Thursday, January 08, 2009

Historical Evangelical Theology. Really. Stop Laughing!

My wife was reading The Shack, which now comes with a warning label in American evangelical stores it seems, and it gave me the wonderful occasion to illumine her regarding the plethora of early heresies regarding the Trinity. Especially suitable as I prepare to teach rather extensively on that topic and other wonderful things concerning the early church.

My dear brother FTME ref'd me to this and I thought it was great. Read it all and enjoy. A segment:

The book comes with a disclaimer, in the stores, you're supposed to get at check-out: "Read this book with extra discernment."

I think that's cool. Hard to be against extra discernment. Especially when the "author may have espoused thoughts, ideas, or concepts that could be considered inconsistent with historical evangelical theology."

"May", "thoughts", "could be considered"...by somebody...somewhere. "Historical evangelical theology"...dating back, literally, tens of years.

I'm thinking of some other disclaimers -- ones they don't use: "We now know author wrote this book while treating his wife like dirt." Or, "Author once entertained thought inconsistent with public ministry and theology of Billy Graham." (Billy Graham would say they could put that on Billy Graham's books.)

How about, "Author acts all 'Ooh, I'm a big man,' but his kids don't know him."

Maybe they shouldn't do that.

Someone smart should write more about this whole Tradition thing for evangelicals, and how they're so often simultaneously anti-Catholic and...Catholic. I'd write about it. But someone smart should, first. Then I'll just link to it, and include a picture of snuggling milk goats or something. Everybody has a role in blogdom.


Read it all and enjoy the gift of laughter (something the Prophet famously never did):

Letters from Kamp Krusty: Please Don't Read this with Discernment

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