I've had some weird experiences in my life, but they're just that experiences. I don't trust them as giving me absolute truth, divine truth, or perhaps any personal truth for that matter. I've had some things happen that are beyond explanation, but they don't serve as a witnessing tool or as divinely imparted knowledge.
If I'm going to tell a story, I'm going to tell Christ's story to an unbelieving world, not mine, no matter how uncanny and ear-tickling it may be. Do I take sola scriptura too far? Many probably would say I do. When it comes to the Scriptures and God's revelation, we need to defend absolute truth to our deaths. I see this kid's story as spiritual candy for itching ears. The Scriptures are concerned about the sin of mankind and Christ's work. If you want a certain example of what God and the afterlife are like, click here.
By the way, Mary seemed to be busy the day this kid was in heaven, as she didn't make it into this tale. Perhaps though, some unscrupulous Protestant edited her out.
Posts
5 comments:
I'm not sure what to think about such things other than that I am typically suspicious; not that it didn't happen, but who or what is behind it if it did. Are we looking at a case of new revelation here? Always a danger. These things seem to happen to people no matter what their religious affiliation may or may not be. It's curious that the boy is a Pastor's son in a Christian family. No chance that he has heard a lot about heaven for years now?
I wonder, too, in our dissatisfaction with walking by faith that we'll glom onto anything that smacks of walking by "sight."
I know people (some close to me) who are given to this sort of thing. One of the problems that they run into when using these stories as witnessing tools is that most unbelievers are completely uninterested in in them, even if they are true. I have seen this up close. I know of a man who tries to "witness" to his brothers with tales of near death experiences, trips to heaven, gold teeth just showing up, and other such fantasies. They always seem more insulted than anything else. If we're going to offend people let's offend them with the thing that could actually save them. Right?
I have the same problem with a close friend of mine who is a Christian. He is unfortunately guided by enthusiasm and a love he has for science. What I always tell him is that when he plays with these things he thinks of and his dabbling in science to validate his faith he moves one step closer to denying his faith. I think it sad that many do not even think of taking Scripture far enough.
If we're going to offend people let's offend them with the thing that could actually save them. Right?
Absolutely. Let folks be offended by the gospel, not by the fact that we might be behaving like jerks and fools.
"Let folks be offended by the gospel, not by the fact that we might be behaving like jerks and fools."
I am normally one of the two, or both. So yes, let's stick to the gospel. Amen, Pilgrim.
Post a Comment