology many doctrines and opinions are debated sometimes very heatedly. Each side forms its arguments like troops ready for battle. In theological journals and in books the war of opinion and facts and interpretation of the facts is waged. It is rare for one side to win comprehensively but over the decades or perhaps centuries one side gains ground until eventually its army of facts, interpretation, opinion, and doctrine overcomes the other. In our own age such battles are now being fought about charismatic gifts, the age of creation and its proximate causes, the meaning of religious truth in a secular world, and the doctrine of last things. Battles are raging all around us and sometimes even within us. Who will overcome who will surrender of perish and will the truth be triumphant or can a lie win and swing Christian belief into error?

A promise or something else?

Now the eleven disciples went on to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And, seeing him, they worshipped him, but certain ones doubted. And Jesus, drawing near, spoke to them, saying: "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go forth and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have ever commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the consummation of the age."
Matthew 28:16-20
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[Lamb]

Who will overcome who will surrender of perish and will the truth be triumphant or can a lie win and swing Christian belief into error?

The Book of Revelation shows us that Jesus will overcome when He returns.

Were you asking about a more immediate future? I believe God is using the bad events and discussions to plant seeds using His word even amongst the lies. His word will not return to Him empty.

 

[MoreCoffee]

The Book of Revelation shows us that Jesus will overcome when He returns.

Were you asking about a more immediate future? I believe God is using the bad events and discussions to plant seeds using His word even amongst the lies. His word will not return to Him empty.

I was asking about debate and disputes in religion generally and especially in Christianity. The faithful debated all sorts of things over the centuries leading up to our own. The Blessed Trinity was a matter of very heated debate in the times not long before the council of Nicaea then Christology was debated with ferocity before the councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon and authority in the liturgy as well as the canonical books of holy scripture were debated less ferociously for many decades until councils in the west and the east proclaimed what was canonical and what was not in their respective jurisdictions - in the west it was Hippo, Carthage, Rome, and later Florence then finally Trent that defined the matter while the East looked to councils held in the east for their canon (the two canons are identical except for the inclusion of an extra psalm, a prayer, and in an appendix, histories from the Maccabean period and also under the name of Ezra). In later times disputes about the meaning of grace, salvation, the use of art works in worship and so forth were disputed with war and deep animosity. Now we have the matters I mentioned in the first post, charismatic gifts, the role and nature of the same, the Holy Spirit's work, the nature of truth in holy scripture, wether miracles are to be taken as described in holy scripture or read as spiritual lessons that may not have happened in history ... and the very heated (but tiny) battles about young earth creationism and other views that accept an earth and universe whose age is measured in billions of years. So no, I am not thinking only about what happens now or in the near future.