Ancient Christian Witness

quote:

I do believe in multiple levels of
interpretation, and the Orthodox believe that we know God better through
Experience. And this is how I understand what you are saying about Job.

However, with that said, I do believe in parameters. Anything that goes
beyond the Parameters shouldn’t be dogmatic, and they should be just one’s
personal view. At least until others are able to digest it in a way that doesn’t
go against the grain.

Saint Paul talks about how we must watch how we
build on the foundation that Christ and the Apostles built.


So
"interpretation" is dynamic, but only in the sense that it must grow and adapt
to the culture that it's in. But it must always stay the same.

I look at
it like a pivot. You know how in Basketball, one has a pivot foot. Well the
samething is true about Interpretation.

One aspect of it should always
be grounded and unchangable, while the other aspect of it should always be
moving according to the culture that it's in.

In Greek culture we use
Greek words like "Logos" to explain a Truth of the Christian Faith. If we were
in China then we would have to use the word "TAO" to explain the same truth
about the Christian Faith. One may have a slightly different shade that the
other may not have, but the people in that culture will be able to understand.
And that's the whole goal.



For some years now. I have seen
Christianity as semi-Pagan. I say that because Judaism is that which is non
pagan.

But when Christ came, He brought down the wall that divided the
Jews from the Pagan. And eversince then Christianity has been semi-pagan.

It always had one foot in Judaism and the other in various pagan
cultures. It took the good out of each pagan culture it was in and it transforms
it to the glory of God.


I think Loving our nieghbor as God loved us
extends to the Pagan World, For God became Incarnate in the Culture of Judaism
to save the World, so in like manor....God is Working through the Followers of
His Son who ingage the pagan culture by being incarnate in it, so that they can
help save the people in that culture as well as transforming the culture itself,
for when the people are transformed...the culture will be transformed too.

We have to be "IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF IT".

Being in the WORLD
to me = Being INCARNATE in the CULTURE

Whereas

Being not of the
World to me = Rejecting or untwisting the evil of the culture so that we can use
it to glorify God.


But that's my take on it.



"We
should select and posses what is useful out of all cultures." Clement of
Alexandria 195 A.D.



sidenote: Since Jesus is ISRAEL,
Christianity is the New Definition of that which is non-pagan. I only said what
I said so that people could understanding where I was coming from