Aimee Byrd posted a lament and question here. Her lament? That folks who think highly of a book she's written simultaneously express whole-hearted approval of other books that differ from hers in significant ways. She's not concerned with misunderstandings about--what to her--are peripheral matters but subjects that--to her--are of primary significance like the Protestant Christian doctrine justification by faith alone and the sufficiency of Scripture. How is it, Aimee wonders, that folks who like her book, which makes clear her Protestant cessationist beliefs, also like books (or ecclesial communions) that are squarely opposed?
Her question: "Pastors, elders, is there something more we could be doing in the church to equip the congregation with discerning reading skills?"
I remember listening to a report on NPR to the effect that when asked at the beginning of the year why it's hotter in the summer than the winter would answer "Because the earth is closer to the sun in the summer." At the end of a year that included a regular class in earth science or the like--in which it was clearly explained and demonstrated that seasons were caused by the tilt in the earth's axis and orbit around the sun--the answer remained the same. There were, to be sure, additional mentions of what had been learned but what had not been unlearned was remarkable.
I have slightly better news from law school but that's largely because my students know that they don't know. To the extent they think they already know about contract law, they, like 8th graders, seem impervious to re-education. All of this supports what an undergrad prof told me years ago: poor education inoculates students against good education.
Nor should we be surprised. Even given three years of direct, face-to-face exposure to Jesus' teachings, his disciples remained bone headed about his calling to die by crucifixion until the end. And even beyond. Notwithstanding his years of fellowship with Jesus, subsequent years of anointing with the Holy Spirit after Pentecost, and striking dream-vision teaching that there was no warrant for separation of Jew from Gentile under the New Covenant, Paul reported in his epistle to the church in Galatia that Peter still got it wrong.
For what it's worth, Isaiah 42.3 comforts me.
Her question: "Pastors, elders, is there something more we could be doing in the church to equip the congregation with discerning reading skills?"
I remember listening to a report on NPR to the effect that when asked at the beginning of the year why it's hotter in the summer than the winter would answer "Because the earth is closer to the sun in the summer." At the end of a year that included a regular class in earth science or the like--in which it was clearly explained and demonstrated that seasons were caused by the tilt in the earth's axis and orbit around the sun--the answer remained the same. There were, to be sure, additional mentions of what had been learned but what had not been unlearned was remarkable.
I have slightly better news from law school but that's largely because my students know that they don't know. To the extent they think they already know about contract law, they, like 8th graders, seem impervious to re-education. All of this supports what an undergrad prof told me years ago: poor education inoculates students against good education.
Nor should we be surprised. Even given three years of direct, face-to-face exposure to Jesus' teachings, his disciples remained bone headed about his calling to die by crucifixion until the end. And even beyond. Notwithstanding his years of fellowship with Jesus, subsequent years of anointing with the Holy Spirit after Pentecost, and striking dream-vision teaching that there was no warrant for separation of Jew from Gentile under the New Covenant, Paul reported in his epistle to the church in Galatia that Peter still got it wrong.
For what it's worth, Isaiah 42.3 comforts me.
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