tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post115271976634456727..comments2024-03-21T03:45:48.679-05:00Comments on Enter the Rainbow: Truth in the Bible - Part 1Andy B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05944614269873479581noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-1153409096196331422006-07-20T10:24:00.000-05:002006-07-20T10:24:00.000-05:00I believe the scripture contains special revelatio...I believe the scripture contains <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_revelation" REL="nofollow">special revelation</A>. Going off of this presumption, it reveals truth that already exists.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-1152885978947383752006-07-14T09:06:00.000-05:002006-07-14T09:06:00.000-05:00I'm telling you, Larry B., you need a blog of your...I'm telling you, Larry B., you need a blog of your own! Thanks again for your thoughtful remarks.Andy B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05944614269873479581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-1152851787490240582006-07-13T23:36:00.000-05:002006-07-13T23:36:00.000-05:00Glad you're back Andy.“Is a thing true because the...Glad you're back Andy.<BR/><BR/>“Is a thing true because the Bible says it is, or does the Bible say a thing because it is true?” This is a profoundly important theological and epistemological question with which people of faith must wrestle.<BR/><BR/>For me the question really gets at anything I could know. However I don't necessarily see it as either/or. Take math as another example. Is 1+1=2 because we say it does, or does 1+1=2 because it reflects an underlying truth? At one time it was believed that fundamental axioms like this could be found to undergird our entire knowledgebase in mathematics. However, recent studies in mathematics, like those used to describe weather, seem to identify areas where deterministic rules can't be found. But, approaching these complex mathematical situations as though there was a determinancy to it, has led us to discover a lot more about it than if we had not approached it with a deterministic view. What's seems important is that we take what we know (or think we know) to be truth about a particular situation and use it and test it to see if it holds true in a given situation. <BR/><BR/>Getting back to the question at hand, whether you believe that if the Bible says something that makes it true or if you believe that the Bible contains things that are truth - if you approach the Bible with the expectancy that it is a deterministic truth (no matter how it got there), the chances are you'll learn far more than if you approach it as though it may not contain the truth. <BR/><BR/>Testing it's truths against your daily experience and observations ultimately leads to the deep conviction of whether it is truth for an individual or not. <BR/><BR/>So just as deterministic mathematics can't fully explain weather phenomenon, that doesn't negate the truth of the mathematics itself, nor does it alter the nature of the weather that we can clearly observe. <BR/><BR/>So in my Christian walk, if I find an obvious truth that isn't so clearly defined in the Bible, or vice versa, it doesn't threaten either the truth before me or the validity of what is found in the Bible - it merely reflects my own limits of understanding. <BR/><BR/>And even in the seemingly well defined world of math, there are questions, arguments and debates that continue to rage. So I wouldn't expect anything less in our spiritual quests either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-1152747898695268902006-07-12T18:44:00.000-05:002006-07-12T18:44:00.000-05:00Excellent post, and you ask great questions. I thi...Excellent post, and you ask great questions. I think you are right in your question, and I think how we answer it says or shapes a lot about our theology (and world view) as a whole.Beth Quickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14171030571583683180noreply@blogger.com