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John, I am sorry that you feel I am
not listening, I really am trying to sort this out. I
believe that you would have preferred that I had used the complete
statement that you and our leaders have used which is: "Since we do
not, and should not, seek to control the saving will of God, we don’t
know whether strict “belief in Christ” (understood as intellectual
assent to faith) is in fact the ONLY way to God" My
Quote was ""Its (
PEC letter a Moravians understanding of Salvation) message that
we don't know whether strict "belief in Christ" (understood
as intellectual assent to faith) is in fact the ONLY way to God appears
to mirror and support the statement that had lead to such division one
year ago. Suggesting that Rev Dunn's position is now accepted as official
church position." I
do not see how our not being willing to control the saving will of God
justifies the idea that Moravians should no longer listen to God's word on
salvation. Let
me try my hand at a story to make my point. A
child is told by his father that he should never use profanity. When
the boy is with his piers they encourage him to learn and use profanity to
fit in with the group. Now the boy wants to fit in and he wants the
others in the group to feel comfortable around him using their profanity
freely. The child then may begin to rationalize that maybe his father
didn't really mean "never" use profanity maybe he only meant not
to use it around him. Maybe the child is convinced that his father
may change his mind, therefore in order to honor his father's authority
maybe the child should not listen at all to what his father has said so as
not to limit the fathers ability to change his mind in the future. John
I must admit I did not and still do not see how we should be concerned
that we will limit God's saving Grace to those who do not Know the Word by
believing and teaching the "Word" and its message of Salvation
through Christ alone. My
understanding of the quote: {Spangenburg says that God will deal with
those who have not heard the
Gospel "in the same manner in which He sought after mankind before
they had
the Holy Scripture." (Idea Fidei Fratrum, pp 63-64).} is that
this is an understanding of God's Grace to non Christians. Our
religion is a religion of Christian beliefs, not of non Christian beliefs.
Christians are held to a higher standard because we have been given
the Word. Please
don't be discouraged from offering the documentation of
Zinzendorf's writings, Spangenberg's writings and in the documents of the Ancient
Unity that supports the claim
that Moravians for centuries have believed that
because "God can give
His grace to anyone he wishes, therefore we don’t know
whether strict “belief in Christ” (understood as intellectual assent
to faith) is in fact the ONLY way to God"
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