Comments for Reflections For Renewal http://www.michaelryanwalker.com Theology. History. Culture. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:09:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 Comment on Teaching the Bible in Public School: A Modest Proposal by Agreed http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/03/26/teaching-the-bible-in-public-school-a-modest-proposal/#comment-288 Agreed Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:02:36 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/03/26/teaching-the-bible-in-public-school-a-modest-proposal/#comment-288 <p>I agree we need all of God we can get in the country. Especially in the schools so the younger generation can hear the truth. Our founding fathers did not expect us to take God out of everything in this country by saying separation of God and state. They had God in all their meetings. Thanks for the article and schools in the small town we live are letting God back in. Keep Praying.</p> I agree we need all of God we can get in the country. Especially in the schools so the younger generation can hear the truth. Our founding fathers did not expect us to take God out of everything in this country by saying separation of God and state. They had God in all their meetings. Thanks for the article and schools in the small town we live are letting God back in. Keep Praying.

]]> Comment on The Drama of Redemption in the Conquest of Canaan: Considering Biblical Genocide by Travis Marler http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/26/the-drama-of-redemption/#comment-264 Travis Marler Tue, 27 May 2008 17:20:07 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/26/the-drama-of-redemption/#comment-264 Thank you for this brief discussion of the issues of violence and genocide surrounding the Conquest, and thank you for the inclusion of other sources for thought and study. As long as I have been a Christian I have wrestled with issues of theodicy, love, justice, wrath, etc, but only recently has the Conquest begun to really trouble me, so I have started looking for other (hopefully wiser) theologian's thoughts on it. Thanks again! Thank you for this brief discussion of the issues of violence and genocide surrounding the Conquest, and thank you for the inclusion of other sources for thought and study. As long as I have been a Christian I have wrestled with issues of theodicy, love, justice, wrath, etc, but only recently has the Conquest begun to really trouble me, so I have started looking for other (hopefully wiser) theologian’s thoughts on it. Thanks again!

]]> Comment on Material Offerings, Eucharist, and Our Vision of the Future Life by Toby Brown http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2008/02/21/material-offerings-eucharist-and-our-vision-of-the-future-life/#comment-252 Toby Brown Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:04:56 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2008/02/21/material-offerings-eucharist-and-our-vision-of-the-future-life/#comment-252 Michael, Do you see a link between what Irenaus faced in the church of his time and those present-day theologians that argue against the bodily resurrection of Jesus? Is there not a latent Gnosticism in the work of the Jesus Seminar and those who would do away with the necessity of our confession that Jesus really was made alive in an actual body? Thanks! Michael,

Do you see a link between what Irenaus faced in the church of his time and those present-day theologians that argue against the bodily resurrection of Jesus? Is there not a latent Gnosticism in the work of the Jesus Seminar and those who would do away with the necessity of our confession that Jesus really was made alive in an actual body?

Thanks!

]]> Comment on A Sermon on “Heaven” - Or, the New Heaven and New Earth by Material Offerings, Eucharist, and Our Vision of the Future Life : Reflections For Renewal http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/18/a-sermon-on-heaven-or-the-new-heaven-and-new-earth/#comment-251 Material Offerings, Eucharist, and Our Vision of the Future Life : Reflections For Renewal Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:32:32 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/18/a-sermon-on-heaven-or-the-new-heaven-and-new-earth/#comment-251 [...] the truth that in Jesus Christ God is working out the redemption of all things. I posted a sermon I recently preached on this issue as [...] […] the truth that in Jesus Christ God is working out the redemption of all things. I posted a sermon I recently preached on this issue as […]

]]> Comment on Teaching the Bible in Public School: A Modest Proposal by Eric http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/03/26/teaching-the-bible-in-public-school-a-modest-proposal/#comment-178 Eric Tue, 02 Oct 2007 02:42:26 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/03/26/teaching-the-bible-in-public-school-a-modest-proposal/#comment-178 I share the concern that the Bible is being ostracized too much by those (including betimes myself) who maintain concerns regarding the agenda of the far-right. Unfortunately, a small group has taken ownership of the Bible and the knee-jerk reaction against their radicalism is fierce. Personally, I'd like to see churches teach Marx, Rawls, and Mill. Seperation isn't just about keeping church out of state, but state out of church. Do any of us really want the government in our religion? I share the concern that the Bible is being ostracized too much by those (including betimes myself) who maintain concerns regarding the agenda of the far-right. Unfortunately, a small group has taken ownership of the Bible and the knee-jerk reaction against their radicalism is fierce.

Personally, I’d like to see churches teach Marx, Rawls, and Mill.

Seperation isn’t just about keeping church out of state, but state out of church. Do any of us really want the government in our religion?

