Scotth1960
Member
Dear friends, There are some things I know, things I don't know, and things
I know but a little.
I know the NT, and its teachings. (Of course, I am learning more from it
and hope to continue to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus
Christ, that I may know Him and obey Him better in days to come).
I know the writings of Peter E. Gillquist, of Billy Graham, of Larry
Christenson, of David Wilkerson, of Francis A. Schaeffer, of Jimmy
Swaggart, of Pat Roberston, of Robert H. Schuller, of Hal Lindsey, Tim
LaHaye, Jerry Falwell, John F. Walvoord, and so on. I know the Lutheran
Book of Concord.
I know the "Contra Errores Graecorum" by Thomas Aquinas, and on the
other hand I know "The Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit" by Saint Photios.
There are perhaps some other books and works I know but I think these
would include Frank Schaeffer, Alexander Schmemann, Anthony Coniaris,
Clark Carlton, and some other writers like Whelton. I can't remember
every book I have read. I know the "De Trinitate" by Augustine of Hippo.
I don't know Dante, the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, the works
of John Calvin, John Knox, Zwingli, or John Wesley, or the works of Francis
of Assisi. I don't know the works of Duns Scotus very well, except for his
work "God as First Principle".
I know just a little the works of Martin Luther, the Book of Confessions of
the Presbyterian Church.
I know quite well the Small Catechism of Martin Luther and the Book of
Concord of the Lutherans. I also know quite well Fr. Mastrantonis book
"Augsburg and Constantinople", which responds to the Lutheran writings.
I don't know very well the Confessions of Augustine, or the writings of
some of the Church Fathers.
I have read St. Basil and some of Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of
Nazianzus and Vincent of Lerins. I don't know St. Jerome and St. Augustine
very well.
I also know the books of David Chilton, Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Gary DeMar,
Greg L. Bahnson, John W. Robbins, and other Reformed writings on
eschatology and politics.
What books do you know? How much have you read? Our basic book has
to be the NT, along with the OT as much as possible. The OT should not be
misunderstood, but has to be interpreted according to its NT meaning.
How do you understand the books you have read? How has your thinking
on the NT been influenced by the books you have read? Do you claim to
derive your theology from the Bible alone, or are you more honest and
confess that everyone read the Bible in terms of some theology, some
church tradition. Our theology should come from the Bible, but as the
Bible is silent on many topics, something more is needed to fill in the
gaps where the Bible is silent. The Bible doesn't interpret itself; it must
be interpreted according to somebody's tradition. The question is whether
that tradition is apostolic and was passed down from 2,000 years ago
from the 12 apostle and other disciples of Christ, or whether it is a recent
innovation in theology, after 1054 AD or after 1521 AD. God bless us all
to not misinterpret the NT. Where the writings of men disagree with the
meaning of the NT, they should be abandon. Where the writings of men
agree with the meaning of the NT and help us to understand and interpret
the NT correctly, they should be used, with caution. Only relying on the
Holy Spirit of God, Who proceeds from the Father, Who leads us into all
truth (cf. John 16:13). In Erie PA Scott Harrington
:waving