Re: petition to amend ASA Constitutional Objectives?

Hi Terry,

Thank you!

Joe

At 01:29 PM 12/2/2005, Terry M. Gray wrote:
>Joe, Dick, and all:
>
>I don't quite understand why we're all so afraid of "knowing God's
>will" language. Whenever we ask the question "What should I do?" or
>"What should we as an organization do?", we're asking that question
>in the form that I think Joe means. Nothing more nothing less. We
>use our knowledge of scripture, our circumstances, the need around
>us, our abilities, our desires, etc. to discern what we ought to be
>about. As we individually and corporately reflect on such things and
>do it prayerfully, seeking God's guidance, I believe that He guides
>us. That doesn't mean that we're infallibly perceiving His will or
>that we have some kind of indisputable Divine Mandate that blasts
>through all alternate opinion, but it does mean that we can have
>some humble confidence that we're doing what God wants us to do
>individually and corporately.
>
>I don't think it hurts to evaluate this from time to time. I'm
>actually confident that the Executive Council together with Randy,
>especially in the course of selecting a new Executive Director, went
>through this process to some degree. If the membership, at Joe's
>encouragement, pushes for a more radical re-evaluation, so be it.
>
>TG
>
>On Dec 2, 2005, at 9:22 AM, Dick Fischer wrote:
>
>>Hi Joe, you wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>So it's futile for Christian engineers, scientists, theologians, and
>>
>>others to collectively and intentionally seek God's will for the
>>
>>engineering and science professions and their Christian
>>
>>members? It's established that God is too inscrutable for such an
>>
>>exercise to be anything but a presumptuous waste of time?
>>
>>
>>
>>There is certainly some question as to whether the will of God is
>>knowable or not. You could see that from the responses on this
>>list. Your suggested amendment seems to imply that we know it. That's all.
>>
>>
>>
>>~Dick Fischer~ Genesis Proclaimed Association
>>
>>Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
>>
>>www.genesisproclaimed.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Joe Carson [<mailto:jpcarson@tds.net>mailto:jpcarson@tds.net]
>>Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 2:43 PM
>>To: Dick Fischer
>>Subject: RE: petition to amend ASA Constitutional Objectives?
>>
>>
>>
>>So it's futile for Christian engineers, scientists, theologians, and
>>
>>others to collectively and intentionally seek God's will for the
>>
>>engineering and science professions and their Christian
>>
>>members? It's established that God is too inscrutable for such an
>>
>>exercise to be anything but a presumptuous waste of time?
>>
>>
>>
>>Please respond to the points I make, not your recasted ones.
>>
>>
>>
>>thanks,
>>
>>
>>
>>Joe
>>
>>
>>
>>At 01:21 PM 12/1/2005, you wrote:
>>
>> >Hi Joe, you wrote:
>>
>> >
>>
>> >In other words, "ascertain God's will"?
>>
>> >
>>
>> >So Churches, Councils, etc are presumptuous? Is ASA presumptuous to
>>
>> >exist? If you wish to be irrelevant, that is a formula for being so,
>>
>> >that it would be presumptuous to be otherwise. Is God that
>>
>> >inscrutable, random, and capricious? Or is that just your presumption?
>>
>> >
>>
>> >Testy. Joe, I wish I knew God's will for my life, and for the ASA for
>>
>> >that matter. It would be real easy if the handwriting was written
>>
>> >neatly on the wall, in English. It isn't and won't be. But theology
>>
>> >isn't normally a strong suit for scientists and engineers, and here is a
>>
>> >good opportunity to weigh input from someone a little theologically
>>
>> >grounded.
>>
>> >
>>
>> >~Dick Fischer~ Genesis Proclaimed Association
>>
>> >Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
>>
>> ><http://www.genesisproclaimed.org>www.genesisproclaimed.org
>>
>>
>
>________________
>Terry M. Gray, Ph.D.
>Computer Support Scientist
>Chemistry Department
>Colorado State University
>Fort Collins, CO 80523
>(o) 970-491-7003 (f) 970-491-1801
>
Received on Fri Dec 2 15:30:35 2005