Tried With Fire

As February is Black History Month, the following is the 1851 speech by Sojourner Truth, former slave and civil rights activist (1797-1883): Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and wh...

I posted this quote two years ago, but it's worth repeating. Even though Austin Duncan's talk was about dating, his take on practice versus principle can be applied to many non-gospel issues where Christians disagree. Until Christ comes back, there won't be uniform agreement because we interpret scripture differently. The only way to ensure complete agreement is to enforce interpretation and its application, which seems to harken back to pre-Reformation days. God forbid that we should demand that from one another. We should strive to be good Bereans but also like Martin Luther who would not let his conscience be bound to anything other than the Word of God. From  this talk  by Austin Duncan at the 2012 Shepherd's Conference (emphasis mine): When you translate that [biblical] principle into a specific action and decision and seek to call it still a principle  rather  than an application  of  a principle, you can find yourself in a position like the fa...

From this talk by Austin Duncan at the 2012 Shepherd's Conference (emphasis mine): When you translate that [biblical] principle into a specific action and decision and seek to call it still a principle rather than an application of a principle, you can find yourself in a position like the false teachers that Ezekiel dealt with saying "Thus saith the Lord" when the Lord hath not said... You can honor the principle and have different practices, and the beauty of the Body of Christ is that there should be people in your church who disagree on some things but love each other extravagantly because they have a common faith. They do things differently; they come from different backgrounds. If you think your niche view of dating is God's view of dating, I want you to see if that translates to 5000 years ago, and I want you to see if it translates 1000 years ago, and I want you to take it to India and see if it works, because God's word is true then and now ,...

I've been listening to a great talk from the 2012 Shepherds' Conference : Help! I Can't Find Dating in My Bible - How to guide singles through the fog of romantic relationship by Austin Duncan, pastor of college ministry at Grace Community Church. Although the conference and this talk is geared toward pastors, I've found it very helpful as a parent of a teen. Pastor Duncan concentrated on the bigger picture rather than focusing on the how-to's of dating or courtship,. (In fact, he deliberately steered clear of defining those terms.) A large section of his talk was devoted to distinguishing between principles and practice. There are Biblical principles - purity, purpose, and the people involved. These principles don't change regardless of the time in which we live or the place where we live, but how they are implemented may be different. As an example, the command for a husband to love his wife is non-negotiable, but the practice of this command is not uniform...