We all agree that God is the uncreated triune Creator, Jesus is God Almighty in the flesh risen from the dead, God is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. We disagree about the nature of His omniscience, but this is a difference in understanding of providence, free will, etc. and is not tantamount to denying God in Christ.
You're wrong. They do not believe that God became a man. They do not believe that God died. They do not believe that God rose from the dead. They do not even believe God capable of such things! God is utterly immutable, remember! To say that God became a man is some sort of figure of speech or something.
And it isn't just trivial disagreements concerning God omniscience that separate us from them it is substantive disagreement about WHO God is and what sort of person He is. Nang has said and repeated several times that she believes that evil is for the greater good and that God is responsible for its existence! She and AMR both believe that God sets fire to your house (metaphorically speaking) so that He could rush in a rescue you from the flames and then demands praise and worship for having done so. That IS NOT the God of the Bible. That's the god of the Greeks but it bears no resemblence whatsoever to the God of Scripture. They believe in the wrong God, the wrong Jesus just as surely as do the Mormons or JW's.
I agree they seriously misrepresent God and His ways, but I don't think they truly deny the essentials about the Judeo-Christian God.
Just what is it that you consider essential then?
Can you believe God to be unjust and still believe in the God of Scripture?
Can you believe God to be arbitrary and still believe in the God of Scripture?
Can you believe God to be a stone idol and still believe in the God of Scripture?
Can you believe God to be a purple Unicorn and still believe in the God of Scripture?
Where do you draw the line, godrulz?
Christianity isn't about words on a page, its about loving God. Its about having a relationship with a very specific person, namely Jesus Christ the Son of the Living, Loving, Righteous, and Just God who created us and willingly became one of us so as to give Himself for us. AMR's and Nang's God isn't even capable of doing that!
Using your logic, they will also label us Open Theists as non-Christian, finite godism heretics (as they do; they also say Arminians are off the wall, but must misrepresent or misunderstand them to do so).
So what?
Why should I give a damn about what a person who doesn't even worship the same God that I do thinks about me and my beliefs?
We cannot both be right, godrulz. Of course they think I'm a heretic! They have a completely different religion than I do! The worship a totally different god than the One I serve. Their belief that I'm a heretical lunatic is only just so much more evidence that their religion is in no way compatible with mine.
I believe it is possible to be a Calvinist, Arminian, or Open Theist and sincerely know and love the Living God
So do I!
I am not saying that AMR and Nang are unbelievers merely because they happen to be wear the label of "Calvinist" but rather because they have seen the logical conclusion of Calvinism and willfully embraced it. Most Calvinists know nothing about Calvinism apart from the terms that "T.U.L.I.P." stands for and most of them have a distorted understanding of what those terms mean and nearly all of them have never bothered to think through what the logical implications of those doctrine are. They merely and simply believe that man is "Totally Depraved" and that God predestined everything. They don't think through what that means in regards to the principles of justice, they just believe it because their pastor spouts it from the pulpit and even the pastor himself believes it because his pastor before him spouted it from the pulpit. They believe that stuff and still understand that God is somehow just - really just not some convoluted redefinition of the term like AMR and Nang believe in - they believe that God really does love them and are completely oblivious to the fact that much of what they believe is in contradiction to that notion. In short, in spite of having a lot of doctrinal issues wrong, they still know who God is; they still believe that God really did become a man and that He really did die on the cross for them because He really does love them. AMR and Nang believe none of these things. Their Greek version of God isn't even capable of such things.
In our desire for truth and purity, let's not become fundamentalist, Pharisaical, evangelical Taliban (John Sanders has some good articles in response to the personal attacks by ETS on himself and Pinnock...I think one of them is in your signature).
Peace, speaking the truth in love, without compromise (but considering the Moravian Motto).
Oh yes! By all means, godrulz! Let's not become too radical in our pursuit of the truth and in our defense of the character of the God who died for us. That would be unthinkable! Tolerating those who make God out to be an unjust cosmic bully, that's far more preferable.
Resting in Him,
Clete
