September 30th 2007 - Announcement from Susan, Council President
Today Susan talked about Creator’s financial situation. She was frank in confessing she was not up to date on her annual pledge and gave her reasons why. First off her concern was scarcity (not having enough money for something needed). Her second reason was that a change in her giving would not make the same difference as others who gave more.
She asked that we all help each other, including herself, to live up to our potential in being able to give to Creator.
Susan also reported we would be able to pay September mortgage and payroll expenses.
Dr. Mark Allan Powell’s video series “How do Lutherans Interpret the Bible” is being presented during the Adult Education hour. This was well received when it was shown two years ago. His presentation is thought provoking and provides a firm, definitional foundation for how Lutherans interpret the Bible in ways that may be different from how other Christians view the Bible.
What I like best in his presentation was a differentiation in the answer to a question “Do you believe everything in the Bible is true?”. The differentiation was to say “What is literal I believe to be literally true, what is metaphorical I believe is true metaphorically. He gave as an example “The Lord is my shepherd”. He believed in that metaphorically but not literally or I would literally have to think of myself as a sheep.
Powell laid out that Lutherans believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, not the inerrant.
Later on Sunday evening Nita invited Mary and I to a church that is presenting a series called “Out of Thin Air” which refutes the theory of evolution and Darwin. Currently this seems to be a pivotal issue that is more divisive now with people I know and respect than I remember growing up.
At issue for many is whether God is the evident, driving force of creation or is not needed to explain the process.
One thing Dr. Powell talked about was that Lutherans want to be in dialogue with those who don’t share their interpretation of the Bible to arrive at agreement. I felt like I wanted to get into dialogue after “Out of Thin Air”. In the end, I am interested in the arguments but creationism as science doesn’t answer process questions well.
I also feel like I want to get into dialogue with scientists like Richard Dawkins, who wants to rid the world of religion (see comments from last Sunday for more on Dawkins) because religious teachings are not rational.
From my perspective, there appears to be strength in each view that compliments one another as much as they conflict. Dr. Powell stressed Lutherans see the Bible as a "Jesus book" and not as a science book. This way of thinking about Biblical truth allows the focus to come back to those strengths.
Today Susan talked about Creator’s financial situation. She was frank in confessing she was not up to date on her annual pledge and gave her reasons why. First off her concern was scarcity (not having enough money for something needed). Her second reason was that a change in her giving would not make the same difference as others who gave more.
She asked that we all help each other, including herself, to live up to our potential in being able to give to Creator.
Susan also reported we would be able to pay September mortgage and payroll expenses.
Dr. Mark Allan Powell’s video series “How do Lutherans Interpret the Bible” is being presented during the Adult Education hour. This was well received when it was shown two years ago. His presentation is thought provoking and provides a firm, definitional foundation for how Lutherans interpret the Bible in ways that may be different from how other Christians view the Bible.
What I like best in his presentation was a differentiation in the answer to a question “Do you believe everything in the Bible is true?”. The differentiation was to say “What is literal I believe to be literally true, what is metaphorical I believe is true metaphorically. He gave as an example “The Lord is my shepherd”. He believed in that metaphorically but not literally or I would literally have to think of myself as a sheep.
Powell laid out that Lutherans believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, not the inerrant.
Later on Sunday evening Nita invited Mary and I to a church that is presenting a series called “Out of Thin Air” which refutes the theory of evolution and Darwin. Currently this seems to be a pivotal issue that is more divisive now with people I know and respect than I remember growing up.
At issue for many is whether God is the evident, driving force of creation or is not needed to explain the process.
One thing Dr. Powell talked about was that Lutherans want to be in dialogue with those who don’t share their interpretation of the Bible to arrive at agreement. I felt like I wanted to get into dialogue after “Out of Thin Air”. In the end, I am interested in the arguments but creationism as science doesn’t answer process questions well.
I also feel like I want to get into dialogue with scientists like Richard Dawkins, who wants to rid the world of religion (see comments from last Sunday for more on Dawkins) because religious teachings are not rational.
From my perspective, there appears to be strength in each view that compliments one another as much as they conflict. Dr. Powell stressed Lutherans see the Bible as a "Jesus book" and not as a science book. This way of thinking about Biblical truth allows the focus to come back to those strengths.
posted by Gary at
8:32 AM
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