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There's a lot of "I think" going on as it relates to this topic. That's almost comical in a discussion of truth as truths are overwhelmingly objective and demonstrable. We have fallen into the trap of confusing the Spirit with the sincerity of our heart's desires and that's borderline blaspemy...

Does evil exist independently from sentient perception? Is it not a concept created by thinking minds used primarily to denote that which they deem as unfavorable from their subjective perspective?

We all have preconceptions we have to work to overcome. It gets problematic when we are oblivious to our own biases and act as if we are fully objective and our current stances are unmovable. I too have changed by opinion of baptism and salvation. I THINK John 3:5 is a reference to water...

It may be a good exercise for individuals to do reassessments every few years where they start anew with their studies by TRYING to resist the temptation to build on their preconceptions.

The issue is the lack of a baseline starting point in many instances. Theologians start off with the given that the demonination they are from is standing on truth and their studies are often designed to defend those tenants they started with. COnfirmation bias plays a huge role. If only we...

Great question. According to the gospels and Acts, I think it's safe to say that it was established by the risen Jesus in the mid 1st century either at or just prior to the Feast of Weeks. As far as the language chosen, "trained for" is interesting verbiage.

That which can be objectively proven is acceptable as fact. Which one, and to what are the reformed churches being compared? My answer would be no, but that would be my answer as it relates to ANY church or sect. What is salvation from? Please specify. Perhaps eventually. I'm willing to...

AN issue I see here does involve semantics, but even moreso it seems to involve a level of defensiveness that can cloud our ability to evaluate and subsequently change when change for the better may be in order. Opinions should be malleable, but facts, not so much. A starting point for...

To me, Sola Scriptura in effect says that the ecclesiastic body that is the church has no authority unless what it pushes is in lock step with what is written. When there is a conflict, go with scripture, and where scripture is silent, believers are unbound by doctrine no matter what their...

After reading through almost all of the comments, I'd venture to say that the thread's premise is that Jesus can't be shown to be the Messiah by using the Old Testament verses ALONE that are clearly Messianic. Verses that the New Testamant claim are Messianic that weren't specified as such in...

Good points. What do you believe the potentially dangerous line that can be crossed is when applying interpretive techniques?

Wondering, I'd just like to say that you bring a great perspective to this discussion. Your words are thought provoking and I believe will be a source of growth that will benefit many. Your point above is the issue, ain't it? I don't know how to totally rectify this, but we might do well to...

Sola Scriptora in light of the text's direct audience's culture, time period, linguistic nuances would still seem to be the most solid approach. Granted, some past cultural nuances will allude our modern understanding and when that occurs we should freely admit it and be silent, but, when we...

Why is "official" a thing? What entity can grant 'legitimate' authority IYO? It seems that one of the biggest sources of division is the idea of the leity being separated from the clergy. This is problematic indeed. Do you have any ideas on how we might overcome this hurdle as a unified body...

Point number 4 tdidymas makes is one I'd say most of us believe on the surface, but, it does open a Pandora's box of subjectivity as was pointed out earlier If 2 people claim to be led by the Spirit on an issue and they disagree, either one of them is wrong or they both are. Humility is having...

I'd like to toss around how we can best identify what beliefs we should place our faith in. Please feel free to share your methods or ideas as it relates to what you believe are the better ways to go about acquiring confidence in a particular doctrine or belief system.

Anyone that has spent any amount of time on this or other forums has undoubtedly encourter if not been a part of doctrinal disagreements. These encounters oftentime do not go well and I was hoping to start a discussion related to ways to improve our discussion of disagreements. So, what do we...

God does not have a plan of morality. What God has and has had are laws that serve to set apart his chosen and called ones. Examples from the OT include dietary laws and holy days. Examples from the NT include ordinances like baptism, the Lord's Supper, etc. Sometimes those laws intersect and...

"Human morality" and "Divine Morality" aren't things. We just created these in our minds. Morality is simply a means of regulating the behaviors of individuals within a co-existing peer group in hopes of fostering a safe and fair environment for those individuals. Moral individuals fit into the...

What standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do can we apply to God? God is sovereign as not our social peer. His might makes him right as it relates to what he can and can't do for , with, and to us human beings. This is a fact, not opinion. Look at...