Re: [asa] Re: asa-digest V1 #6228

*Anyway -- read the chapter. God tells Saul to commit genocide.
Including
infants. And when Saul does not, he gets zapped for disobedience*
**
Yes, I've wrestled with and still wrestle with those "jihad" passages as
well. But the answer can't be concluding that the Bible simply is
advocating immorality. You are saying then that God is the author of
immorality, which is nonsensical in at least two ways: it makes God not
"God" because he would not be perfectly holy and just, and it makes
God not
"God" because he would be subject to a higher law of some sort. It also
makes God's word not really "authoritative" or "infallible in faith and
practice," contra the formulation you cited, because it would give
license
to us to judge which parts of God's word seem immoral to us and to elide
those parts. Something -- who knows what -- would then be authoritative
over scripture.

As difficult as it is to swallow and defend, I think we have to
acknowledge
that God is justified in judging people and nations, and that his
judgments
in these particular instances were immediate and took the form of
wars waged
by His covenant people. That is not "immoral," because God's
judgments are
perfectly wise and just. God will in fact one day judge people and
nations
in such an immediate way again in the eschaton. This is, so to
speak, the
"other side" of the Gospel.

But -- and this is critical -- scripture makes plain that God is not
presently judging in this fashion, but is patiently waiting for
people to
repent and accept the invitation of the cross. This is a time of
grace, not
judgment, and neither Church nor State are authorized to engage in
wars of
judgment. Yet, Christ will return as a judge; the Christian story is
incomplete without God's wrath and judgment.

On 10/10/06, Carol or John Burgeson <burgytwo@juno.com> wrote:
>
> David wrote: "What a heinous doctrine of scripture. On what basis
> do we
> "recognize" that scripture teaches things that are morally evil?"
>
> I think you have to wrestle with the scriptures. One of the texts that
> intrigues me is the 15th chapter of I Samuel.
>
> I was looking up "Amalekites" in a Nelson-published Bible a few years
> ago.
> Strangely, I Samuel 15 was not cited in the concordance, although
> other
> instances of the word appeared. Could it be that Nelson, a
> conservative
> publisher, left out that reference because it was so problematical? I
> always wondered.
>
> Anyway -- read the chapter. God tells Saul to commit genocide.
> Including
> infants. And when Saul does not, he gets zapped for disobedience.
>
> History? Then what makes God any better than Saddam?
>
> Just a story? What moral does it teach?
>
> Maybe genocide is OK in some instances? I reject that conclusion,
> but it
> is a possible inference from the text.
>
> Or what? Have you ever heard a sermon based on the chapter? What was
> said?
>
> I am still wrestling with it after 5 years.
>
> Other examples can be cited; this one ought to be enough.
>
> Burgy
>
>
>
>
>

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Received on Tue Oct 17 16:50:12 2006