Recent content by ubicaritas

Paraphrasing or expressing a truth in language that children can understand is perfectly acceptable. Rather than trying to teach young children about the intricacies of the Trinity, its probably better to focus on age-appropriate themes. Biblical stories about Jesus are probably better...

The idea of something not being a matter of either/or does not fit into some peoples minds.

My contention is that the Reformed do not necessarily mean the same thing that we do when we call the sacraments a means of grace. It's like the whole debate about the Real Presence. Some will try to argue (especially Baptists or non-denominationalists), with a straight face, that they believe...

How many people have simply dropped out of the workforce?

A few years ago I watched J.D. Vance (a self-described "hill billy" from southern Ohio who became popular after Trump's election for his book critical of rural white culture) talk about how religion is actually declining in rural areas, and that's actually a fact backed up by statistics. I...

It has nothing to do with that and everything to do with the historic Reformed stance summed up in the saying "the finite is not capable of the infinite". There's a suspicion of materiality as a vehicle for grace, going all the way back to Calvin. The Calvinist view of God seems to be more...

Does that count people who read or hear passages of the Bible in church?

Good point. Frankly Graham is dealing in conservative Arminian religion at the end of the day, and that comes with its own baggage. He's not just talking about Jesus as an historical person, after all.

I appreciate the responses, it has given me alot to think about. I think it raises more questions though, especially as to how we as Christians are supposed to respond to a culture that sees our religion and our message as deeply problematic. Especially because there has been so much emphasis...

Spong believes Jesus was a real person who actually lived. He even believes his disciples encountered his presence after his death, though he doesn't presume to understand that necessarily in the corporal sense that many other Christians do. I don't agree with Spong's approach generally but...

Though Lutherans don't believe the sacraments are due to our infirmities, as Calvin preached. Matter is not inherently unspiritual or unworthy of the divine. Like Catholics or Orthodox, we believe there is something glorious and mysterious about the sacraments. They are not mere pledges of...

Almost all modernist theologians do in fact believe there was an historical Jesus.

We use synods too, what I described was a broad generalization. There's alot more discussion and consensus-seeking than what happens at non-mainline churches in all levels of church government.

Our church's social statements tend to be broad and rarely pin down specific answers to questions on how people should live as Christians. They are more like "food for thought" and less like encyclicals in tone. I once shared one of our church's social statements on abortion here and it was...

Typically mainline churches, in the American context, were shaped as a reaction to the early 20th century Fundamentalist movement, they embrace higher criticism or the historical critical method for understanding the Bible. They also have consensual, broad social and religious ethics and are...