Annihilation or Conscious Eternal Torment?

Okay, I'm tackling this one now. Sort of kept it on the back burner (ha ha) for a while, but I can't anymore. So I'm reading this article by Steve Scianni. I also bought a book by Greg Boyd on this topic. I need to find good works by the other side.

This may take a while to sort out. But this morning I was struck by how few Scripture verses (at least according to my Thompson Chain Reference NIV) there were to support the everlasting torment theory, and they seemed sort of flimsy, at least more flimsy than should be required to develop a whole doctrine out of.

Sola Scriptura, and let the chips fall where they may!

Hurry up and call me Patrick!

We need another Patrick. Someone who's right on the money doctrinally, but doesn't get all stuck in cultural forms. An earthy person who moves in real Holy Spirit power and is able thereby to confront our enemies (see Eph. 6).

Here is Patrick's prayer (called the "Lorica", or "Patrick's Breastplate") (from Wikipedia):

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the faith in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

...whether it happened or not.

The previous post really is the Emergent mantra. How do I know? I was listening to another Emergent Podcast the other day, and the speaker, Phyllis Tickle, once again spoke the mantra. It was only later that I realized that the first time I heard it was from Diana Butler-Bass, not Phyllis Tickle. They're all saying it now.

Who are they trying to fool?

The Postmodern Creed

"I believe in the Virgin Birth. It's so beautiful, it just has to be true, whether it happened or not."

Diana Butler-Bass, in her address to the Emergent Mainline conference in 2007, spoke of a meeting at an Episcopal church in Atlanta that turned into a pro-Virgin-birth / anti-Virgin-birth brawl. In the middle of the brawl, a 17-year-old kid utters this postmodern creed, and to Butler-Bass, this instantly launches him into Emergent stardom.

This is precisely why I will never be Emergent. More and more, it seems to me that Emergent and Postmodernism is built on this kind of non-logic, no-accountability, fudge-factor world view that forever tries to juxtapose the irreconcilable. It will never believe anything, never understand anything, never build anything. It only has the capacity to get away with things, mostly mischief.

Hats off to Mark Driscoll

What Adam and Eve should have said to the serpent was: "This conversation is over!"