Aug. 18, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Karen Glass

I haven't been able to get those links to work, and I wouldn't mind reading the articles. When you have time, you might want to double-check them. Thanks!

• Permanent Link

Aug. 18, 2006 - Articles

Posted by Hobbits8

Thanks, Karen. In order to get a different category, I had to edit the template. I copied and pasted and then replaced the text. I didn't remove everything I should have to make the links work.

• Permanent Link

Aug. 24, 2006 - Gutenberg, etc.

Posted by

Interesting! My daughter was just married and Jack Crabtree performed the ceremony. He is an interesting fellow though I think that I differ very deeply theologically with him. In one of his books he seems to take great pride? in redefining or reterming predestination into what he calls Divine Determinism. I also have a other differences that I would hope but suspect are his deviation from orthodoxy. Enough said for now. My daughter and friends are highly influenced by his thoughts. Oh, also, he is extremely philosophical whereas I try to stick to Biblical prooftexting. Somehow, I believe in being influenced more by Paul or Peter than by Kirkegaard or Nitzche, don't you? Edited by recon77 on Aug. 24, 2006 at 11:09 AM

• Permanent Link

Aug. 24, 2006 - Jack Crabtree

Posted by Hobbits8

Oh, interesting about your daughter. I'm actually favorably inclined towards Jack. I think he's very careful with terms and definitions which is why he uses "divine determinism." I've read about 2/3 of that book The Most Real Being. He explains why he thinks "divine determinism" better than "sovereignty" and it makes sense to me since we do need to concern ourselves with connotations of terms. So far I don't see he diverges at all from what some orthodox folks believe. I go to sovereign grace church (not part of the denomination of the same name) and so far, the only thing that I could say is *different* and not even really different, is the fact that he takes some details to their logical conclusions. So it's just brought some dangling pieces into a more integrated picture for me. I don't think that being philosophical means you're influenced by "Kirkegaard or Nitzche" rather than Jesus or Paul. He is using reasoning, but I think reason is a God-given gift, and he's using it well. He does have a PhD in philosophy which I imagine you know, but I've read some philosophy myself and I believe it actually gives me a broader view to see where errant thinking has come into play in history, and also to see where men have stumbled onto truth. I try to classically educate my kids, and one thing struck me when reading about Socrates. Socrates did not have scripture, but he concluded that there had to be only one God. The Greeks thought that Socrates was corrupting their youth when he believed that there was only one God! To me it shows the truth of Romans 1 where it says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse...." So I've become more convinced since I've learned more that it is vitally important to understand philosophy because then we understand the events in history and we understand where some modern thoughts have arisen. If we know the basis for some modern thoughts ("there's nothing new under the sun"), then we can more easily see what the underlying presuppositions are. I think some people think that philosophers have just imbibed all the thoughts that have gone down through history. But it's a very contradictory mess of thoughts, and so quite impossible for anyone to consistently embrace all philosophical thought. I know that some people think that the Great Books are great because they contain a lot of truth, but really the reason we study them is because they were influential in western thought. If something was influential we want to see why and what effects there were. It helps us to understand. My third son attends Gutenberg College, and so maybe he knows your daughter (I know Melanie got married in the spring with the ceremony performed by Jack--that's not your daughter is it?). From what Sam has told me and what I've heard of Jack and what he teaches, he tries very hard to be Biblical and is open to correction. I think that sometimes we think the way we do about theological things just because we've been taught that way, and maybe there's a better way of looking at the scripture and putting things together. I know I've been unsatisfied with some explanations thinking that they weren't consistent with all the scriptures. So I think that's what Jack tries to do--he tries to look at the Scriptures and make sure that he's not being unduly influenced by incorrect presuppositions. However, I could be wrong. I've been very impressed by the intellectual demeanor of the people associated with Gutenberg. Thanks for posting! I'll be interested to hear about your daughter and if Sam knows her.

• Permanent Link