I have been very lenient where I said I would not be. As this last comment was off topic and lacked substance it is worthy of deletion. I invite Bnonn to post on the topic of Jesus, the law and what he thought of truth, if he thinks your false exegesis worthy of correction. In the future on this thread, please stay within the bounds of discussion outlined in the article above or refrain from commenting. This is your first and final warning.

In response to your previous comment: even trampolines need springs.

To my understanding (and immediate recollection) Jesus harvested on the Sabbath, didn’t condone the stoning of a prostitute/adulterer.

(I think maybe you misunderstand my point about world peace. I’m saying that you seem so sure that the truth is as you see it and that you are right, that if real truth passed you by, you would not recognise it. The real truth is world peace, not the method by which it is attained)

I find it sad that you are so afraid of your bricks crumbling that you feel the need to attack people – it’s not very christian, is it? Including attacking Rob Bell – you claim that he is expending truth for selfish means. I find it incredible that you can be so self-important about your opinion of truth. Is Rob Bell less learned than you? Does he have reasoning which is worthy of contempt? Should he treat your reasoning with contempt? What is christianity if it isn’t the ability to evaporate contempt of this kind? Is he deceitful?
What is the best way for you to deal with him? The way you deal with him is dictated largely by your worldview, of course. I’ve got to say, your worldview doesn’t look very attractive. I would agree that the truth is not necessarily attractive, but a person with the truth is. Because a person with the truth doesn’t spend their time viciously defending their bricks, but spends their time trying to jump higher.

I think you fit Bell’s brick wall model very well Bnonn.

I don’t have a problem with that.

I think Splitting is childish and defensive.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to, so it’s hard to comment. Are you talking about schisms between denominations? In what way is that childish and defensive? As usual, you’re big on silly opinions, and tiny on substantial arguments.

I think that Jesus took the self-evidently true as the truth

And what, pray tell, is the “self-evidently true”?

which is why he contradicted many sriptures.

Oops, your ignorance is showing. Jesus didn’t contradict any Scriptures, let alone many. I wonder if you could provide even one compelling example that anyone who wasn’t totally inept at reading couldn’t easily refute.

I wonder and worry that if you were offered a real means to, say, world peace that you would turn it down because it didn’t fit with your theology.

Do you stay up at night, tossing in your bed, bothered that I might be put in this position? That lil ol Bnonny will get a chance to implement world peace, and turn it down? I wonder on what basis you would do that. Have I suggested that world peace, as a goal, is at odds with my worldview? Did the Christianity you learned discourage that sort of thing? Aim for violence and stir up strife instead? Or are you just worried that the only way world peace will be achieved is if Christianity is true, and Jesus comes again?

Granted, one could just insist that one is simply replacing bricks in one’s worldview; I could claim that I did this, too, starting with christianity and then replacing bricks. Rob Bell could claim this, also. But to do this is to obstinately avoid the comparison of the brick wall to another view.

I wonder and worry that if you were offered a real means to, say, world peace that you would turn it down because it didn’t fit with your theology.

He specifically contrasts the trampoline idea with brick wall theology – exactly what Stuart talks about – and that a brick wall faith is precarious because if one brick crumbles the whole wall can collapse

Even if this is true, it’s only a problem in the case of a faulty worldview. Plenty of bricks in my worldview have crumbled since I was converted, as I analyzed my beliefs more closely. The wall did not collapse. I replaced the bad bricks with good bricks, and the wall is now stronger.

it is therefore also a more defensive, aggressive worldview

In other words, a worldview that takes truth seriously, at the expense of the wants of the self.

The trampoline view is more positive, forward-looking; the jumping is the goal, not the springs. Not concerned with constantly Justifying and ruminating over what is deriveable and proveable.

In other words, a worldview that takes the wants of the self seriously, at the expense of truth.

Taking truth as more self-evident, as I would argue Jesus did.

Of course, Jesus took the Scriptures as the self-evidently true revelation of God.

I do thoroughly recommend Velvet Elvis. No doubt it is entirely different to your views of christianity, Bnonn. But that’s a good thing, no? :)

Velvet Elvis may be a view of Christianity, but it is not itself Christianity. Rob Bell is not a Christian—not with a “gospel” that essentially reduces to “live like Jesus lived”. Bell is simply one in the long line of liberal, popular preachers who appropriate Christianity to their own ends, tickling the people’s ears with just enough of the good of Christianity to make them happy, without any of that uncomfortable sin nonsense. And when you leave out the uncomfortable sin nonsense, you leave out the gospel (aka, Christianity).

He specifically contrasts the trampoline idea with brick wall theology – exactly what Stuart talks about – and that a brick wall faith is precarious because if one brick crumbles the whole wall can collapse; and so it is therefore also a more defensive, aggressive worldview (e.g. see the most recent fruitfulfaith thread).

The trampoline view is more positive, forward-looking; the jumping is the goal, not the springs. Not concerned with constantly Justifying and ruminating over what is deriveable and proveable. Taking truth as more self-evident, as I would argue Jesus did.

I do thoroughly recommend Velvet Elvis. No doubt it is entirely different to your views of christianity, Bnonn. But that’s a good thing, no? :)

:)