Disqus - Latest Comments for TheGoulieKid

Re: Zacchaeus: A Story of How to Get Saved—Every Day

Richard Goulette — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 17:01:21 -0000

One of your most heartfelt and, quite frankly, actionable posts that I've had the pleasure of reading! Taking to heart, and will be sharing...

Re: 4 Things about Western Christianity that Screwed Me Up (But It’s Never too late to Work on It)

Richard Goulette — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 21:57:31 -0000

Hi Barty, I think you mean cognitive "dissonance." And "dissidents" was a rare gem by Thomas Dolby from 1984, ironically on the album "The Flat Earth." I truly believe truth is stranger than fiction.

Re: a quick comment on why biblical literalism makes baby Jesus cry

Richard Goulette — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 16:52:49 -0000

Hi TC,

Have Boyd's and Sanders' viewpoints changed over the last 5-7 years? Because in their defense, they've said that Open Theism is a more literal hermeneutic than the Classic or Reformed view. When Moses is arguing with God about him smiting the recalcitrant Israelites and the golden calf incident, he basically says, "Dude, you rescued them out of Egypt only to destroy them out here in the wilderness?" "Think how that would make you look!" God says, "Good call Moses, we won't do it." This is anthropomorphic in the classic sense, but Open Theists view this as God literally changing his mind, as he does in many other places including with Hezekiah's illness. Here is Greg Boyd emphasizing his literal interpretation and affirming ("because Scripture teaches") no less than 6 times: http://reknew.org/2007/12/r...

Re: Wheaton College vs. Larycia Hawkins : maybe it’s about evolution (it’s ALWAYS evolution)

Richard Goulette — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 19:35:00 -0000

Yeah, the only problem is he got buck naked after enjoying the fruits of his labor, causing multiple generational issues after that!

Re: faith, without expecting something in return

Richard Goulette — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:09:02 -0000

Sounds not unlike Solomon!

Re: the best defense of the Christian faith is . . .

Richard Goulette — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 10:49:09 -0000

Hi Pete, I believe that comes from Mere Christianity. Another quote of his worth alluding to:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

I only write this because of his influence on some of the greatest former atheists of the last century(notably Francis Collins), and how his style led them to Christ-and that's the rub-his winsome style and engagement, not a holier than thou smiting with the Mace of Cuthbert.

Re: did Jesus know everything?

Richard Goulette — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 19:58:41 -0000

Hi Phil, I tend to agree with you. The eternal God the Son intersected with time and added humanity as a nature unto himself. His miracles and prophecy were Spirit-filled in ways unparalleled, yet quite clearly the gospels mention amazement, lack of knowledge, and even draining of power to not subtract from that amazing paradox. Even the concept of a zimzum where God pulls back some part of himself so we can radically interact in a genuine way is not a foreign concept here.

Re: “aha” moments (19): Jared Byas

Richard Goulette — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 16:59:40 -0000

Thank you Kim. Your response was better than Pete's(apparent non) moderation! Kind of made my Monday!

Re: get to know me: my approach to interpreting the Bible, in 5 words

Richard Goulette — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 12:36:21 -0000

My there's a lot of blood spattering in just over 2 minutes...

Re: 12 Ways Some Evangelical Leaders Avoid Dealing with Real Problems in the Bible: A Response (of sorts) to Christianity Today.

Richard Goulette — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:17:15 -0000

the Nephilim would have died out in the flood, Alan. But I wasn't sure if you were truly being serious or not.

Re: Richard Rohr’s interesting (though I don’t agree) take on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

Richard Goulette — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 00:02:14 -0000

Rob,

Have you actually read about the people that Jesus is condemning? He's condemning the legalistic, self-righteous Pharisees who thought they had all the answers and deserved the undying attention of masses. The exceptions of course, are where he hangs with lepers, prostitutes, and outcasts and lets them know that they actually get a seat at the table.

And Mr. Ed spends plenty of time living in the Modern world, where Freud, Marx, and Darwin represent the pinnacle of human achievement in understanding Psychology, Economics, and Teleology.

Re: Book Reviews | Review: The Adam Quest | The Gospel Coalition

Richard Goulette — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:27:02 -0000

Hi Mark, I've read the blog, bought the book, but been most pleasantly surprised by your comments as they have been thoughtful and patient. Would love to have a one-off conversation with you if that could work.

Re: upcoming ETS conference geared toward nervous protection of theological boundaries

Richard Goulette — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 15:14:06 -0000

Hi John, "The Empathic Civilization" comes to mind when you go beyond theology to social(and other) aspects.

Re: Why Genesis 1 was written

Richard Goulette — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 19:17:24 -0000

Steve, i see allusions to the Babylonian influences in Genesis below, but i have heard quite a few from the Egyptian side as well, a la Rikk Watts at Regent. His angle has a great deal of merit considering the 400 years of captivity.

