Wendee Holtcamp wrote:
>
> George Murphy wrote:
> >The fundamental claim of Christianity -
> >that the key to the deepest understanding fo a person's life & of the world
> is revealed
> >in a man getting nailed to a cross - is not "reasonable" by the standards
> of either
> >commonsense theism or up & down the street naturalism. All attempts to
> make it
>
> This is so true! It reflects what Paul says in
> 1 Cor 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
> perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." AND
>
> 1 Cor 2:14 "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come
> from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot
> understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
>
> This is why I say using intellectual discussions with nonbelievers will
> never ultimately bring someone to Christ. Love is the universal language
> that everyone speaks, though and it holds within it the power to break down
> walls and open hearts to see the love of God that is for everyone.
I don't want to rule out intellectual discussions with unbelievers but
they are likely to accomplish little if they begin from the standpoint of common
sense theism & ideas about human capacities. The other person must be open to Christian
understandings of God & the human condition, & the possibility of such openness is
enhanced if we display the type of attitude you describe.
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
gmurphy@raex.com
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
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