Biblical Christian World View's topics - tribe.net

The End of the World vs. Christian Social Transformation

2008-06-10T14:06:04Z

I often wonder if American Christians aren't inappropriately obsessed with "the end times." The result? Christians escape the world instead of intervening. We leave this planet and it's people to the influence of the Devil himself! Except for trying to get people "saved" we become irrelevant.

Here are some thoughts from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

"It is wiser to be pessimistic; it is a way of avoiding disappointment and ridicule, and so wise people condemn optimism. The essence of optimism is not its views of the present, but the fact that is is the inspiration of life and hope when others give in; it enables persons to hold their heads high when everything seems to be going wrong; it gives them strength to sustain reverses and yet claim the future for themselves instead of abandoning it to their opponents. It is true that there is a silly, cowardly kind of optimism, which we must condemn. But the optimism that is willing for the future should never be despised, even if it is proved wrong a hundred times; it is health and vitality, and the sick person has no business to impugn it. There are people who regard it as frivolous, and some Christians think it impious for anyone to hope and prepare for a better earthly future. They think that the meaning of present events is chaos, disorder and catastrophe; and in resignation or pious escapism they surrender all responsibility for reconstruction and for future generations. It may be that the day of judgment will dawn tomorrow; in that case, we shall gladly stop working for a better future. But not before."

Is anyone else concerned about this?

My guess is that most of the members of this group have written off the world. What do you say>

What about "Discipling the Nations?" What about the "rock that struck the statue and itself became a mountain that filled the whole earth?"

Come on. What do you think?

ThirstyJon

posted in Biblical Christian World View - 2 replies

Origins Debate

2008-06-10T00:01:49Z

What is the biblical "world view" concerning origins, specifically creation/evolution?

posted in Biblical Christian World View - 3 replies

Government Neutrality on Religion

2008-05-05T17:10:07Z

Is it possible for a government to be truly neutral on "religion?"

posted in Biblical Christian World View - 4 replies

The Bible And Science

2008-05-05T16:58:05Z

It is my contention that the bible is the authority above all areas of knowledge. While the bible is not a science text, it does touch on numerous science principles and must be adhered to whenever it does. The Christian does not have the right to accept the bible on spiritual matters, then reject it on scientific, historical etc.. We are to accept the bibles history, its cosmology, its geology, its biology etc. above anything the world is offering at the moment, where the two are in contradiction.

To do this is not to say that a believer who doesn't accept the bible in all matters is not a true Christian. But it does mean that they are not consistant in their beliefs. All of doctrines of the NT are based in the historical account of Genesis. If Genesis is regarded as a fable, we cannot be sure of the atonement either.

posted in Biblical Christian World View - 4 replies

Submission to Secular Government

2008-05-01T18:31:28Z

Is the church today failing a test in obedience?
Epistles by both Paul and Peter instruct Christians
to "submit" the secular authority. In Romans 13:4,
Paul describes the ruler as "the minister of God to
thee for good" (KJV), which probably shocked his
audience when applied to the Roman Emperor. Peter
and Paul jointly taught believers to obey the Emperor
and the local authorities who ruled in his name
[see 1 Peter 2:13,14 and Titus 3:1, respectively].
This obedience came at a great price for these two
apostles. Tradition teaches that both men were
executed by the Roman government.

I shudder at the discipline and self-sacrifice usually
necessitated by obedience to civil authorities. The
admonition to render honor to whomever it is due [found
in Rom. 13:7] is a yoke. It should constrain the impulse
to lambaste a president caught in adultery, or a judge
who makes a merciless decision, but so many in the
Christian community have felt free to throw about
invectives lately. The instruction to obey "every
ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" [1 Pet. 2:13] is a
yoke. Sincere Christians in every American movement for
social justice have chafed under this command, and have
sometimes broken man's laws to pursue a "greater good."
Obedience to secular authority is becoming a struggle
for the people of God. I wonder if God is pleased?

posted in Biblical Christian World View - 4 replies

Compassion and Government

2008-04-18T14:52:16Z

There is an upcoming Forum that will be attended by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on "Compassion," "Faith," and "Values."

1) Will you be watching it? You can read about it here: http://freedomthirst.com/2008/04/08/the-compassion-forum/
2) What do you believe is the government's role in "compassion?"

These people are running for President. What should the federal government's role in Poverty, Aids, and other topics be? What about Abortion and Religious Freedom?

posted in Biblical Christian World View - 3 replies

Property

2008-04-05T06:02:06Z

How do God and the Bible relate to Property?

James Madison: "In the former sense, a man’s land, or merchandise, or money is called his property. In the latter sense, a man has a property in his opinions and the free communication of them. He has a property of peculiar value in his religious opinions, and in the profession and practice dictated by them . . . He has an equal property in the free use of his faculties, and free choice of the objects on which to employ them. In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights. Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in excess of liberty, the effect is the same . . . Government is instituted to protect property of every sort . . . This being the end of government . . . Conscience is the most sacred of all property"

Read More: http://freedomthirst.com/2008/03/21/property-an-unalienable-right/

Your Thoughts?

posted in Biblical Christian World View - 9 replies

Civil Government

2008-04-02T06:19:53Z

How do Christianity and the Bible apply to Civil Government?

Feel free to dive right in. If you want some preliminary thought from me here are a couple of comments I've made about that recently:

http://freedomthirst.com/2008/03/14/the-bible-and-government/

http://freedomthirst.com/2008/03/19/more-on-god-and-government/

posted in Biblical Christian World View - 6 replies