Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Alan: Faith is powerful.

Then, there's "the rest of the story."

In one of the New Testament's most provocative passages we learn that Jesus himself could not perform miracles among unbelievers, a circumstance that spotlights "faith" as a necessary pre-condition for the putative God-Man's miraculous power.

In the 6th chapter of Mark's Gospel we read: "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith."

In the absence of human faith, it appears that God "Himself" is impotent.

http://biblehub.com/niv/mark/6.htm

Whatever we believe, religious faith is not within everyone's reach.

To pretend otherwise ignores the likelihood that pressure-to-believe can be as damaging as "successful faithfulness" is beneficial.

Lamentably, zealous believers -- psycho-spiritual absolutists that they are -- will not (and cannot!) accept the inevitable dyadic relativity of "faith" and "faith's failures."

In Paul's famous reflection on love, we are told that "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NLT

Commonly, Christians believe that faith unleashes hope and love.

Jesus, however, sees it the other way around. "...Even though you do not believe me or have faith in me, [at least] believe the works and have faith in what I do, in order that you may know and understand."

Since the starting point is belief in the works of love, faith is not central.

It may even be that "the unforgivable sin" (hotly - and endlessly - debated) is refusal to perform the works of love.

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/08/yeshua-excoriates-fellow-pharisees-woe.html

I propose that the tripartite Pauline sequence of "faith, hope and love" is the other way around and that love -- a virtue which can always be practiced by willfully choosing to perform acts of mercy, compassion and charity -- is the cornerstone of "hope," and sometimes, at the end of this three-part syllogistic process, "faith" emerges.

If faith in Jesus does not emerge, not to worry.

Trusting the loving works of Jesus - and then performing those works -- is The Sacred Heart of Christianity.

Tragically, the lazy allure of "sola fide" (the belief that "faith alone" without need for good works is salvific) seduces many believers as lubriciously as "Triple X" T&A seduces pornographers.

According to "The Indolent," all that is necessary for salvation is joining a bible-banging revival and, when the preacher shouts "C'mon down y'all," just move to the dais and proclaim "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!"

Salvation by Proclamation!

No muss, no fuss. Just say the seven magic words.

Salvation is as easy --- and often as productive of good works -- as falling outta bed.

At bottom, people want to be assured that they are already "saved," by living their lives just as they're living them.

Above all, humans do not want ANY obligation that requires energy-intensive, life-changing metanoia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metanoia_(theology)

The Tragedy Of "Modern Medicine" And The Seduction Of "Faith Alone" ("Sola Fide")

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-tragedy-of-modern-medicine-and.html

How A Brain Injury Caused My Fundamentalist Friend To Convert To Mainstream Christianity

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-brain-injury-caused-my.html

The Mercy Girls

These young women enrolled in an influential Christian counseling center for help. That's not what they found.

By Jennifer Miller

Pax on both houses

Pages

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Alan: Faith is powerful.

Then, there's "the rest of the story."

In one of the New Testament's most provocative passages we learn that Jesus himself could not perform miracles among unbelievers, a circumstance that spotlights "faith" as a necessary pre-condition for the putative God-Man's miraculous power.

In the 6th chapter of Mark's Gospel we read: "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith."

In the absence of human faith, it appears that God "Himself" is impotent.

http://biblehub.com/niv/mark/6.htm

Whatever we believe, religious faith is not within everyone's reach.

To pretend otherwise ignores the likelihood that pressure-to-believe can be as damaging as "successful faithfulness" is beneficial.

Lamentably, zealous believers -- psycho-spiritual absolutists that they are -- will not (and cannot!) accept the inevitable dyadic relativity of "faith" and "faith's failures."

In Paul's famous reflection on love, we are told that "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NLT

Commonly, Christians believe that faith unleashes hope and love.

Jesus, however, sees it the other way around. "...Even though you do not believe me or have faith in me, [at least] believe the works and have faith in what I do, in order that you may know and understand."

Since the starting point is belief in the works of love, faith is not central.

It may even be that "the unforgivable sin" (hotly - and endlessly - debated) is refusal to perform the works of love.

If faith in Jesus does not emerge, not to worry.

Trusting the loving works of Jesus - and then performing those works -- is The Sacred Heart of Christianity.

Tragically, the lazy allure of "sola fide" (the belief that "faith alone" without need for good works is salvific) seduces many believers as lubriciously as "Triple X" T&A seduces pornographers.

According to "The Indolent," all that is necessary for salvation is joining a bible-banging revival and, when the preacher shouts "C'mon down y'all," just move to the dais and proclaim "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!"

Salvation by Proclamation!

No muss, no fuss. Just say the seven magic words.

Salvation is as easy --- and often as productive of good works -- as falling outta bed.

At bottom, people want to be assured that they are already "saved," by living their lives just as they're living them.

Above all, humans do not want ANY obligation that requires energy-intensive, life-changing metanoia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metanoia_(theology)

The Mercy Girls

These young women enrolled in an influential Christian counseling center for help. That's not what they found.

By Jennifer Miller

Blog Archive

Pages

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Alan: Faith is powerful.

Then, there's "the rest of the story."

In one of the New Testament's most provocative passages we learn that Jesus himself could not perform miracles among unbelievers, a circumstance that spotlights "faith" as a necessary pre-condition for the putative God-Man's miraculous power.

In the 6th chapter of Mark's Gospel we read: "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith."

In the absence of human faith, it appears that God "Himself" is impotent.

http://biblehub.com/niv/mark/6.htm

Whatever we believe, religious faith is not within everyone's reach.

To pretend otherwise ignores the likelihood that pressure-to-believe can be as damaging as "successful faithfulness" is beneficial.

Lamentably, zealous believers -- psycho-spiritual absolutists that they are -- will not (and cannot!) accept the inevitable dyadic relativity of "faith" and "faith's failures."

In Paul's famous reflection on love, we are told that "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NLT

Commonly, Christians believe that faith unleashes hope and love.

Jesus, however, sees it the other way around. "...Even though you do not believe me or have faith in me, [at least] believe the works and have faith in what I do, in order that you may know and understand."

Since the starting point is belief in the works of love, faith is not central.

It may even be that "the unforgivable sin" (hotly - and endlessly - debated) is refusal to perform the works of love.

If faith in Jesus does not emerge, not to worry.

Trusting the loving works of Jesus - and then performing those works -- is The Sacred Heart of Christianity.

Tragically, the lazy allure of "sola fide" (the belief that "faith alone" without need for good works is salvific) seduces many believers as lubriciously as "Triple X" T&A seduces pornographers.

According to "The Indolent," all that is necessary for salvation is joining a bible-banging revival and, when the preacher shouts "C'mon down y'all," just move to the dais and proclaim "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!"

Salvation by Proclamation!

No muss, no fuss. Just say the seven magic words.

Salvation is as easy --- and often as productive of good works -- as falling outta bed.

At bottom, people want to be assured that they are already "saved," by living their lives just as they're living them.

Above all, humans do not want ANY obligation that requires energy-intensive, life-changing metanoia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metanoia_(theology)

The Mercy Girls

These young women enrolled in an influential Christian counseling center for help. That's not what they found.

By Jennifer Miller

Blog Archive