Hell again, Kirwin,

Philo does depict the Logos as a lesser god, however.  He also emphasizes the inherent evil of teh spacio-temporal world, a per Plato.  Really then, he is far more of a gnostic.  Of course, Gnosticism was a strong movement within the early church, though eventually declared a heresy.

Hello, Kirwin,

I just said, in my previous post here, that they did not worship David.  Also I don’t know what the “older tradition” is that you re referring to here.  If you mean the OT, OK.  However, certain early churches did affirm the Deity of Christ., the exceptions being teh anti-Trinitarians such as the Arians, Orign, etc.

Hello, Kirwin,

Philo was largely a Platonic thinker.  He said absolutely nothing abut Christ.  His goal seems to be to present Moses as the original source of Platonic metaphysics, relegating the temporal-material world to being an anti-God principle.    In his thought, God per se  did not create the world, has no contact with the inferior worl…[Read more]

He, Gene,

Bear with me here.  I thought I did respond to it.  Can you tell me why you feel I didn’t, so that  can fix it?

That isn’t the way it happened, t8.  What did go down is that teh early fathers, working with Scripture, received, from the texts,  strong implications that there was a Trinity. The prologue to Jn. is one exam[le.  Also, Christ says, “I and the Father are one.”  At the same time, there were biblical passages that did seem to contradict the noti…[Read more]

Certainly the logic of perfection from classical theism would agree with you. God is understood as wholly self-sufficient, wholly immutable, and  wholly unaffected by the universe.  According to St. Thomas Aquinas, God i outside the whole order of creation and has no “real relationship” to it.   However, I am very critical of the classical mode…[Read more]

Hello, t8,

I’m not sure where you are going with the shamrock analogy.  Are you affirming it or denying it?  Yes, true, humans do speculate about God.  That is only natural, not a problem, however.  The Bible is not a book of metaphysics, give but snap shots of God which often conflict.  So it’s up to us to piece these together  into a meaningful whole.

I said that Scripture implies a Trinity, but does not work it out in any real detail.  The prologue to Jn. is one such major  passage that points to the Trinity.    Also, traditions are important.  They give meaning and organization.  Of course, we also want to think creatively and that means a healthy skepticism about traditions.   Whicheve…[Read more]

True, Kerwin, many do assume Scripture says that God does not change.  And there are many passages to back that idea.  However, it is too easily overlooked that about 100 passages do attribute change to God, e.g., Gen. 6:6, Hosea 11:8, for starters. Scripture is not a book of metaphysics, as I have said many times.  Hence, it never addresses qu…[Read more]

I believe that God is a loving God; and when you love people, you do not coerce them by threats of horrible punishments.  Consequently, I think all are saved. I don’t think this is cheap grace.  Seeing God, coming grace to face with God would be a very humbling experience.  We totally underappreciate the power of beauty to chastise. For ex…[Read more]

Hello, EdJ,

Yes, I read it, but years ago.  My dissertation covered mysticism, but I was so loaded down with traditional mystics that I did little with anything modern, which is where I would put the book. There are certain themes that I recall strongly parallel ideas in both process and traditional Christian mysticism.

Thanks for the compliment, Andrew.  Glad I am helping.  I am a theologian and education is my mission. Yes, the Arians did say Christ was a supernatural being, just not God.    And, as I aid, they really stressed that God cannot change or experience any emotion, let alone suffering.  This was typical of both the Arians and also Trini…[Read more]

Hello, again, Nick,

As I already said, we are all human beings and have to think in human terms.  Even the Bible was written by human beings and is therefore a work of human thought.  So I don’t see the need to arise out of our humanness.  If anything, I think we should work to become more human. Also, about rising out of  or transcending hum…[Read more]

Yes, that touches on some key points I made in my earlier posts.  Many think God is the complete and total negation of creation.  That means we can know only what God is not, not what God is. Acts is challenging that model of God. Also, bear in mind that Paul has trouble with the world of scholarship in his day.  The Greeks were very pr…[Read more]

I believe that God is love.  Now, when you love someone you do not seek to coerce them with threats of punishment.  Hence, I believe God saves everyone, not just those who hold with certain doctrines. Too often, faith has been allowed to collapse into intellectual ascent to certain doctrines.  it’s more important what you belie than how you li…[Read more]

Hello,  Nick,

I never said that man is our only hope. Also, I don’t view all human speculations as merely carnal. If we can’t trust our speculations in any way, then all is lost, simply because all we have is human knowledge.  As I said before, we can’t step outside of our humanity.  Also, I don’t view carnality as inferior or ungodly.  That who…[Read more]

Hi, Kerwin,

The early Trinitarians identified Christ with God simply  because there is no way you could have all the qualities of God and not be God. That doesn’t even begin to make sense. Sorry, but it doesn’t.

Hello, Ed,

My sources largely come from contemporary process theology and also the Christian mystical tradition, specifically Jacob Boehme and Meister Eckhart.

I side with t8 on that.

I’m not sure what John you are referring to here.  If this is I Jn., you are probably referring to the Johannie Comma, which is a much later tampering with Scripture by Trinitarians.  It is not in the early Bibles.