Not sure why you are confused. Healing comes from what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago - faith for that healing so we can receive it comes from hearing the Word of God.
Yes, Word of Faith people read the Bible literally. I believe in a 6-day creation is because that is what the Bible teaches.
My rule of thumb is what I call the 15 year old rule. If I leave a 15 year old with no experience of religious nonsense in a room alone with a Bible, what would they honestly think when they finished reading it?
They would be a six day creationist, there is not a chance in a million they would come out a cessationist.
If you do not read the Bible literally then you are judging the Bible in some way - using either reason or tradition or experience. If this is the case, then reason or tradition is your authority, not the Word of God.
Blessings,
Ben
This is the best explanation of the WoF position that I have heard. Many thanks, Ben.
If I understand you correctly, you believe a literal reading to be the default setting for any reading of anything, and therefore the default setting for the reading of Scripture? We read, say, newspapers this way, without thinking about it, and therefore this appears to be the default value for any reading?
And, because this is the default setting, there is no judgement involved; just reading? You do not think that choosing to read something as literal is, in fact, making a judgement? And conversely, you think that using reason, tradition and judgement mean an obscuring of that literal, non judgemental default setting?
This is an interesting point of view, but I am intrigued about its origin; certainly the Bible does not say any of this, so someone at some point decided to formulate this framework for reading what it says. I would be interested to learn why did they do so, and on whose authority did they create this framework, and then say the Bible must be read in this way?
I also do not think these claims would stand up to any literary scrutiny, in relation to the action of reading, and any default which may or may not exist, but they at least explain why you believe as you do, and put it into some kind of framework.
I also seriously doubt your 15 year old analogy; my d is much too intelligent to read anything without evaluating its content, and drawing conclusions about it in relation to her existing knowledge. And even the youngest child can tell the difference between fiction and non fiction; non literal and literal. When teaching our youngest children to read, the default would seem to be predominantly non literal, rather than literal; Cinderella and the Three Little Pigs, and they have no problem mistaking those for reality, do they? The literal reading of literal texts come rather later, with greater maturity and greater literacy, but I would say such literalism is a product of our age, and is hugely in danger of being anachronistic in relation to Scripture.
Really just thinking around this one at present. I am glad to understand it, at least a little bit more.
__________________
A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench.
Isaiah 42:3
Last edited by Catherineanne; 14th July 2009 at 06:01 PM.
Not sure why you are confused. Healing comes from what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago - faith for that healing so we can receive it comes from hearing the Word of God.
Yes, Word of Faith people read the Bible literally. I believe in a 6-day creation is because that is what the Bible teaches.
My rule of thumb is what I call the 15 year old rule. If I leave a 15 year old with no experience of religious nonsense in a room alone with a Bible, what would they honestly think when they finished reading it?
They would be a six day creationist, there is not a chance in a million they would come out a cessationist.
If you do not read the Bible literally then you are judging the Bible in some way - using either reason or tradition or experience. If this is the case, then reason or tradition is your authority, not the Word of God.
Blessings,
Ben
I think most Spirit filled believers would go along with that.
The perception many people have of WOF though is some of the extremes, people talking about becoming little gods and little christs, or people with three mansions and a jet asking for a seed faith donation from some old lady, by twisting the parable of the sower. Reading every verse except 'the seed is the word of God'.
Maybe not very widely held extremes, but mud sticks. And then most charismatics do know a WOF believer or too and know that they're not any more prosperous or healed or successful or have anymore spiritual authority than the believers in the baptist church, despite all the frantic confessions and teachings.
Striving for things that God gives freely!?!
God Bless You
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Last edited by lismore; 14th July 2009 at 07:56 PM.
So was that a Holy Spirit filled believer speaking?
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2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.
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I think most Spirit filled believers would go along with that.
That useful little weasel 'most' indicates very clearly, however, that not all do.
I think it is very probable that this viewpoint is a minority one, when taking the Body of Christ as a whole. That does not make it necessarily wrong, of course. But neither does it constitute a universal truth.
__________________
A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench.
That useful little weasel 'most' indicates very clearly, however, that not all do.
I think it is very probable that this viewpoint is a minority one, when taking the Body of Christ as a whole. That does not make it necessarily wrong, of course. But neither does it constitute a universal truth.
Unfortunately since the view is a minority view, someone in my case would be better off just finding another church, nowadays it seriously would just be easier than fighting with everyone in your church.
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Unfortunately since the view is a minority view, someone in my case would be better off just finding another church, nowadays it seriously would just be easier than fighting with everyone in your church.
Here is a better idea. Bearing in mind that the majority is always wrong, and the minority seldom right, let's not fight. I only came here to learn, not to fight with anyone.
I accept you for who you are, without trying to change you, and you accept me for who I am, ditto, and we can then share tea and biscuits/coffee and cookies.
__________________
A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench.
Here is a better idea. Bearing in mind that the majority is always wrong, and the minority seldom right, let's not fight. I only came here to learn, not to fight with anyone.
I accept you for who you are, without trying to change you, and you accept me for who I am, ditto, and we can then share tea and biscuits/coffee and cookies.
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Heh, wow that's a new concept for Christianity; people are different?
I mean, every person is different. you cannot expect a person next to you act the same way and believe the same way, even have the same talent, family, height, weight, car, house and cousins.
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The literal reading of literal texts come rather later, with greater maturity and greater literacy, but I would say such literalism is a product of our age, and is hugely in danger of being anachronistic in relation to Scripture.
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