Hello Scott,
You already know much of my thoughts on this topic from my comments on the posts that you linked.
Thanks for the shout-out! We had a great visit (Hello Leigh!). We’ll have to have you two (or five) down to Charlotte for dinner. Though I doubt we could compete with that fantastic meal you and Leigh made.
You are correct. Like podcasters, musicians crave any and all feedback on their work. So for any of your readers – you can hear all my music here. You’ll also find links there where you can leave comments about any of the songs. Please, please, please, let me know what you think.
On another note, that was the first time in a long time that I’ve heard my psuedo-surname spoken aloud. So it’s been awhile since I had to make this correction: “Faiwu” is pronounced FAY-woo, with a hard ‘A’. I think everyone has made that mistake.
I also really appreciate the ‘co-producer’ credit, though I don’t think I’ve done enough to deserve it. I’ve never actually worked on your raw audio (though I’d love to take a shot at it) and have only offered advice.

I’ve had Jessica’s cooking and I think our wives are toe to toe in the kitchen.
I made the mistake and I actually know better but we were recording late so thanks for the grace.
You earned that co-producer cred bucko and if you want raw audio to play with I could give you the content for my Power in the Blood project if you wanted to play. Or episode four. Or both. In all seriousness if you wanted to produce Episodes 5&6 it would make my November a touch easier. You let me know.

No problem on the mispronunciation. I’d rather have an episode to listen too with a minor flub than no episode.
Sure, I’ll take the raw audio to free you up in November. We can first do a test-run on either Power in the Blood or episode four if you’d like. Just send me an email.

I guess what I mean is that, in the christian mindset, every human being is a creation of god, a living thing that a loving god would naturally want to be a part of his “family”. So this principle of him predetermining/electing people is, in a sense, an “-ism” like racism. This lottery-style salvation elligibility thing is disgusting. It implies that, were an un-elect to truly want to change, they are born without a purpose in god’s eyes. That is counter to the notion of a forgiving, open-hearted god. It’s anti-Jesus.
As a universally flawed species, what determines your value to be elected, and why is that acceptable to you? If you have a friend or loved one that is not an elect, how do you come to terms with an eternal spearation from that person? Regardless of how much more important you make god, isn’t that person’s soul something you would be willing to fight for? Meaning, something you would be willing to plead with god to “reverse” his decision about their elect-ness?
Do you think god is satisifed with the percentage of Christians he’s going to get in the long run? Does he not view the un-elect as losses? Are they the bad guys? This sounds more like a territorial power… a local god, than the one true creator and judge of all.
If there were a god, and he chose some to suffer before their birth with no hope of redemption and no ability to change… and just dooms people to be trapped on the outside, some unknowing of the whole process… what a hideous, elitist thing he would be.
You mentioned that a man may be wrong in what he imagines god to be. I would venture to say that were there a god as he’s presented, no one could hope to have it right. He’d be like Cthulhu, a completely foreign and indescribable thing.
You said god “is what he is” and that reality trumps any human notion of him. So having said that, how does one know the Bible, or their own clearly limited ability to understand him convince him of his right-ness?
“We didn’t make God, he made us.” We did. Mankind made everything used to transmit the concept of god to you (as a believer). There isn’t a holy rock that fell from heaven in a museum somewhere. What you are reading, or hearing preached, even what you determine to be miraculous or moving… you learned all of this from other people.
If you spent your full life on a deserted island you could not be a Christian. Of course, a plane would crash and spill bibles onto the sand, and the wreckage would form a cross, etc.
“Heck I could easily be wrong. I don’t think I am though. But right or wrong, if there is a God, then he/she/it’s not going to change because of what we think.” –Just until we write another testament, or form a new denomination.

