tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.comments2023-04-04T07:31:28.741-04:00The OK MorehPaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13309020310937286387noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-38307770903331658462011-01-21T16:22:38.549-05:002011-01-21T16:22:38.549-05:00This paragraph goes right into my next sermon!
...This paragraph goes right into my next sermon! <br /><br />In addition to his work in civil rights, and in opposing the Vietnam war, Heschel was a Jewish representative to the Vatican II conference, where he persuaded the Roman Catholic Church to eliminate or modify passages in its liturgy that demeaned Jews, or expected our conversion to Christianity. His theological works argued that religious experience is a fundamentally human impulse, not just a Jewish one, and that no religious community could claim a monopoly on religious truth.<br /><br />Unfortunately I know too many Christians whose only goal in life is to convert Muslims and Jews and Buddhists and... etc...<br /><br />Thanks Paul and it was great having you at First Baptist!<br />cheers<br />garygary mccaslinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00141396602425896432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-65416092537075382582010-11-15T20:26:01.910-05:002010-11-15T20:26:01.910-05:00Hey Paul ~ great sermon ~ I read it and felt great...Hey Paul ~ great sermon ~ I read it and felt great!! :-)]]<br />Are you ever free on Sunday mornings? I would love to have you come and preach sometime...<br />We'll talk...<br />cheers<br />garygary mccaslinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00141396602425896432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-87107502029787427212010-07-27T12:14:32.135-04:002010-07-27T12:14:32.135-04:00One of the passages I had in mind was Deut. 7:2, w...One of the passages I had in mind was Deut. 7:2, which was part of last week's Torah reading.<br /><br />There is an enlightening discussion of this - from a modern point of view - in the Plaut commentary, pp. 1381-1382. Rabbi S.R. Hirsch, sometimes called the father of modern Orthodoxy, noted that the injunction is repeated in verse 16 and concluded that the repetition was necessary because it went so much against the natural sensibilities of the Israelites - although if this were the case, we would have to conclude that the Israelites had much gentler natures than other ancient peoples.<br /><br />What is most noteworthy, however, is that the Canaanites were NOT annihilated. Plaut mentions that in Judges 3:1 God seems to have abrogated the original command. In Deuteronomy there is also a commandment not to marry the idolators, which would not have been a concern if they had actually been eliminated.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10482881823746172477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-48187164418530883472010-07-19T16:05:34.831-04:002010-07-19T16:05:34.831-04:00Could you help point to some of the writings of so...Could you help point to some of the writings of some sages about the issue of genocide ordered by G-d ?A Seekernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-55820709238259389582009-01-20T01:17:00.000-05:002009-01-20T01:17:00.000-05:00I just launched this site.It may help the beginner...I just launched this site.<BR/>It may help the beginners.<BR/>Learn Hebrew with Pictures and Audio<BR/>http://www.my-hebrew-dictionary.com/<BR/><BR/>JacobJacob Richmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343025217606307743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-79489393811827113912008-12-29T15:33:00.000-05:002008-12-29T15:33:00.000-05:00The idea that Noah might not be wholly righteous h...The idea that Noah might not be wholly righteous has long standing in Jewish thought. It's based on a close reading of the statement that Noah was "a righteous man, blameless in his age" (ish tzadik tamim haya bedorotav) in Gen. 6:9. The rabbis of old thought that the qualifier "in his age" (bedorotav) would have been unnecessary if Noah had been totally righteous.<BR/><BR/>I have to disagree with translating Gen. 6:8 in a way that introduces the idea of grace, especially to say that grace "happened upon" Noah. The concept of Divine grace is weak in Jewish thought.<BR/><BR/>The locution "matza hen be-enay" is very common in Hebrew and conveys no more than "found favor with," which is how the 1985 JPS edition translates it. It could also be rendered as "God was pleased with Noah." <BR/><BR/>But the point here is that God chose Noah to build the ark. Since Noah followed God's call, the description of him as righteous seems to be justified.