{"id":6623,"date":"2019-11-20T01:21:30","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T01:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/?p=6623"},"modified":"2020-02-02T21:10:42","modified_gmt":"2020-02-02T21:10:42","slug":"christianity-humanity-v-2-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/20\/christianity-humanity-v-2-0\/","title":{"rendered":"Christianity (Humanity v.2.0?)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cCreation eagerly waits with anticipation\u00a0for God\u2019s sons\u00a0to be revealed.\u201d (Romans 8:19)<\/h3>
That is, I think, an intriguing statement.<\/p>
\u201cFor all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. .\u201d (Romans 8:14)<\/p>
\u201cThe Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs\u2014heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ\u2026\u201d (Romans 8:26-27)<\/p>
Isn\u2019t this just religious \u201cmumbo-jumbo\u201d? What does any of this have to do with epistemology, ontology, and cosmology?<\/p>
\n<\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Taking Mankind to a New Level?<\/figcaption><\/figure>Charles Spurgeon<\/strong>, a Christian leader of the 19th century once said: \u201cThere is no room for indifference where the gospel is concerned \u2014 it is either the most astounding of impostures<\/em>, or the most amazing of revelations; no man can safely remain undecided about it, it is too weighty, too solemn to be snuffed at as a matter of no concern. Foes and friends alike confess that the mystery of godliness<\/span> is great: it is no rippling rill of dogma, but a broad ocean of thought, no molehill of discovery, but an Alp of revelation, no single beam of light but a sun shining at its strength.\u201d<\/p><pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">imposture = \"an instance of pretending to be someone else in order to deceive others.\" (Bing<\/em>)<\/pre>What did he mean by the mystery of godliness?<\/em> He tells us:<\/p><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"> \u201c(It is) the union of the divine and human in the Lord Jesus\u2026\u201d<\/p><cite>Charles Spurgeon on The Great Mystery of Godliness <\/cite><\/blockquote>Paul (the apostle) said as much when he wrote:<\/p><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u201d God chose to make known\u2026the riches of the glory of\u00a0this mystery, which is Christ in you,\u00a0the hope of glory.\u201d<\/p><cite>Colossians 1:27<\/cite><\/blockquote>What is this saying?<\/p>A very popular and influential Christian named Chuck Smith once said:<\/p> \u201cGod sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins, to provide forgiveness for my sins. And then\u2026He did something else, He rose from the dead. And then He said, \u2018Now, I will come and dwell in you and by My dwelling in you, I will give to you the power to walk this path. You don\u2019t have it in yourself; you can\u2019t do it in yourself, but I will dwell in you, and I will live in you<\/span>, empowering you to do it.\u2019 \u2026That basically is the chief difference between Christianity and the other religions of the world. With Christianity, the power is imparted by the indwelling of Jesus Christ<\/strong>. It isn\u2019t just pointing to the path and saying, \u2018That\u2019s the way you should walk.\u2019 But it is coming in and giving you the capacity and the power to do it.\u201d <\/p>Christianity submits a number of propositions, which it expects us to believe, and then it submits the life of Jesus of Nazareth as evidence of their veracity.<\/p>So what about the veracity of its ontological statements?<\/p><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"> Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;\u00a0old things have passed away, and look,\u00a0new things\u00a0have come. <\/p><cite>2nd Corinthians 5:17<\/cite><\/blockquote>What kind of creature?<\/p>My first thought is of \u201cSuperman\u201d (as in Friedrich Nietzsche\u2019s \u00dcbermensch<\/em><\/strong>).<\/p>Britannica.com says\u2013regarding Nietzche\u2019s overman<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\u201cThis superior man would not be a product of long evolution; rather, he would emerge when any man with superior potential completely masters himself and strikes off conventional Christian \u2018herd morality\u2019 to create his own values, which are completely rooted in life on this earth. \u2026His goal was a \u2018Caesar with Christ\u2019s soul\u2026.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>I don\u2019t think we\u2019re talking about that.<\/p>Think, instead, of <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/OdgrOdVBjBU\">the scene from Captain America: The First Avenger<\/em><\/a>.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.comwp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/steve-rogers-1.jpg?resize=625%2C330&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6732\" width=\"625\" height=\"330\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/steve-rogers-1.jpg?w=309&ssl=1 309w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/steve-rogers-1.jpg?resize=300%2C158&ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsuperherobreakout.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F09%2Fsteve-rogers-erskine-1.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsuperherobreakout.com%2Fwhy-did-the-super-soldier-serum-work-perfectly-only-on-steve-rogers%2F&docid=WL5jk_Bohy5NaM&tbnid=khFnOaNWqBX_aM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwir-rqnmPLlAhVNTd8KHSVvCUsQMwhVKAYwBg..i&w=800&h=422&bih=867&biw=1694&q=dr%20erskine%20talking%20to%20steve%20rogers&ved=0ahUKEwir-rqnmPLlAhVNTd8KHSVvCUsQMwhVKAYwBg&iact=mrc&uact=8\">Dr. Erskine talks with Steve Rogers<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\u201cThis is why you were chosen. Because the strong man who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows\u2026 compassion.