“This lottery-style salvation elligibility thing is disgusting. It implies that, were an un-elect to truly want to change, they are born without a purpose in god’s eyes. That is counter to the notion of a forgiving, open-hearted god. It’s anti-Jesus.”
Lottery style implies that chance is involved. It isn’t. And if someone truly wants to “change” (not the point of Christianity btw, change all you want/can, you’ll never be perfect), but let’s assume they want to and do, then that’s evidence of their election. You can’t desire God (according to this belief) unless God calls you. And Jesus didn’t forgive everyone. He was pretty hard on the Sadducees and Pharisees.
“As a universally flawed species, what determines your value to be elected?”
No idea. I don’t think it’s based on my own worth to God.
“and why is that acceptable to you?”
Because as much as I’d like to, I don’t make the rules.
“If you have a friend or loved one that is not an elect, how do you come to terms with an eternal separation from that person? Regardless of how much more important you make god, isn’t that person’s soul something you would be willing to fight for? Meaning, something you would be willing to plead with god to “reverse” his decision about their elect-ness?”
Well you’re assuming that I know whether or not someone is among the elect. I don’t. So my prayer is that everyone, family or friends or enemies, come to Jesus. Pre-destination or not that ain’t gonna happen so the results are fundamentally the same whether I’m right or not about free will vs. election. I pray anyway and share anyway in hopes that God will use me. So yeah, I fight. I fight for you and Sid and quite a few others specifically.
“Do you think god is satisifed with the percentage of Christians he’s going to get in the long run?”
I’d imagine he’d have to be.
“Does he not view the un-elect as losses? Are they the bad guys? This sounds more like a territorial power… a local god, than the one true creator and judge of all.”
Nope and bad guys? In the sense that they are somehow competition? No.
“You mentioned that a man may be wrong in what he imagines god to be. I would venture to say that were there a god as he’s presented, no one could hope to have it right. He’d be like Cthulhu, a completely foreign and indescribable thing.”
Except that, it is my belief that he has made himself known and in more ways than one.
“You said god “is what he is” and that reality trumps any human notion of him. So having said that, how does one know the Bible, or their own clearly limited ability to understand him convince him of his right-ness?”
How does one convince God? I don’t understand.
“Mankind made everything used to transmit the concept of god to you (as a believer).”
A rock is a rock, regardless of what you call it. It’s called many things by many folks and that doesn’t’ change what it is. What we call a thing isn’t what makes something what it is. Neither is how we understand it.
“If you spent your full life on a deserted island you could not be a Christian. Of course, a plane would crash and spill bibles onto the sand, and the wreckage would form a cross, etc.”
True.
” Just until we write another testament, or form a new denomination.”
Testaments and denominations don’t make God and therefore can’t change God.

It’s lottery-style in that there is no set way to confirm you will be chosen, in that many can participate that may not be chosen, and that there’s not a way for the average joe to confirm if things work behind the scenes as they are reported to. It feels like something that came about as a man-made concept to try to justify the exclusion of non-Christians to doubtful Christians. It’s elitism, and it’s a policy that was derived entirely by those who were already “in the club” so to speak.
I don’t think that belief (that one can’t desire to find god without being called) is sound, even among many Christians. Various denominations use the “god shaped hole” theory to describe man’s longing for God. And I’m certain that Jesus condemned the Pharisees behavior and motives, and questioned the pureness of their hearts. But he also spoke clearly of being open to any man that truly repents.
This principle feels like reversal of the faith process. Christianity as a choice, a conscious decision by the “lost”, is one of the things that gives the story of redemption such a wonderful reputation. The idea that people’s actions are predetermined defies the core of the freedom that god reportedly allowed mankind to have.
“I don’t think it’s based on my own worth to God.” In a sense, this could sound like you are saying that you believe you are worth more to god than a person struggling with Christianity who may opt out.
“Because as much as I’d like to, I don’t make the rules.”
But you were told these rules. If someone had left these rules out, you wouldn’t have necessarily drawn these conlcusions. You have to question the rules, not accept them pointblank. Otherwise your conversion is not legitimate.
“Well you’re assuming that I know whether or not someone is among the elect. I don’t.”
In fact, you don’t know that you are. What if you are destined to backslide (or whatever the term is on the Presby side)?
“Testaments and denominations don’t make God.” But the men behind them determine what viewpoint of god you have. It is solely through flawed, possibly impulsive or controlling or misguided or confused human beings that you have any exposure to anything Christian. Considering that Christ’s existience has never been thoroughly proven on a historical level, but that Christian authorities (yes, flawed men) have commited many of the most anti-Christlike atrocities in the history of mankind… and it has always been such fallible, man-based authorities that have transmitted your texts and rules and instructions to you… this doctrine of unexplained exclusion could very well be a colossal mistake? Or the whole of the “bible” for that matter?

Wow!! I am having Bible study with friends of Jehovah Witness’s. I was born and brought up a roman catholic, married the first time in the angligan church, studied in the United Church, was baptised in the penticostal church, had good vibes in the Baptist church,. You might say, I have tried them all. Now, I don’t go to church at all, but I love Jehovah, and I am happy to tell you that there is no hell! heaven, is the Kingdom of God. And when you get ‘The Truth” you will know what that is!!1