I suspect that leaving the Westminster cocoon could be unsettling, but you are still ensconced cozily in the moderate to liberal Christian cocoon. Previously he was a Senior Fellow of . Over the next twelve months our focus will be "Old and New: An . Hi Pete, Living with uncertainty is a relative thing. Proud men who reject His call are incredibly stupid and foolish beyond measure. The human mind cannot think alone. But in the formerit seemssome individuals cannot ask the does God exist? question without deeply wondering about which God?? Piper argues that God's judgments are just and shouldn't be questioned. The good news is that those who humble themselves and say yes when He calls do experience Him in an undeniable complete way. In these chapters God fashions "the man" (ha adam) from earth (adamah), breathes life into his nostrils, and makes him a caretaker . Evidence can be internal, which whether or not you rationally elaborate upon or take the direct perceptive route nonetheless still falls into that domain. Why do you write books attempting to make more conservative Evangelicals rethink their perspective on the authority of the Bible? Given all this and more, my personal choice is simply to continue to acknowledge Gods blessings upon my life and therefore acknowledge God. People who can conceive N concepts of God seem more adapt at considering the one concept of God of the person who can conceive one concept of God than people who can conceive one concept of God making sense of the N concepts of God of the others schema. Bravo for that! First, let me say that I hold to the position that without faith one cannot please God His words, not mine. Perhaps the thing that could hold rationality, mysticism, intuition, etc all together is love- as a way of knowing. What are you reading good Sir, that I may know too? Peter K. Enns. Talk of a vibrant Christian faith seems overblown. Peter is an Old Testament scholar (PhD, Harvard University) who currently teaches as Affiliate Faculty of Biblical Studies at Eastern University. I am married and trust my wife but like anything, marriage is a complete trust that the other person will be faithful (for better or worse) we live in the tensions of trusting people everyday (even strangers we do not know who drive vehicles). Doesnt everyone including yourself feel an urge to respond given an open forum and divergent points of view? Instead it looks like people have a wide variety of reality tunnels and interpretations. Many dont understand that the contentions among faiths are fought (and will be won in the end) not on the grounds of being right, but on the grounds of making the world right. It is into this "cross-pressured" situation that Peter Enns wades with this new book, The . And the one thing that every single wisdom tradition or religious group teaches is the way. And the crash can be hard, just look at Mother Teresas painful decades long crash after getting high on Jesus in her teen years. Such soon discover that He is indeed a God Who communicates and is very capable of laying out a clear path for us to follow. Youre still rooting your argument in the same notion of the proper locus of religious conviction. We dont have the tools to give up what makes sense to us without putting up ideological fences and safety nets around everything. Meaning external, physical evidence. Specifically on love as a way of knowing. Some people live with more uncertainty than you do. Yet since these experiences come across as transcendent many put a higher truth value on them than anything else in life. I do. While some would say the orthodox Nature of God and his Oneness pertains to Being, I think most more linearly worship something that is more a manner of /a/ being than Being. Praying is not the same as imposing a religion on others. 4 And there is none **like** unto Him. And we can also look at those experiences, and see if there is an element of illusion about them. That said, I can see the contemplative Hindu or Buddhist saying the exact same thing. Thank you Joseph. How could God (if He does exist) reject anyone who was honestly searching? So true. There is no difference between His Person and His Attributes, and His Attributes should not be differentiated or distinguished from His Person. If there is still to be a link to truth there at all. Sorry for the late reply. I am not sure that is the name. Though I certainly dont want to edge into Edwards post to restate it here. I have been following your story since the Westminster brouhaha (and enjoyed and endorsed your books to others online) but I dont recall reading your whole story from your youth, which I am sure would be interesting, probably some overlap with Randal Rausers and my own Evangelical Christian youth. It may be a way of knowing, but not necessarily yielding as many as true things as possible and as few as false things as possible. The moronic Magic-Man-Fantasy was the human races greatest mistake. James KA Smiths Desiring the Kingdom. This sort of knowing is beyond reason, but it is not irrational. Take sight perception as an example. It is in this context, that Christianity, for me, is a profound disappointment. An Atheist that believes in God. With the exact same merit. I presume you are referring to Islam in your final sentence? It just begs the question, which one? Hi, Reddit! 