Freethought & Rationalism Archive

seebs · 03-30-2006, 01:24 AM

http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slack...ind/index.html

For LaHaye and Jenkins, the meaning of these chapters is self-evident, crystalline. Clearly, it means that one day -- 2,600 years or so after Ezekiel is dead and gone -- an evil Communist empire will attack the modern state of Israel with an all-out nuclear assault.

What else could it mean?

This is one of the funniest pages I've ever read. The only real flaw is the need to read in inverse order.

I'm posting this here just because many people tend to cite to dispensational theology and/or Biblical interpretations, and it's nice to have a one-stop shop for analysis of the current state of the art in dispensational theology.

hallq · 03-30-2006, 07:37 AM

Has Slacktivist been to seminary or something? He seems to know his stuff.

seebs · 03-30-2006, 04:26 PM

I don't know. I know a number of non-seminary Christians who could write most of this, although his analysis under "the anti-Huck" has totally beaten the crap out of my previous understanding of several passages.

Well, "could write" is a hard claim. This man is a seriously competent writer. But the basic theology is not that unusual among the "liberal" Christians I know, who tend to have read more of the Bible than most of the Christians who self-identify as "Bible believers".

Dean Anderson · 04-05-2006, 06:08 AM

Well, it took me a while to go through that - but it was worth it.

I do like the guy's writing style. Perhaps LaHaye should have got him to write the book, rather than Jenkins...

It is a great expose on just how ridiculous a lot of rapture beliefs are.

seebs · 04-05-2006, 06:16 AM

It is excellently written, and I think it helps reveal just how amazingly broad the variation among Christian groups is these days.

I betcha that a lot of people on a typical Christian BBS would think Huck Finn was a very bad boy.

WishboneDawn · 04-05-2006, 06:27 AM

Thank you Seebs!

I was chuckling through the whole thing. He's spot on.

trendkill · 04-05-2006, 06:42 AM

Quote:

A beer!?! Eckstein has spent more than 20 years working with evangelical Christians in America and he still doesn't realize that evangelicals don't drink beer?

This is a religious subculture that -- despite its claims of a strictly "literal" hermeneutic -- believes that Jesus and his disciples drank non-alcoholic grape juice at the Last Supper. They believe Christ's first miracle was turning water into Welch's at the wedding in Cana.

Seriously? I was raised Mormon, which is every bit "the teetotal religion" that Islam is, and even we didn't pretend that Jesus didn't drink wine. Madness.

I was under the impression that mainstream Christians were more or less all allowed to drink at least somewhat. I find it hard to believe that 40-something percent of America (approximate self-identified Evangelicals last time I checked) believes, even in theory, that drinking is wrong, full stop.

seebs · 04-05-2006, 06:55 AM

There are whole branches, mostly Baptists, who firmly believe that it's "grape juice" in pretty much every case unless actual drunkenness is mentioned.

And yeah, that's, uhm.

Well, anyway, how 'bout that local sports team?

mikem · 04-05-2006, 07:59 AM

Welch's I take it is some non alcoholic beverage is it? (They don't stock it in my local Tesco's, but that's Lancashire for you.)

Julian · 04-05-2006, 08:32 AM

Just your basic juice company: http://www.welchs.com/

03-30-2006, 01:24 AM	#1
seebs Contributor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 24,524	Slacktivist reads Left Behind http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slack...ind/index.html For LaHaye and Jenkins, the meaning of these chapters is self-evident, crystalline. Clearly, it means that one day -- 2,600 years or so after Ezekiel is dead and gone -- an evil Communist empire will attack the modern state of Israel with an all-out nuclear assault. What else could it mean? This is one of the funniest pages I've ever read. The only real flaw is the need to read in inverse order. I'm posting this here just because many people tend to cite to dispensational theology and/or Biblical interpretations, and it's nice to have a one-stop shop for analysis of the current state of the art in dispensational theology.

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03-30-2006, 07:37 AM	#2
hallq Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 204	Has Slacktivist been to seminary or something? He seems to know his stuff.

03-30-2006, 04:26 PM	#3
seebs Contributor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 24,524	I don't know. I know a number of non-seminary Christians who could write most of this, although his analysis under "the anti-Huck" has totally beaten the crap out of my previous understanding of several passages. Well, "could write" is a hard claim. This man is a seriously competent writer. But the basic theology is not that unusual among the "liberal" Christians I know, who tend to have read more of the Bible than most of the Christians who self-identify as "Bible believers".

04-05-2006, 06:08 AM	#4
Dean Anderson Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Brighton, England Posts: 6,947	Well, it took me a while to go through that - but it was worth it. I do like the guy's writing style. Perhaps LaHaye should have got him to write the book, rather than Jenkins... It is a great expose on just how ridiculous a lot of rapture beliefs are.

04-05-2006, 06:16 AM	#5
seebs Contributor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 24,524	It is excellently written, and I think it helps reveal just how amazingly broad the variation among Christian groups is these days. I betcha that a lot of people on a typical Christian BBS would think Huck Finn was a very bad boy.

04-05-2006, 06:27 AM	#6
WishboneDawn Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 4,287	Thank you Seebs! I was chuckling through the whole thing. He's spot on.

04-05-2006, 06:55 AM	#8
seebs Contributor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 24,524	There are whole branches, mostly Baptists, who firmly believe that it's "grape juice" in pretty much every case unless actual drunkenness is mentioned. And yeah, that's, uhm. Well, anyway, how 'bout that local sports team?

04-05-2006, 07:59 AM	#9
mikem Regular Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK Posts: 278	Welch's I take it is some non alcoholic beverage is it? (They don't stock it in my local Tesco's, but that's Lancashire for you.)

04-05-2006, 08:32 AM	#10
Julian Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Washington, DC (formerly Denmark) Posts: 3,789	Just your basic juice company: http://www.welchs.com/

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