tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post3216911822800311372..comments2023-06-17T06:53:33.380-07:00Comments on Scriptspot: Let us First Love Him – Part 6 in the Twelve-step Program to American RecoveryDeana Chadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904002435811922875noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post-74732440436495886122012-03-10T16:31:31.079-08:002012-03-10T16:31:31.079-08:00Ian -- I know you must be thin-skinned on this iss...Ian -- I know you must be thin-skinned on this issue, but you've misunderstood me. We all think things, say things, and do things that come short of the glory of God. All of us -- it's in our DNA, it's not something any of us, on our own can do anything about. What offends me about gay pride parades is the demand that we all for some reason agree that one set of imperfections is ok. That seems unreasonable and dangerous to me in that once we give up recognizing our imperfections as imperfections we are dealing with unreality -- a huge problem in our culture altogether. I don't see being gay as the same thing as pedophilia -- there you have victims. Huge distinction. But the one place there is a similarity is in the insistence that that behavior is not an imperfection. Back to unreality again. That's my point, Ian. It is unreasonable and untruthful for any one of us to deny the way God sees us -- it robs us of access to the very love of God that we need. I'm sorry we disagree; I always valued you as a student - you are a fine young man and I appreciate your willingness to discuss this with me. Write again. dcDeana Chadwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17904002435811922875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post-3808354250878891312012-03-09T21:06:04.969-08:002012-03-09T21:06:04.969-08:00As a gay man, I find the assertion that Gay Pride ...As a gay man, I find the assertion that Gay Pride parades are a sign of 'end times' not just offensive, but dangerous. The fact that you lump us in with pedophiles is downright hurtful and homophobic. I have participated in Gay Pride events and consider myself a 'lover of the good.' Once a year we celebrate our continuing liberation from a culture and worldview that has historically demonized, oppressed, and ostracized us. We come together out of of a sense of community, solidarity, and love. Sometimes we hold hands Sometimes we hold up signs. Sometimes we even (*gasp*) take off our shirts. Gay Pride is about coming out to the world. It's about loving ourselves the way we were born. And yes, it's about having fun. To associate us with a group promoting child rape is not only disingenuous - it's immoral. It is this kind of thinking that still endangers gay people all around the world. It is this culture of hate and ignorance that still causes young gay people to have a higher suicide rate than their heterosexual counterparts. It is this point of view that Ugandan legislators are using to try to pass a bill that would make DEATH the punishment for gay sex. And it is this way of thinking that allows for - and excuses - the degradation, humiliation, and violence committed against gay people across the globe. If you are genuine in your hope for a better, more just, more peaceful, more loving world - a world that Jesus Christ would be happy to live in (and I believe you are), then I ask you to please think twice the next time you casually remark that gay people who march in parades are instigators of Armageddon and equate them with child rapists. Thanks you.Ian Goffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post-42364598395495606482012-02-07T13:48:41.212-08:002012-02-07T13:48:41.212-08:00Hey, thanks. And yes, isn't David great? He g...Hey, thanks. And yes, isn't David great? He goes to our church -- he's one smart cookie. Thanks for reading. dDeana Chadwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17904002435811922875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post-51840713300322496712012-02-07T08:23:21.086-08:002012-02-07T08:23:21.086-08:00Dee
I agree with Mike. These are really great pos...Dee<br /><br />I agree with Mike. These are really great posts. <br />And Kudos to David, whoever you are. Excellent comment.Bricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10277268486322405997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post-33844163902277357592012-02-06T20:43:45.546-08:002012-02-06T20:43:45.546-08:00David -- Wow -- I could not agree more. I've b...David -- Wow -- I could not agree more. I've been beating this truth drum for years. It scares me silly. And I have exactly the same problems talking to my progressive friends. The problem is that if you give up truth, logic no longer exists. Yikes. Thanks for reading. dDeana Chadwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17904002435811922875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post-72030942734371699412012-02-06T20:28:58.340-08:002012-02-06T20:28:58.340-08:00I can imagine how isolating that must feel. It was...I can imagine how isolating that must feel. It was much the same in the confines of a public school, though I'm sure that the sheer weight of the numbers in NYC must be stifling. I pray for you always. dDeana Chadwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17904002435811922875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post-23705597826770278292012-02-06T18:18:13.045-08:002012-02-06T18:18:13.045-08:00Hi Dee,