2020 Peter Danner. here s something about the bible of the peter enns June 1st, 2020 - think about that the old testament of the new testament writers and of the early church was a translation and an imperfect one at that you d think at key moment of god s self disclosure ten things i hate about church and why i go anyway This is perhaps another way to look at the sin of certainty. Evidence presented to our reasoning faculties is one way of knowing, not the only way, which is obvious. He has taught courses at several other institutions including Harvard University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary. The western way of knowing privileges the observation and analysis/testingofexternal evidence by knowledgable, experienced, and educated people who make arguments and defend them. Such a person in fact believes Him to exist in Parts. The question Is God real? is equal to the question Is magic real?. 800 spiritually empty words. contemplative Good point. Why the need to respond ? 2 Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; Peter Enns' latest book is written in praise of question marks, especially those that crowd our minds when God goes missing. When people insist that the Apostles Creed is where you have to start, its no wonder that you wind up with some people who dont believe in God and other people who dont believe in the World. One thing that is crystal clear about Enns is that he hates rules. It certainly seems that way as we compare the experiences of people across faiths. So 2 Peter was written by Peter.how sure are you on that? I think there are many different kinds of trust in God, not just the Christian God of the Bible. Pages turning Were two thousand years in. The more I learn about the cosmos and humanitys journey of understanding it, the more the term evidence seems to be an oxymoron. Alot of us have reached the point where the only left left to do is bring people together despite our differences. I am Peter EnnsI am a biblical scholar. His research and teaching focus on public opinion and political representation, mass incarceration and the legal system, and data science. No matter how much you imagine or try. Across religions, the evidences are the grapes and figs. ~ Jackson Browne. D. Modl, Archologie zwischen Mur und . Pseudo-Solomon and His Scripture: Biblical Interpretation in the Wisdom of Solomon,, The Contribution of Ecclesiastes to Biblical Theology,. Many say, Lord, Lord. Small is the gate and narrow is the road. So if you want to write a book that really speaks about accepting uncertainty you have not done so. But may I pose this: Im all for that. At best, such persons hopes could make an iron-age reality better. Tweets at @peteenns. If another person or group of persons has a different list, they have different values from mine. The universe is a really big place. Acts of Interpretation features essays by biblical scholars and theologians offering broad reflections on key interpretive issues, rich readings of challenging biblical texts, and interaction with the Christian exegetical tradition from Melito of Sardis to Dietrich Bonhoeffer.The contributors to this volume are leading figures in the theological interpretation of Scripture. Its not that we dont know, its that our knowing is ultimately so relative. As is knowledge of Heavenly Father. Peter Enns (PhD, Harvard University) is the Abram S. Clemens Professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. The social architecture of the church, from leadership to prayer groups, all functions along protocols and vetting systems based on doctrinal beliefs, trust-building with leaders, participation in activities, meetings and conferences, etc. Eastern University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarships, loan programs, athletic and other programs. At the same time, I was taking philosophy and religion courses and was drawn to finding ways to explain my ongoing relationship/wrestling match with God-Jesus-Spirit. ". The list of aspects offered doesnt quite get us to a means by which to assess exclusivity. Thank you Joseph. Interesting Beau, thanks. Many miss it here because they want to be in control of any such relationship. There can be various degrees of certainty, of course. I say, God. I think there is a model there where the subjective, but real experience of God is the starting point for understanding the perceptual equipment, which will help us to acknowledge the existence of a real Being that makes the subjective states or experiences real. Slow chuckle. If you ask your typical Tibettan Buddhist monk, deeply committed to this same type of contemplative knowing, to describe their experience they will articulate something akin to everything you describe. 2) Do their beliefs about God or Gods or whatever bring us to harming the other or the world, or bring us to healing and redeeming? Dr. Enns is a biblical scholar who teaches and writes on Old Testament, New Testament, Second Temple Judaism, and the intersection of biblical studies and contemporary Christian faith. That is a blessing from God. Probably a different version of God I would presume. That said, I can see the contemplative Hindu or Buddhist saying the exact same thing. The Bible does not say Flood was universal (55). The realm of the elohim and the realm of the seen (1 sam 28.13). This is very simple. I get your post. God, our creator cannot be perceivable by the five senses for, He is not a thing-which is compound elements etc or created. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Basis for my response: 2 Peter 1:15 to 2 Peter 2:2. And make sure you bring your oil along with your lamps as the bridegroom is a long time in coming yet always arrives soon. Peter Eric Enns (born January 2, 1961) is an American Biblical scholar and theologian. University ) who currently teaches as Affiliate Faculty of Biblical Studies at Eastern.. Is magic real? and see if there is an Old Testament (... 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