Posted on December 12, 2007 10:36
Steve Sensenig:
pinakidion, I do appreciate the tone with which you have engaged this topic with me.
I don't hold any illusions of being able to convince you otherwise. And I specifically want to be very careful in dealing with this issue not to imply that I'm questioning anyone's faith. I think you still may be reading statements into my position that aren't there, but it's ok.
Different hermeneutics definitely can pose difficulty in discussions such as this, and I recognize that we would probably continue to talk past each other because of that.
I would simply point out that I think it's worth looking at how much of one's hermeneutic is piecing together things that aren't said vs. dealing with what is actually said. You have acknowledged that some key beliefs you have do not have direct biblical support, and I think that's at least helpful that you recognize that.
The problem often comes in when we draw some inferences out of some not-so-explicit passages and then use those inferences to interpret explicit passages contrary to what is actually stated in them. In those situations, I think we might end up doing more damage to the text than we intend.
At any rate, faith and theology always come down to the very personal level, in my opinion, and at that level, I want to say that I appreciate your openness about your children, and I am praying for you and them. If there is anything specific that you would like me to be praying for, please don't hesitate to email me at steve(at)theologicalmusingsblog(dot)com.
Thanks again for the great discussion. May God bless you and your family.