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

St. Augustine wrestled with this very passage. Applying the "rule of
charity," he concluded that the story cannot be literally true, but
must be
interpreted by some other hermeneutic. I think this appears in "On
Christian
Doctrine," but am working from a faulty memory.

Bob

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carol or John Burgeson" <burgytwo@juno.com>
To: <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 4:16 PM
Subject: Re: [asa] Re: asa-digest V1 #6228

> 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 Wed Oct 18 02:14:15 2006