Re: Barack Obama Resigns Office amid Scandal

Richard Goulette — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:14:10 -0000

Thom, have you seen this? You might have been more prophetic than you think!
http://www.thedailybeast.co...

Re: Mondays with MacDonald (on penal substitution’s pagan affinities)

Richard Goulette — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:55:25 -0000

Thanks, Steve. Would you say that MacDonald was coming from a fairly Reformed perspective then? You mentioned in an earlier post that Calvinism and Universalism are more in parallel than Arminianism, for instance. So MacDonald believed in a "Perseverence of the Saints" in a manner of speaking.

Re: Mondays with MacDonald (on penal substitution’s pagan affinities)

Richard Goulette — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:32:36 -0000

"Let me be regarded as the sinner I am; for nothing will serve my need but to be made a righteous man, one that will no more sin." The preceding sentences seem reasonable enough to me. Is McDonald implying Wesleyan Perfectionism or Complete Sanctification here? Thanks!

Re: Shaw Truffles - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Richard Goulette — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:03:36 -0000

What was the name of the restaurant you visited on Long Island? My company is headquartered out there (Woodbury) and I'd love to visit the place if it's still around!

Re: A Sneak Peak At The New Cover

Richard Goulette — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:48:03 -0000

Love the new cover, Jonathan! The Tree is the source of the question!

Re: Scot McKnight Interviews Brian McLaren

Richard Goulette — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:28:37 -0000

Jonathan,

Embracing the Postmodern worldview is the paradox. Brian tries to move people to the new "paradigm" which, in many ways is a good thing. But what's frustrating is that it is almost impossible to do so without using modern devices(that's where McKnight comments on the idea of Brian being over "there" but still bringing the argument over "here." There's a book out there ("Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?") and it explores the ideas of Derrida, Foucault, and Lyotard, and gives propositional defenses of why everybody gets them wrong!

Re: Greg Boyd Is On To Something

Richard Goulette — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:21:06 -0000

Wow, now you need him to do an endorsement/book review. That'll be a nice push!

Re: The LOST Recap

Richard Goulette — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:45:23 -0000

Jonathan, what I loved about the finale, and I'm still processing it, (watching it again with my wife last nite) is that it helps us focus on the main point, which is about letting go of that baggage which keeps us from joy--and Community's touch was absolutely critical in restoring their awareness of what they were meant for. (maybe that's another version of the "God Imagination??!!)" I was actually really worried about Jack because he fought it so much(logic, science, and the encounter with John first, then Kate--he fought it, thinking he was insane). In fact, although Christian said that some had died before Jack, and some after, it was Jack that was the last person to let go. (Remember Kate's statement, "I've waited so long?)" Jack's hero motif got to be played out, (he fulfilled this in the "Light" of the Island, by placing that arcane stone back in place, he did it in the Sideways realm with John Locke, healing him miraculously). That was important, but it was the Lost tribe that it was all about, as even Desmond mentioned it didn't matter what happened down in the hole.

I still have questions. Why Boone? He wasn't tied to a main character the way Shannon was, yet he died sacrificially for the community. Maybe that's it.

One last point that leaves me with other questions is exactly your allusion to Jacob's Ladder, only in the sense of the movie, not the Biblical allusion. In the movie Jacob's Ladder, Tim Robbins lays dying on a Vietnam battlefield after having been attacked by his own men on crazy psychoactive drugs. But in that mortally wounded state he projects a future with a family and a sense of needing to meet with similar soldiers who are trying to figure it out.

His chiropractor friend, played by Danny Aiello I think, helps him let go.

Maybe the point is that the end is not the end, but an end...And our conversations are what keeps Lost alive!

Re: Did Porn Cause the Financial Crisis? - Business - The Atlantic

Richard Goulette — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:29:03 -0000

I find it amazing that you don't even mention the moral implications of this. Almost a superficial symptom/fix as if it were a common cold or a squeaky door.

Re: Straight From The Horses Mouth

Richard Goulette — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:48:46 -0000

Well Jonathan, the Calvinist's short answer would be that "good job," is an example of common grace, which everyone has(Jesus commented that even pagans (who might sacrifice their firstborn to Molech) do good things for their other kids, right?). Efficacious grace is another thing altogether, which would require another discussion.

Re: A Suffering God

Richard Goulette — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:39:45 -0000

What do you think about CS Lewis' musings on compatibalism, Jonathan?

"In the play Hamlet, Ophelia climbs out on a branch overhanging a river: the branch breaks, she falls and drowns. What would you reply if someone asked, ‘Did Ophelia die because Shakespeare for poetic reasons, wanted her to die at that moment - or because the branch broke?’ I think that one would have to say ‘For both reasons.’ Every event in the play happens as a result of other events in the play, but also every event happens because the poet wants it to happen. All the events in the play are Shakespearean events; similarly, all events in the real world are providential events… ‘Providence’ and natural causation are not alternatives; both determine every event. Both are one."