<BR/><BR/>Nevertheless, the rabbis questioned whether Noah was fully righteous, for example, whether he was as righteous as Abraham. One lesson we might draw from this text is not to make that kind of comparison.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10482881823746172477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-7144665378506410782008-12-16T10:14:00.000-05:002008-12-16T10:14:00.000-05:00God does not 'grade on the curve.' Another possibl...God does <B>not</B> 'grade on the curve.' Another possible translation of Genesis 6:8 is that Noah was found to be in the possession of grace in the eyes of the L-RD, or that grace in the eyes of the L-RD <I>happened upon</I> Noah.<BR/><BR/>We know that the result of this is that Noah was accounted an especially righteous man, because Ezekiel 14 records G-D saying that judgment was determined for Israel because of their transgressions and that even if "Noah, Daniel and Job" lived together in Israel at that day they would only <B>themselves</B> be delivered from the judgment. (vv. 14-20) (Which says a lot about Daniel, as well, for he was a contemporary of Ezekiel. It would be a little like lumping Greg Laurie in with the Apostles Peter and John) <BR/><BR/>How do we reconcile Noah's righteousness with Solomon's assertion that "there is not a just man on earth, that doeth good and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20, 1 Kings 8:46) and G-D's vow not to "acquit the wicked?" (Nahum 1:3)<BR/><BR/>For G-D to remain righteous, yet call unrighteous men "righteous," something like what happened to David in Psalm 32:2 must occur. Like what was done for Abram when he "believed in the L-RD; and He counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:6)Mike Skinnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05839284762459204374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-35035592291284667422008-07-29T18:42:00.000-04:002008-07-29T18:42:00.000-04:00When I teach adult groups, I sometimes ask whether...When I teach adult groups, I sometimes ask whether people believe that the account of creation in Genesis 1 is factual. No hands go up. Then I ask whether they think we should teach it to children. Everyone raises a hand.<BR/><BR/>To explain the paradox, I draw a table with two rows and three columns - that is, three boxes in the top row and three boxes in the bottom row. Then I label those in the top row as Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3, and those below as Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6. <BR/><BR/>It doesn't matter whether you go from right to left or left to right, as long as day 4 is below day 1, and so on. Next fill in what Gen. 1 tells us was created on each day.<BR/><BR/>The result makes sense. Each day in the top row represents the habitat for what is created in the day directly below it.<BR/><BR/>In other words, we want to teach this version to children because it presents a world created by Someone who knows what Someone is doing - it's orderly and rational. This view of creation helps children to feel safe in the world.<BR/><BR/>In contrast, Genesis 2 presents a view of creation that is rather disorderly, even blundering. Where Gen. 1 represents the orderly world that we need to believe in, Gen. 2 represents the world as we ordinarily observe it and explains why things seem so messed up.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10482881823746172477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513282611058247116.post-33993807345737605682008-07-29T18:20:00.000-04:002008-07-29T18:20:00.000-04:00When I read this post I just had to comment on it!...When I read this post I just had to comment on it! I have read TGFE by Rev. Dowd and found it to be compelling.<BR/><BR/>I'm a Christian minister (Lutheran) who firmly believes that we have traditionally read the Genesis narratives incorrectly, especially chapter one. We interpret Genesis 1 as a play-by-play account of creation. When I tell people that it isn't such and account, I get funny looks.<BR/><BR/>I then try to explain that Genesis 1 reflects Israel's interactions with God, nature, and the nations, using cosmic imagery. This imagery served as their "night language" (as Rev. Dowd would say it) to tell their own story as God's covenant people. That God created all things is assumed and understood. To try to argue for a literal six day creation is to miss the point and heavily trivialize the narrative.<BR/><BR/>I was wondering if you would comment on my thoughts here and talk about what you believe Genesis 1 is saying.<BR/><BR/>Thank you.Doug Hoaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10030777644159310014noreply@blogger.com