ON FISHY THEOLOGY
By Roger Salter
Special to Virtueonline
www.virtueonline.org
June 1, 2014
Dangerous deviations in doctrine and harmful heresy do not usually assail the church with heavy hammer blows. The impact awakens strong suspicion. The evil one is too subtle to arouse sensational shock among believers. His craft is wrought through gradual insinuation and over time he tweaks the truth to the point where it has become so twisted that “actual truth” and accuracy in understanding divine revelation have quietly and almost completely subsided.
Satan is the most intense of Bible students. He knows the texts by heart and his supreme occupation is to skillfully skew them so that lovers of the Word can be more easily led by the nose into error.
The perpetrators of his permanently pursued project crave a reputation for originality through a display of their singularly capable acumen in producing novelty to counter a tradition of theology that to them has become dull and denying of their native powers of wit and stunning speculation. They “do” theology to amaze and mesmerize their audience and to glamorize their public image. Audiences love to have their sense of specialness flattered. It gives them a sense of equality with the specialist to whom they are paying attention - ah, we are worthy of such an instructor! John Calvin warns, “It is too common a fault that men desire to be taught in an ingenious and witty style . . . . We must always take care that the wisdom of God be not polluted with any borrowed and profane lustre”.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
By Roger Salter
Special to Virtueonline
www.virtueonline.org
June 1, 2014
Dangerous deviations in doctrine and harmful heresy do not usually assail the church with heavy hammer blows. The impact awakens strong suspicion. The evil one is too subtle to arouse sensational shock among believers. His craft is wrought through gradual insinuation and over time he tweaks the truth to the point where it has become so twisted that “actual truth” and accuracy in understanding divine revelation have quietly and almost completely subsided.Satan is the most intense of Bible students. He knows the texts by heart and his supreme occupation is to skillfully skew them so that lovers of the Word can be more easily led by the nose into error.
The perpetrators of his permanently pursued project crave a reputation for originality through a display of their singularly capable acumen in producing novelty to counter a tradition of theology that to them has become dull and denying of their native powers of wit and stunning speculation. They “do” theology to amaze and mesmerize their audience and to glamorize their public image. Audiences love to have their sense of specialness flattered. It gives them a sense of equality with the specialist to whom they are paying attention - ah, we are worthy of such an instructor! John Calvin warns, “It is too common a fault that men desire to be taught in an ingenious and witty style . . . . We must always take care that the wisdom of God be not polluted with any borrowed and profane lustre”.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
