Well, I'm finally over oral surgery, the holidays, and the beating I received this past weekend in the Naked Bible fantasy football league. (And that hurt more than the surgery). Time to get back to election. As indicated in my previous posts on this, I think the...
salvation
The Election of Israel and Its Meaning
I want to take this topic in shorter, manageable posts. My goal is to take you through my thought process in shorter increments than usual. This topic seems to require it. We'll start in the Old Testament. Anyone can tell from a lexicon or the list of verses I posted...
Pope Okay with Baptizing Aliens
More clear theological thinking from the catholic church. Honestly, this is muddled in so many ways: from baptismal regeneration to the failure to read the clear words of Romans 5:12, that it is HUMANITY that is morally guilty and in need of atonement for the sin of a...
John Milor vs. Gary Bates, Part 2
Continuing with the exchange between John Milor and Gary Bates. John Milor introduces Gary's second point / objection to Milor's position (that the Bible allows for alien life forms) this way: >>>> The second point Mr. Bates raised, is as follows: Point 2:...
John Milor vs. Gary Bates
A few days ago Dr. Stephen Yulish was kind enough to forward this link to me. If you follow the link you'll find an article on the UFO Digest website by John MIlor entitled "Cosmic Salvation." Milor is a Christian and believes (in most general terms) that the Bible...
The Biblical Teaching on Baptism, Part 6
In this post, I'll try to give you all my position in a nutshell. First, I accept that there is some sort of connection between baptism and circumcision via Col. 2:11-12. Paul wouldn't pair them if they weren't meant to be associated in some way. In what follows, I'll...
The Biblical Teaching on Baptism, Part 3
In the last post, I noted the confusion that can be created in the minds of readers of the Belgic Confession -- confusion over the true gospel and statements that appear to connect baptism with salvation in some way. This time, we'll look at the Heidelberg Catechism....
Romans 5:12 and Universalism: Applying My Take on Romans 5:12 to the Problem
I'm actually surprised at how brief this one turned out to be! (I'm sure you all are as well). Here's the passage: 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned 13 for sin indeed...
Romans 5:12 and the Fate of the Unborn, Infants, and Other Human Beings Who Cannot Believe From Birth
Thanks for your patience with this thread. I hope you see that what follows is another "theological payoff" to the view I'm articulating. Not only do I think this view of Romans 5:12 simultaneously upholds a real "original sin" in Eden, the effect of that sin on all...
Romans 5:12, Part 4
I've decided to respond to replies first before plowing ahead with the next installment of Romans 5:12. What follows are comments drawn from replies (COMM) and my response (MSH) or clarification. I'm only sticking to the germane material. That is, a lot of the comment...
UFOs, Aliens, and Faith: A Review of the Movie “Knowing”
Last Friday I saw the new Nicholas Cage movie, Knowing. If you haven't seen it yet, you can read some brief plot details here, along with a just-as-brief review. That review seems to suggest Cage recovered his faith, but I'm less generous (and so are many other...
UFOs, ETs, and Religion (Balducci’s Conundrum, Part 5)
It's been a while since I've posted on Msgr. Balducci's conundrum. The rabbit trails have been good, though, and we'll revisit some of them in more detail in the future. Those who didn't catch the previous four posts on this can find them on the blog. Briefly, though,...