Another thoughtful post. I can't help...Hi Dee,<br /><br />Another thoughtful post. I can't help but see a common theme at the core of our American problem. And the root of it seems to be that in many ways America has become the land that hates truth. Now there are no doubt still enough people, and safeguards, and constitutional freedoms in place that this country has a chance - but not unless the issue of truth is swept to the forefront like a tornado plows through everything in its path. <br /><br />I see two overlapping philosophies that have en-mired the thinking of most people I know, including the Christians who have access to truth, including opportunity to understand divine establishment principles. These two philosophies have long been enemies of the truth, and are so deeply enmeshed in the culture and thinking and perception of this land, and have become so familiar, that most wouldn't know them from the air that they believe. I'm talking about the norm of the existential and the post modern. These two philosophies slyly cover each other and augment each other in nefarious ways. <br /><br />The existential ideal has made experience the norm for authority and replaced the concept of truth with my perception of what is true. I should be comfortable knowing that you have all of these ideals that you talk about - because they are yours. That is YOUR truth, but it isn't mine. It is at the root of so much of the multiculturalism that is now a norm & standard in the souls of Americans. When truth as a norm and standard of the soul is replaced by "my" truth or "your" truth - then the free reign of chaos can only ensue. It becomes more important to understand how I feel about issues, than to apply rigorous though to differentiate the false from the true. In fact there is no need for false and true, because "my" truth may not be "your" truth. Why can't we just disagree and get along - I might say from an existentially empowered perspective. I think you know the tune I'm playing here, and can funnel it into your own symphony of words .... To be frank, we hit the crisis point in the late 60's and early 70's and have never lost that then critical inertia in this country. <br /><br />Then there is the onslaught of the Postmodern, hitting critical inertia at the same time, which tells me that not only can I have my own truth, but that there is NO such thing as truth. There is no right or wrong, defined and undefined. All is blended. I can say I am from the political right, as a moderate, on any issue - and be within my postmodern prerogative to tell you so. What is "is"? As a postmodern I can't tell you. As with Francis Shaeffer, and his exposition in Escape from Reason, I believe that to communicate with the postmodern, one must be converted to the appropriate set of<br />presuppositions, namely the law of non-contradiction (“A” cannot be “non-A”), first, in<br />order to believe and experience the God of Christianity. The Bible is viewed as a<br />propositional argument from God to His people, which can only be accepted by the<br />correct presuppositional vantage point. <br /><br />As I have reasoned and conversed with many of my postmodern and existential friends on the issues of truth and life - I find that there is no real conversation without first addressing the assumptions. In that amazing boiling down of the philosophies and theology, the contesting for truth really starts and ends with epistemology and the epistemological assumptions. <br /><br />Truly the only answer for America is that epistemological rehabilitation that comes from accepting the assumptions and presuppositions of the Bible. As I am want to say - arrogance is not the enemy of humility, but the enemy of the truth; and the wise know that true humility is acceptance of revealed truth, above all.<br /><br />David<br /><br />IPeter 1:13 Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.JVille_Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14518682596592286363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633361416485591575.post-25179376225762527622012-02-06T18:08:12.719-08:002012-02-06T18:08:12.719-08:00"Too many of us are discontented and do not k..."Too many of us are discontented and do not know the God who made us, our country, and our world."<br /><br />I feel like I'm surrounded by people who "do not know." It's not fair to say that because how do I know that they "do not know," but I can't help the feeling. Living in a big city doesn't help. <br /><br />Dee, these posts are really good. Thanks!Mikenoreply@blogger.com