POI wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 7:38 pmotseng wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:30 pmPOI wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2021 4:44 pm Paul asserts ALL Scripture. This means when Scripture speaks about Adam and Eve, a flood, the Exodus, slavery, women’s oppression, etc; it’s is all given by God. Which means it’s all true. But is it?Was there an actual Adam and Eve?
Was there an actual flood?
Was there an actual Tower of Babel?
Was there an Exodus from Egypt?
Is slavery moral?
Should women remain silent and not be allowed to lead men; especially in Church?
Is homosexuality an abomination?I do believe Adam, global flood, etc to be literal events. But, there are true born-again Christians that love Jesus that do not believe these to be literal events. Are they still going to heaven? Yes. So, ultimately, it doesn’t matter if a Christian takes these literally or figuratively.
If you were to find out all the listed above did not happen, and if you also thought slavery and women’s inequality was immoral, would you still believe? If so, why?
When I was a new Christian, the story of the global flood was one of my objections to the Bible. I thought if I can’t accept this, what value really is the entire Bible? If it has one major fictitious story in it, what about all the other claims?
A short time later, Walt Brown came to Atlanta and gave a talk. Several of my friends and I from Georgia Tech went to go see it. And he made a really good case for the historicity of a global flood. He backed up his theory with one physical evidence after another. And to this day, I believe his theory is the strongest.
I also decided to get a Masters degree in Science and Religion a few years ago. And it strengthened my faith in the compatibility of Christianity and science.
So, as I learn more, it has actually strengthened my belief in the claims of the Bible.
As for slavery, it is a complex subject. But, let me say part of the problem is our anachronistic viewpoint. We place our modern views of slavery into the past and think they should have our same perspective. The Bible was dealing with slavery from the perspective of where they were at. Given that perspective, the Bible was actually quite progressive at that time.
Women remaining silent is based on a single verse – 1Co 14:34. “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.”
I do not believe this to be an absolute command to apply to all women in churches at all times at all places. Even in 1Co 11:5 it talks about women praying and prophesying: “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.”
In the NT, women led churches. 1Co 1:11 says, “For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.”
As for homosexuality, it’s become so politicized that it’s hard to have a sensible debate on this. Unfortunately, Christians have focused too much on this and the Bible mentions many other sins also (which all Christians are just as guilty of). Paul says in 1Co 6:9-11, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
All sinners, whether they be homosexuals, idolaters, adulterers, covetous, drunkards, revilers, etc can be sanctified through Jesus Christ who forgives us of all our sins. No sinner is worse or any better than any other sinner and all can become completely forgiven through Jesus.
https://debatingchristianity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1052538#p1052538