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u201cGod chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God <\/p><cite>1st Corinthians 1:27-29<\/cite><\/blockquote>Christianity, then, must be, therefore, what Spurgeon said it was:<\/p><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u201cOne of the most extraordinary doctrines that was ever de- clared in human hearing\u2026\u201d<\/p><cite>Charles H. Spurgeon<\/cite><\/blockquote>The New Testament does not seem to be attempting to say that Christians are \u201csuper-soldiers.\u201d What the Bible does seem to be saying is that the smallest of us\u2013when united with the Spirit of Christ<\/strong>\u2013can do far greater deeds than he ever could have done on his own.<\/p><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u201cI tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John (the baptist). Yet the one who is least<\/span> in the kingdom of God is greater than he.\u201d<\/p><cite>Luke 7:28 <\/cite><\/blockquote><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u201d For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.\u201d<\/p><cite>Psalm 18:29<\/cite><\/blockquote><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u201cI can do all things through him who strengthens me.\u201d<\/p><cite>Philippians 4:13<\/cite><\/blockquote>What that implies, then, is that a timid young girl can stand up before a crowd and perform her viola recital successfully (and then go on to spend much of her life on various stages), or the fearful old man\u2013when told by his physical therapist that his full recovery from a stroke could only come if he overcame his fear of walking on his own legs\u2013somehow<\/span> can summon the courage to stand and take those first steps to a full life.<\/p>Christianity professes to be filled (on a normal and continuing basis<\/strong>) with miracles that come when foolish and weak and timid and lowly Christians rise up to do good, noble, and even great things.<\/p>And this seems to have been true throughout history.<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomorrowsworld.org\/magazines\/2016\/november-december\/how-christianity-changed-the-world\">One article I found<\/a>, says: \u201cFormer professor of sociology Dr. Alvin Schmidt notes Elwood Cubberly\u2019s observation that the biblical teachings of Jesus Christ challenged \u2018almost everything for which the Roman world had stood<\/strong>\u2026\u2019 (How Christianity Changed the World<\/em>, Schmidt, p. 44).\u201d<\/p>It goes on to say: \u201cDr. James Kennedy writes, \u2018Life was expendable prior to Christianity\u2019s influence\u2026 In (the days of the Romans) abortion was rampant. Abandonment was commonplace: It was common for infirm babies or unwanted little ones to be taken out into the forest or the mountainside, to be consumed by wild animals or to starve\u2026 They often abandoned female babies because women were considered inferior\u2019 (What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?<\/em>, pp. 9\u201311).\u201d<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/Saint_Patrick\/\">Another site<\/a> talks about Patrick, the patron saint <\/em> of Ireland: \u201cHe was a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/Roman\/\">Roman<\/a>\u00a0citizen of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/britain\/\">Britain<\/a>\u00a0(known as Patricius) who was captured by pirates at the age of sixteen and sold into slavery in Ireland. He escaped back to Britain, became ordained as a bishop, and returned to the land of his captivity as a missionary in c. 432\/433 (A.D.). He is credited with expanding literacy in Ireland through the monastic orders he established, revising and codifying the Brehon Laws, and converting the country to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/christianity\/\">Christianity<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>Researching further, I found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medievalists.net\/2016\/01\/the-influence-of-christianity-on-medicine-from-graeco-roman-times-up-to-the-renaissance\/\">this<\/a>: \u201c(In the Renaissance) Christianity brought caring communities with indiscriminate personalised care for the ill and aged. This ultimately led to the creation of hospitals as we know them today. Monastic institutions appeared which often had hospitals, and provided a degree of medical scholarship. \u201c<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=hyssAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=A+solitary+monk+at+Lutterworth&source=bl&ots=Eo1OzY1kGR&sig=ACfU3U2LflsIOjxnGEhbIeWOkLDrfyVZoA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiy2aLivfflAhVyk-AKHTb6CloQ6AEwCnoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=A%20solitary%20monk%20at%20Lutterworth&f=false\">And further<\/a>: \u201cA solitary monk who shook the world\u201d\u2013Martin Luther<\/strong>, who stood alone against the greatest powers of his day\u2013the Catholic Church, and the Holy Roman Emperor.<\/p>And still further, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Christianity\/Church-and-society\">in Britannica.co<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/In%20England,%20Anglican%20clerics,%20such%20as%20Frederick%20Denison%20Maurice%20and%20Charles%20Kingsley%20in%20the%2019th%20century,%20began%20a%20Christian%20social%20movement%20during%20the%20Industrial%20Revolution%20that%20brought%20Christian%20influence%20to%20the%20conditions%20of%20life%20and%20work%20in%20industry.