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Search results

  1. H

    The "Suicidal" Equality Act Of 2019

    FYI: The law extends existing laws to cover gays, etc. The laws on employment have exceptions for religious organizations and specifically for ministers.
  2. H

    The "Suicidal" Equality Act Of 2019

    Churches aren't public accommodations. There doesn't need to be an exception for churches.
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    MARK 6:3 DID JESUS HAVE BROTHERS AND SISTERS ?

    I haven't found evidence for this in sources I've checked, with two exceptions: occasional use for half-brother or step brother, and metaphorical use. Metaphorical use is very unlikely here. Half-brother isn't impossible, but it's not a very high probability, and there's no other sign of it. As...
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    MARK 6:3 DID JESUS HAVE BROTHERS AND SISTERS ?

    yes, I read the passage with its normal meaning.
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    The "Suicidal" Equality Act Of 2019

    I'm OK with that. I don't think businesses should be able to not deal with certain people. I don't think sexual orientation is any more deserving of being an exception than race or religion. It's worth noting that there are already exceptions for messages. Under the 1st amendment, you can't be...
  6. H

    Disciples and Believers

    I think of a disciple as in effect an apprentice. Yes, they are learners, but learners with the specific goal of becoming the kind of people their master wants them to be. I wouldn't use the example of Judas to decide on the meaning of discipleship. Maybe he was false from the beginning, or...
  7. H

    Not heard on "Contemporary Christian Radio" thread

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sPlhKP0nZII
  8. H

    Those in heaven remembering those in hell?

    You were referencing Luke 16:19ff, which is certainly a key passage. It's the most explicit in the Gospels about the afterlife. There's a lot of argument about whether it was intended as a literal description or a parable. Some people claim that because it uses a specific name (Lazarus) it can't...
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    Those in heaven remembering those in hell?

    One question that has fascinated me. Why did this become such a significant issue in the modern period, but not in traditional Christianity? Why didn't it bother people in the 16th Cent that some of their relatives and friends were going to be tormented? I have two ideas, but I'm certainly not...
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    Those in heaven remembering those in hell?

    This whole question is a nightmare. All answers are equally bad. Some kind of amnesia? People don't care about other people being tormented? It's a big problem for apologetics, because it makes a key part of Christianity seem incoherent. I was a Calvinist for a lot of my life. It has an...
  11. H

    THERE REMAINETH NO SACRIFICE FOR SINS

    It's very hard to argue that it's limited. Look at the reasoning: * Anyone who violated the Law of Moses got no mercy * How much worse is it for those who spurn the Son of God The best attempt I've seen to make this acceptable is "For if we willfully persist in sin." That is, the passage is...
  12. H

    If Hillary had won would electoral college but questioned still?

    This issue comes up every time someone wins the electoral college and loses the popular vote. The electoral college assumes that we elect wise people, who are in a better position to choose the president than the voters. But it never really had that effect. At this point we don't even know who...
  13. H

    THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM

    This was not confined to the Twelve. Indeed Jesus was specifically speaking to someone outside the Twelve. "When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables." In Mark, the secret is Jesus' role as Messiah. But more specifically, it's the fact that...
  14. H

    The myth of free-will destroyed by scripture.

    Scripture isn't black and white on this issue. It speaks both of the need for God to illuminate us through the Holy Spirit, and for us to make decisions. Note the context: we correct people who are wrong, asking God that they may see the truth. So our correction matters. All Christians accept...
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    Russia's Hypersonic Missile System

    To my knowledge, we never thought we could stop a major Russian strike. The only sensible use was against something smaller. The problem with hypersonic missiles is that it reduces reaction time, and thus could tend to push someone into responding without sufficient information and thought. Both...
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    The Simple Original Apostolic Gospel

    There are, for better or worse, two definitions of the Gospel in the NT: * For the Synoptics, the Gospel is about the coming of the Kingdom. While it's nowhere stated in one place, I would summarize: Christ has come to initiate God's Kingdom on earth; he is its source; we are called to be its...
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    Heresies of the sixteenth century

    What are these posts in aid of? Your source seems to be an example of the worst of the old controversial style, attacking the character of people you disagree with. Modern scholars start by trying to understand what other people said and why. It's possible to disagree with someone but still...
  18. H

    Can God hide from us?

    I think the implication John likely intended us to get from that passage is that it requires the Holy Spirit for us to recognize who Christ actually is. In a sense, Christ is by definition hidden unless our eyes are open. [Sorry, I was thinking of a different episode in John. But the same...
  19. H

    Kavanaugh has an accuser

    It's partly politics. It's possible that the timing is political, though there are other possible examples. But even if the timing is political, that doesn't mean it should be ignored. After all, the point isn't to be fair to Democrats or Republicans, but to get a good Supreme Court nominee. If...
  20. H

    REDEMPTION

    The OT image is redeeming slaves. The Ephesians and Colossians quotes see it as forgiveness of sins. Romans talks about being adopted as children. Paul in general sees the world is enslaved to evil, so being forgiven and accepted as God's children frees us from slavery.
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