]]> Comment on The Drama of Redemption in the Conquest of Canaan: Considering Biblical Genocide by will spotts http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/26/the-drama-of-redemption/#comment-177 will spotts Sat, 29 Sep 2007 22:45:42 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/26/the-drama-of-redemption/#comment-177 This is well done - a very thoughtful treatment of a very difficult topic. I suspect we rarely look at this with God as protagonist, and I imagine we haven't really come to grips with the "fallenness" of humankind. Even though I have a very strong discomfort with the passages mentioned (not solely Joshua, but large sections of both Testaments that portray God in this manner), I recognize I am not in a morally tenable position to evaluate the actions of God. I particularly liked the reference: "Dietrich Bonhoeffer declared that the primal sin of humanity consisted in putting the knowledge of good and evil before the knowledge of God." This is well done - a very thoughtful treatment of a very difficult topic.

I suspect we rarely look at this with God as protagonist, and I imagine we haven’t really come to grips with the “fallenness” of humankind.

Even though I have a very strong discomfort with the passages mentioned (not solely Joshua, but large sections of both Testaments that portray God in this manner), I recognize I am not in a morally tenable position to evaluate the actions of God.

I particularly liked the reference: “Dietrich Bonhoeffer declared that the primal sin of humanity consisted in putting the knowledge of good and evil before the knowledge of God.”

]]> Comment on The Drama of Redemption in the Conquest of Canaan: Considering Biblical Genocide by Rev. Scott Jeffreys http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/26/the-drama-of-redemption/#comment-168 Rev. Scott Jeffreys Fri, 10 Aug 2007 01:59:58 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/26/the-drama-of-redemption/#comment-168 Michael, Great work. I particularly like Wright's warning to not put God on the witness stand in order to defend himself. How could we ever, in our right mind, do that? Anything that happened on the part of God in the conquest story pales in comparsion to what evils humans have done. When one takes seriously the reformed doctrine of the depravity of man how can one say that God is unjust to execute his judgment? Its what we deserve. This, of course, is not a popular thought in our culture today. "God is gracious and slow to anger" but this doesn't mean that God doesn't get angry, nor that he doesn't execute his terrifying justice. I will be providing this article as a resource when we come to the book of Joshua in our Disciple I Bible Study class that Im teaching this year. As it conerns comparsions between "holy war" in the OT to "holy war" in the Koran, it seems to me that holy war as no limitations in Islam. There is nothing in their book that limits it. In the OT, as you so rightly pointed out, its limited to the taking of the Promised Land. There is no "convert or be killed" mentality in the OT. Michael,

Great work.

I particularly like Wright’s warning to not put God on the witness stand in order to defend himself. How could we ever, in our right mind, do that? Anything that happened on the part of God in the conquest story pales in comparsion to what evils humans have done.

When one takes seriously the reformed doctrine of the depravity of man how can one say that God is unjust to execute his judgment? Its what we deserve. This, of course, is not a popular thought in our culture today.

“God is gracious and slow to anger” but this doesn’t mean that God doesn’t get angry, nor that he doesn’t execute his terrifying justice.

I will be providing this article as a resource when we come to the book of Joshua in our Disciple I Bible Study class that Im teaching this year.

As it conerns comparsions between “holy war” in the OT to “holy war” in the Koran, it seems to me that holy war as no limitations in Islam. There is nothing in their book that limits it.

In the OT, as you so rightly pointed out, its limited to the taking of the Promised Land. There is no “convert or be killed” mentality in the OT.

]]> Comment on Responding to Rome: Presbyterians Should Embrace Honest Ecumenism by Fred H. Anderson http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/17/responding-to-rome/#comment-127 Fred H. Anderson Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:30:54 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/17/responding-to-rome/#comment-127 This article is right on! We should not be surprised that the pope is Roman Catholic and truly believes what his church teaches. I wish some Presbyterians would be equally honest about how what they believe differs from the historic faith of the Reformation. This article is right on! We should not be surprised that the pope is Roman Catholic and truly believes what his church teaches. I wish some Presbyterians would be equally honest about how what they believe differs from the historic faith of the Reformation.

]]> Comment on Responding to Rome: Presbyterians Should Embrace Honest Ecumenism by Michael Walker http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/17/responding-to-rome/#comment-121 Michael Walker Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:12:12 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/17/responding-to-rome/#comment-121 Bruce, Thanks for pointing out the Jonathan Morris article. I just read it, and I think he gets it right, so I encourage others to read it as well. Michael Bruce,

Thanks for pointing out the Jonathan Morris article. I just read it, and I think he gets it right, so I encourage others to read it as well.

Michael

]]> Comment on Responding to Rome: Presbyterians Should Embrace Honest Ecumenism by Bruce Jones http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/17/responding-to-rome/#comment-120 Bruce Jones Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:44:09 +0000 http://www.michaelryanwalker.com/2007/07/17/responding-to-rome/#comment-120 Michael, I had lunch with some friends, two whom are Catholic following the media reaction. One sent me this link from Foxnews which offered a similar take from a Catholic priest as you shared. Click on the URL below for the rest of this story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288976,00.html Bruce Michael,

I had lunch with some friends, two whom are Catholic following the media reaction. One sent me this link from Foxnews which offered a similar take from a Catholic priest as you shared.

Click on the URL below for the rest of this story:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288976,00.html

Bruce

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