I enter and carefully respond here at the risk of taking a "dog stomping" 
for aggressively over-responding to Chad's comments.  However, I would ask 
by the same token that I wouldn't be taken to the cross for every comment 
that I make as a "personal" slam if I openly question someone's 
hermeneutical approach.  Principles of interpretation determine everything 
that is and will be accepted during a discussion.  As the email below 
implies, superficial definitions tend to be indistinct; and then it is a 
small leap to extra-biblical illustrations taking on the appearance of 
authority.  I would like to repeat an example of this happening from Bob 
Wright's (ThM, PhD) pending book, Greek Origins of the Free-Will Theory, - 
"Once the human intellect is allowed to exercise autonomy in deciding what 
parts of the Bible are to be believed, it is only a matter of time before a 
full-fleged liberalism takes over, and the final standard of truth becomes 
some form of "modernity".  When Dr. Lorenzo McCabe began to teach his fellow 
Methodists that God could not know future contingents dependant on free will 
in the mid-1800's, his views were rejected as a radical new heresy.  Fifty 
years later they were commonplace opinions among Methodist liberals" (end 
quote).  The answer to protecting  New Covenant distinctives is in the 
examples that the Apostle Paul uses in defending the faith from theological 
viruses of that day.  Today, the group names have changed but it is still 
the same autonomy of man issue which wants to form the questions which can 
only be logically answered by their assumptions.  Has anyone read Randy 
Seiver's(sola gratia website) work entitled, The Cross: The Heart of New 
Covenant Theology.  It is an excellent work and answers many of the 
questions that are being asked here.  Collaboration can be a helpful thing 
if we hold on to the good and discard the bad?  Which direction will NCT be 
headed in 50 years?  Sincerely, Doug Skiles
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Fuchs" <SteveF_MS@...>
To: <soundofgrace@...>
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 9:33 PM
Subject: Re: [soundofgrace] A start on NCT distinctives.


> That's why I wonder, if we're defining terminology, if we shouldn't avoid 
> phrases that are somewhat indistinct on the surface?
>
> Just a question.
>
> Steve
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "John Reisinger" <24jreisinger26@...>
> To: <soundofgrace@...>
> Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 5:31 PM
> Subject: Re: [soundofgrace] A start on NCT distinctives.
>
>
>> I don't think the average Christian, including the average Reformed
>> believer, is even aware of the problem. JGR
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Steve Fuchs" <SteveF_MS@...>
>> To: <soundofgrace@...>
>> Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 7:25 PM
>> Subject: Re: [soundofgrace] A start on NCT distinctives.
>>
>>
>> > Ok, I understand.
>> >
>> > Is the distinction obvious enough for christians everywhere to see that 
>> > we
>> > mean something different?
>> >
>> > Steve
>> >
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "John Reisinger" <24jreisinger26@...>
>> > To: <soundofgrace@...>
>> > Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 8:52 AM
>> > Subject: Re: [soundofgrace] A start on NCT distinctives.
>> >
>> >
>> > > > snip   snip
>> > > > or do you distinguish meaningfully between the labels 'Old 
>> > > > Testament'
>> > > > and
>> > > > 'Old Testament Scriptures'?
>> > > >
>> > > JGR:  The phrase "Old Testament" should not be used. It cannot refer 
>> > > to
>> > > the
>> > > "Old Covenant" made at Sinai, but since the same word means covenant 
>> > > or
>> > > testament, to say "Old Testament" can easily be construed to mean 
>> > > "Old
>> > > Covenant."  We should indeed make a very meaningful distinction 
>> > > between
>> > > the
>> > > words "Old Testament" and "Old Testament Scriptures." Let's use only 
>> > > two
>> > > phrases and use them consistently:  "Old Testament Scriptures" to 
>> > > mean
>> the
>> > > 39 books of Bible before Christ, and "Old Covenant" to mean the 
>> > > covenant
>> > > that God made with Israel at Sinai.    JGR
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > Read the Sound of Grace pages at
>> > > http://www.soundofgrace.com
>> > >
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>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>> > --
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>> >
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>> >
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>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>> --
>> Read the Sound of Grace pages at
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>>
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>>
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>>
>
> --
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> http://www.soundofgrace.com
>
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>
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