The Blue Parakeet: The Story and Its Plot (Expanded)

Posted on March 15, 2009 by Jay F Guin

parakeetMcKnight explains that the Story of the Bible is held together by 5 themes –

* Creating Eikons (Genesis 1 – 2): Theme is Oneness
* Cracked Eikons (Genesis 3 – 11): Theme is Otherness
* Covenant Community (Genesis 12 – Malachi): Theme is Otherness Expands
* Christ, the Perfect Eikon, redeems (Matthew – Revelation 20): Theme is One in Christ
* Consummation (Revelation 21 – 22): Theme is Perfectly One

(”Eikon” is the Greek word for “image.” Humans are made in the image of God and hence are eikons.)

McKnight says, “The unity of the Bible is this Story. It is this Story that puts the Bible together.” (page 67). Continue reading →

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The Holy Spirit: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Posted on March 14, 2009 by Jay F Guin

spirit-thumb.jpgI get emails —

I have been reading through your blog material for quite some time now and I appreciate you so much. You are addressing so much and reaffirming to me that I am doing the right thing by coming out of legalism. It has been a long, difficult journey, but very liberating. The Bible is starting to make a lot more sense to me now, for sure.

I have a question though, that I am hoping you will be able to answer for me. It is probably addressed at some place on your blog, but I just haven’t found it. I am reading through your book currently, “The Holy Spirit and Revolutionary Grace.” This is a great book. I have for a long time been a “representative” pusher, or that the Spirit indwells us through the Word only. I no longer believe that. I realize that for so long in this and on many other issues, I have been merely protecting tradition. I finally see the Bible gives us too much for us to deny that the Spirit indwells us in a personal way and influences the heart of the Christian. It is amazing what honesty will do for you. Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: False Dichotomies

Posted on March 14, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Your wife walks in the door fresh from the local dress shop. “Just look at this beautiful dress I bought!” she says. You notice that the dress is indeed very beautiful — too beautiful!

“Ahem. It looks really nice,” you say, “but how much did it cost?”

With a wicked grin she says, “Just $10,000.”

After you pick your jaw off the floor and put your eyes back in their sockets, you say, trying to suppress your anger and surprise, “That’s too much. You know we can’t afford that kind of money!”

She responds, “You don’t want me to wear anything! Do you expect me to go around naked? Well, do you? I’ve worn out all my old clothes and now you won’t let me buy a thing! You are such an ogre!”

Your wife has just committed the logical error known as the “false dichotomy.” Continue reading →

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It’s (Almost) Friday! The Franchise Agreement

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Jay F Guin

The other day, we elders were chatting about the possiblity of canceling Wednesday night services for part of the summer.The volunteers in our children’s ministry are worn out, and the school year has gotten so long that the summer is filled with mission trips, VBS, and such. But it was just talk.

But word got out. Word always gets out. A retired elder grabbed me in the hall. He said he’d heard about our discussion. He had a look of sheer panic on his face.

“You know you can’t do that,” he said with the greatest of urgency.

“You mean politically? There’s nothing in the Bible on it, of course, and the church will support the decision, I’m sure,” I replied — naively as it now seems looking back on this fateful conversation.

“No, no,” he shook his head. “You forgot about the franchise agreement! How could you forget about the franchise??” Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: Over-generalizing and Not Listening

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Jay F Guin

It’s awfully easy to find in any group of people a few outliers — people identified with the group who aren’t really representative of the group. I mean, no group of human beings is free of sin or foolishness, and it’s easy to suggest that the positions or mistakes of a few represent the whole. Most people don’t feel the need to factcheck claims of ministers of God’s gospel, and so the tactic is often very effective.

A recent example may be found in one of the Gospel Advocate‘s November 2008 articles condemning the Emerging Church Movement by Dewayne Bryant, which states, Continue reading →

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Dialogue with Robert Prater, Part 3

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Jay F Guin

dialogueRobert responded to my post of yesterday, and I’m glad he did as he raises questions that need to be addressed. As before, his original comment iis italics.

This is a very long post, but Robert advocates for his position thoughtfully and he deserves an answer.

Jay,

I appreciate you taking the time and giving the response that you did to my comments. Please know that I have tremendous respect for you and your views. In part, my response was probably more on the “defensive” side (I guess of the traditional “Church of Christ” view you’d probably say) and not spoken with the best words of kindness and gentleness. But, I do feel very strongly about this issue and greatly as a preacher of the gospel and having grown up in Churches of Christ, I fear we are standing at a vital crossroads like maybe no other time, especially concerning the issue of instrumental music and unity. So it is with great sincerely and humility of heart I respond once again. Continue reading →

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The Blue Parakeet: Reading the Bible as Story

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Jay F Guin

parakeetThen and now

McKnight notes that most blue parakeets — passages in the Bible that we disagree over — can be dealt with by: That was then; this is now. The trick is knowing when to apply it and when not to.

To help us know when we can say that and yet be true to scripture, McKnight suggests a few concepts. Continue reading →

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The Blue Parakeet: The Right Use of Tradition

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Jay F Guin

parakeetMcKnight continues explaining the right way to read the scriptures.

The way of returning to retrieve it all is not the biblical way. The biblical way is the ongoing adoption of the past and adaptation to new conditions and to do this in a way that is consistent with and faithful to the Bible.

(Page 29; italics in original). Of course, this begs the question: who decides which Biblical teachings are to be adopted and which are to be adapted?

McKnight suggests that we first must learn to read the Bible “with tradition.” We don’t read the Bible bound by tradition, but neither do we ignore tradition. Continue reading →

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Dialogue with Robert Prater, Part 2

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Jay F Guin

dialogueRobert Prater wrote a lengthy, thoughtful comment to my earlier post on elision (skipping steps of logic). As I hate typing in those little comment boxes, I respond by means of this post. His comment is restated here in italics. I interlineate my replies.

Jay, I think it is you who have skipped some steps and really are “out of step” with your understanding and reasoning on this point and how the BIble teaches. First of all, Grace is dependent on faith. (Eph. 2:8)

I entirely agree. Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: Elision (Skipping Steps) (and Part 1 of the Dialogue with Robert Prater)

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Jay F Guin

dialogueTo “elide” is to omit something. We Southerners tend to elide our trailing g’s — that is, our trailin’ g’s. And some of our thought leaders have a habit of eliding critical steps in their argumentation.

An example is Kerry Anderson’s article in the March 2006 Gospel Advocate dealing with the proposed re-unification of the Churches of Christ and independent Christian Churches.

Second, I don’t think what I believe on issues like worship, roles of men and women, and baptism to be wrong. If I did, I would change and try to get others to change with me. But I still hold my beliefs and want others to join me. I am unwilling to relegate them to “don’t matter” or “non-salvation” status.

Did you see the skipped step? It’s obvious enough to a Church of Christ audience why baptism is considered a salvation issue. But how does his position on worship or the role of women become a salvation issue? What makes these issues questions of salvation — other than the fact that he has a position he wishes to defend? He doesn’t say. Continue reading →

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