tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17540148.post838958707859288390..comments2023-08-23T08:45:53.071-06:00Comments on Paradoxy: Total SurrenderEugenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05431724892247691165noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17540148.post-89029379954005719562008-03-14T18:10:00.000-06:002008-03-14T18:10:00.000-06:00Ha! Great Answer. You are, of course, talking to a...Ha! Great Answer. You are, of course, talking to a total Wesley nut.Craig L. Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08351091412370400350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17540148.post-78951534303835400472008-03-14T15:39:00.000-06:002008-03-14T15:39:00.000-06:00Craig,I think I see what you're saying, and I thin...Craig,<BR/><BR/>I think I see what you're saying, and I think I have an idea of what you mean regarding Paul, Luther and Wesley (I see it most strongly in what I know of Wesley), but it's not a thought I've explored before. I can't say I've studied the lives of Luther and Wesley with the level of depth that it would take to make such a case.Eugenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05431724892247691165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17540148.post-46468437660292434542008-03-14T07:06:00.000-06:002008-03-14T07:06:00.000-06:00Hey Eugene,I just stopped by & thought I'd post an...Hey Eugene,<BR/><BR/>I just stopped by & thought I'd post another comment - something I was thinking, but didn't take the time to write down.<BR/><BR/>There is some reason to think that the evangelical conversions of some of the major figures in Christian history (I'm thinking here for example of Paul, Martin Luther, John Wesley) were, from a Stages of Faith perspective, post-conventional conversions. They had previously been immersed in some form of legalism, and embraced evangelical faith as an alternative to it. (Like Paul says in Philippians 3.)<BR/><BR/>One of the implications of this insight (if it is valid) is that people consistently mis-understand them if they haven't reached that same point of faith development themselves.<BR/><BR/>ISTM that all of the above continued to want to conform their lives to Biblical moral directives - and, really, were quite insistent upon it - but they had found a new paradigm for obedience.<BR/><BR/>Does any of this make sense? Is there anywhere in this blog where you address this idea?Craig L. Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08351091412370400350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17540148.post-83389264176340507172008-03-03T12:03:00.000-07:002008-03-03T12:03:00.000-07:00Thanks so much for this post. I've been wrestling...Thanks so much for this post. I've been wrestling with the topic of sex and my christianity on my blog. <BR/><BR/>This post says so much about what I am realizing. <BR/><BR/>I love how you point out that often it is our spiritual immaturity that desires to make up rules for ourselves. I have been wondering where this compulsion came from. <BR/><BR/>-Steve (ps403)The Bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11664299500375323608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17540148.post-9422853599635518902008-03-02T19:52:00.000-07:002008-03-02T19:52:00.000-07:00Early in my Christian life I was impressed (and su...Early in my Christian life I was impressed (and surprised) by the strong anti-legalistic polemic of Paul in Colossians. He clearly says that the imposition of ascetic rules does not promote Christian holiness. Yet, Christians (and others) naturally assume that <B>keeping rules</B> or even <B>making even harsher rules</B> is the essence of Christian growth & faithfulness.<BR/><BR/>Actually, the worse place I see this played out is in the homes of super-Christian parents who are incredibly legalistic with their children - not realizing that they may be hardening the hearts of their children against everything they believe.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, it seems to me that in Christian theology we really are often stuck w/ having to say "yes, but..." about a lot things (Trinity, Christology, whatever). It shouldn't be surprising that there may be some "yes, but..."s in our account of Christian faithfulness, too.Craig L. Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08351091412370400350noreply@blogger.com