Re: Revelation

Bill Hamilton (hamilton@predator.cs.gmr.com)
Fri, 29 Sep 1995 14:31:54 -0500

Although I have only been peripherally involved in this argument, I have
watched it with some interest. While I agree that revelation dealing with
salvation has been specifically limited to Abraham's descendents (c.f. John
4:22), I'm not convinced that _all_ nongeneral revelation is limited to the
Jews. One case that comes to mind is in Gen 20:1-7. Abimelech was not a
Jew, but God spoke very plainly to him in a dream.

In any case, Glenn's flood doesn't require that the story be given to the
Babylonians by revelation. If it had been preserved by oral history for
several million years, people who migrated to other places would take it
with them, and it certainly seems plausible then that the neighbors of the
Jews would have similar flood legends. Whether oral history could be
preserved for millions of years is, I suspect, an unanswerable question.

>Glenn writes:
>
><< But I feel, sadly, that there are many who probably
>would agree with your very unfair characterization of my views as being in
>the same Ballpark as LDS. I guess when reason fails, start the name calling.>>

The problem with LDD is that they manufactured doctrine regarding the
nature of God that has no foundation in Scripture. Furthermore, none of
the so-called history of the western hemisphere in the Book of Mormon has
ever been corroborated by archaeologists. On the other hand, the Bible has
been found to be accurate on numerous historical claims it makes.
>

>And the reason this is a vital matter is summarized by the great Carl Henry,
>in his article "Special Revelation" in Elwell:
>
>"Christian theology has had to protect the biblical view of special revelation
>against many perversions...The idealistic notion that God's revelation is
>given only generally, that it is a universally accessible idea, is destructive
>of biblical emphases such as the particularity of special revelation and a
>historical sequence of special saving events."

I wonder if Henry would support the above statement if "special saving"
were removed. As in the case of Abimelech, God seems willing on occasion
to warn a nonJew away from sinful behavior, but that's not quite the same
as the series of special events that accompanied the calling out of Israel
as God's people and the further revelation of salvation in Jesus Christ.
>

Bill Hamilton | Vehicle Systems Research
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