A wear-your-thinking-cap edition.
No, They Don’t Wear Loin Cloths
During the old days when I frequented the Baptist Board, I got to know a few Primitive Baptists. Some of them were hard-shells, which means they believed in what they called “the absolute predestination of all things.” The Primitive Baptists were some of the nicest people on the Baptist Board, partly, I suppose, because they didn’t believe in debating over doctrine. They’d explain what they believed, but wouldn’t defend those beliefs. John of While We Sojourn has an interesting post explaining some of the beliefs of Primitive Baptist “Absoluters”. It helped me understand some of the reasoning behind the hard-shells’ aversion to debating doctrine.
Pot Calling Kettle?
Neotheists accuse traditional Christian theologians of special pleading when they understand certain texts of scripture as anthropomorphisms. Steve Hays explains why it’s the Neotheists who might be guilty of this fallacy. (Neotheism is another name for open theism. Not an apt name, I’d think, since it’s not a new thing.)
Theological Shorthand
Martin Downes of Against Heresies on the usefulness of prooftexts.
Defining the Faith
David Heddle shares more of his Sunday School lessons, this one on the development of creeds in the early church as a way of responding to heresies.