I found a very funny and useful parody about “prooftexting” our beliefs, written by a blogger named Rey at BibleArchive.com. I disagree with Rey on some important points of theology, like “eternal security” and insisting that being immersed into Christ is trying to be saved by our “works.” Rey, my friend, keep reading those Scriptures for yourself, and ignore the old seminarians who are forcing their philosophical deductions on people!
Nevertheless, I’ll freely give praise where praise is due, and Rey hit the ball out of the park on “Worshipping on Mountains.”
Here is an excerpt:
The following is an example of today’s preaching and yesteryear’s theological stances which have carried into today. Begin Transmission: When we study the Bible let’s make sure to do it systematically—finding out all that the Scriptures have to say on a subject and deducting our conclusion. In fact, you can even start the process by thinking about the attributes of God then finding out how the Scriptures fits into your thinking. Read on, and see how the Scriptures teach that we are to worship on mountains. God is high and above all things. He is the God of a thousand hills and over all His creation. How do we react to that fact?
The Scriptures explicitly teach that we are to worship on a mountain. …
He goes on to write persuasively about how so many of the major events in Bible history occurred on mountains: Jesus on the Mount of Olives, the Transfiguration, the giving of the Law to Moses, etc. The point? It’s so easy to take examples from the Bible and turn them into a doctrinal precedent that was never intended. One example is the little church group that insisted on serving the Lord’s supper in an upper room. After all, that’s where every Lord’s supper was served that we have record of in the New Testament. Another is the church that would only baptize in natural bodies of water.
When we set out to make a case for “Biblical precedence” from the examples of the early church, we ought to do so with caution. Just because they did it doesn’t sanctify it as the only or even the best way to do it.
Worshipping on Mountains
I found a very funny and useful parody about “prooftexting” our beliefs, written by a blogger named Rey at BibleArchive.com. I disagree with Rey on some important points of theology, like “eternal security” and insisting that being immersed into Christ is trying to be saved by our “works.” Rey, my friend, keep reading those Scriptures for yourself, and ignore the old seminarians who are forcing their philosophical deductions on people!
Nevertheless, I’ll freely give praise where praise is due, and Rey hit the ball out of the park on “Worshipping on Mountains.”
Here is an excerpt:
The following is an example of today’s preaching and yesteryear’s theological stances which have carried into today. Begin Transmission: When we study the Bible let’s make sure to do it systematically—finding out all that the Scriptures have to say on a subject and deducting our conclusion. In fact, you can even start the process by thinking about the attributes of God then finding out how the Scriptures fits into your thinking. Read on, and see how the Scriptures teach that we are to worship on mountains. God is high and above all things. He is the God of a thousand hills and over all His creation. How do we react to that fact?
The Scriptures explicitly teach that we are to worship on a mountain. …
Read on
He goes on to write persuasively about how so many of the major events in Bible history occurred on mountains: Jesus on the Mount of Olives, the Transfiguration, the giving of the Law to Moses, etc. The point? It’s so easy to take examples from the Bible and turn them into a doctrinal precedent that was never intended. One example is the little church group that insisted on serving the Lord’s supper in an upper room. After all, that’s where every Lord’s supper was served that we have record of in the New Testament. Another is the church that would only baptize in natural bodies of water.
When we set out to make a case for “Biblical precedence” from the examples of the early church, we ought to do so with caution. Just because they did it doesn’t sanctify it as the only or even the best way to do it.
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