%20Johann%20Hinrich%20Wichern%20proclaimed,%20%E2%80%9CThere%20is%20a%20Christian%20Socialism,%E2%80%9D%20at%20the%20Kirchentag%20Church%20Convention%20in%20Wittenberg%20%5BGermany%5D%20in%201848,%20the%20year%20of%20the%20publication%20of%20the%20Communist%20Manifesto%20and%20a%20wave%20of%20revolutions%20across%20Europe,%20and%20created%20the%20%E2%80%9CInner%20Mission%E2%80%9D%20in%20order%20to%20address%20%E2%80%9Cworks%20of%20saving%20love%E2%80%9D%20to%20all%20suffering%20spiritual%20and%20physical%20distress.%20The%20diaconal%20movements%20of%20the%20Inner%20Mission%20were%20concerned%20with%20social%20issues,%20prison%20reform,%20and%20care%20of%20the%20mentally%20ill.\">m<\/a>: \u201cThough the impulses for transformation of the social order according to the spirit of the Christian\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/ethic\">ethic<\/a>\u00a0came more strongly from the Free churches, state and territorial churches made positive contributions in improving the status quo. In 17th- and 18th-century\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Germany\">Germany<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Lutheranism\">Lutheran<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/clergy-Christianity\">clergy<\/a>, such as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/August-Hermann-Francke\">August Francke<\/a>\u00a0(1663\u20131727), were active in establishing poorhouses, orphanages, schools, and hospitals.\u00a0<\/p>\u201d In England, Anglican clerics (and, especially, John Wesley and the Methodists)\u2026began a Christian\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/social-movement\">social movement<\/a>\u00a0during the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Industrial-Revolution\">Industrial Revolution<\/a>\u00a0that brought Christian influence to the conditions of life and work in industry\u2026(and) in 1848, the year of the publication of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/The-Communist-Manifesto\">Communist Manifesto<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and a wave of revolutions across\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Europe\">Europe<\/a> (English Christians) were concerned with social issues, prison reform, and care of the mentally ill.\u201d<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/William-Wilberforce\">Britannica.com<\/a> also tells us about William Wilberforce, whose \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/abolitionism-European-and-American-social-movement\">abolitionism<\/a>\u00a0was derived in part from evangelical Christianity, to which he was converted in 1784\u201385. His spiritual adviser became John Newton, a former slave trader who had repented and who had been the pastor at Wilberforce\u2019s church when he was a child. In 1787 Wilberforce helped to found\u2026the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade\u2014the latter more commonly called the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Anti-Slavery-Society-British-organization-1787\">Anti-Slavery Society<\/a>.\u201d<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.comwp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Washington.jpg?resize=523%2C372&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6861\" width=\"523\" height=\"372\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=george+washington+praying+painting&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS852US852&sxsrf=ACYBGNSSO-Oj9bmJweJngLLFA8s47IzXhQ:1574209505230&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=qnnneIx6JUHlOM%253A%252CtI2plHvVQHYnuM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kR6857uVDM0K893ujncR3iEIho7lA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi9y_Gyw_flAhUo2FkKHXEhCs4Q9QEwAHoECAYQHA#imgrc=qnnneIx6JUHlOM:\">The Prayer at Valley Forge<\/a>\u201c<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>And lastly, we quote from David McCullough\u2019s wonderful book, 1776<\/span><\/em>:<\/p><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u201c(George Washington) was not a brilliant strategist or tactician (like Napoleon)\u2026 At several crucial moments he had shown marked indecisiveness. He had made serious mistakes in judgment\u2026(but) he never gave up\u2026 (And) for those who had been with Washington and who know what a close call it was at the beginning\u2013how often circumstance, storms, contrary winds, the oddities or strengths of individual character had made the difference\u2013the outcome (of the America War for Independence) seemed little short of a miracle.\u201d<\/p><cite>David McCullough, 1776<\/em><\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>A prayer attributed to Washington reads: \u201cOh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of Thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in Thy fear, and dying in Thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy son, Jesus Christ.\u201d <\/p><\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cCreation eagerly waits with anticipation\u00a0for God\u2019s sons\u00a0to be revealed.\u201d (Romans 8:19) That is, I think, an intriguing statement. \u201cFor all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. .\u201d (Romans 8:14) \u201cThe Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs\u2014heirs of … <a href=\"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/20\/christianity-humanity-v-2-0\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading “Christianity (Humanity v.2.0?)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-worldview"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6623"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6623"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6867,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6623\/revisions\/6867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}