My Official Evolutionary Position

[Critias]

Yes, but they don't need to do so publicly, or join a church or be visibly a Christian. They may even think themselves not a Christian until they meet Christ on the day of judgment and recognize him as the one they have been following all their lives.

No one anywhere is beyond the grace of God and God knows his own, even when we do not. As Mother Theresa once said, we don't know how God chooses to appear to another soul. So we cannot write off another person just because they don't measure up to our criteria.

Ok, that makes better sense. So let me ask then, do you think joining a Church is important? Do you think that being an undercover Christian is not the most healthy thing to do as a Christian? Do you think that you can be saved if you don't repent?

 

[gluadys]

Ok, that makes better sense. So let me ask then, do you think joining a Church is important? Do you think that being an undercover Christian is not the most healthy thing to do as a Christian? Do you think that you can be saved if you don't repent?

Yes, I think openly professing the faith and joining the visible church is important, though not always possible, and not necessary to salvation. Repentance is essential to salvation, and not just with the lips and emotions, but carried out in one's way of life. Genuine repentance is only made possible by God's grace.

 

[shernren]

There are people who are theologians that deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It doesnt' take a good Christian to be a theologian. You just need to be able to attain the degree.

"Theology" is knowledge of God. Whoever denies the resurrection of Jesus Christ doesn't know God and therefore is not a good theologian in my opinion. And I'm not sure why we're discussing this ....

 

[artybloke]

There are people who are theologians that deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Name five.

 

[Critias]

Name five.

Is this one of those games where if I don't name five it isn't true? You really think all people who have a theological degree, which is what makes them a theologian, all agree on all issues?

Take the Jesus Seminar people, many of them have their doctorates in Theology. They are made up of protestants, Catholics, Jews, and independents all proclaiming Jesus did not raise from the dead and claiming to be Christian as well.

John Shelby Spong and Leslie Weatherhead denied Christ's resurrection and they both are theologians.

So, even with two actual names and a whole group of people, my statement stands as it was written: There are people who are theologians and deny Christ's resurrection.

Don't allow yourself to be naive enough to think that this world doesn't have people who will deny the resurrection of Christ and have the degree to be a theologian.

 

[artybloke]

John Shelby Spong and Leslie Weatherhead denied Christ's resurrection and they both are theologians.

Don't know about Leslie Weatherhead, though I suspect that, like Spong, he doesn't deny the reality of the resurection, so much as questions the crudely physical nature of it of the popular Christian imagination. Having a different interpretation of it from the evangelical doesn't equate to denying its reality.

The point of naming five, by the way, is not just a game. I have seen many claims made on this forum for what liberal theologians are supposed to believe, most of which are entirely without evidence to prove it. Unsubstantiated allegations remain unsubstantiated until you can give evidence to back it up. Which I note you haven't actually given even now. You've just provided names, not references which can be checked (and I don't mean quotes which can be cut and pasted to make people say anything you want. I mean properly documented references.)

Having said that, I'm sure there are theologians who deny the resurection. They may be Jewish theologians like Geza Vermes, or Islamic theologians. But they may nevertheless be full of interesting information: Vermes is great on the Jewish background to Jesus' ministry.