A Halfway Position.

Roland Bainton, in his publication The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, said, "A halfway position was taken by those who made a distinction between dogmas some of which are essential and some not. At that time it was an attempt to reduce the fundamentals to the smallest number in order that constraint might be restricted to this minimal area and all else left free. The distinction of course was an old one. The Church had always differentiated the cardinal tenets from the minor. The anti-dogmatic groups of the late Middle Ages had gone further and pointed out how little dogma is necessary for salvation and that of course was the whole point, not how much is true but how much needs to be known and believed in order to be saved."

He also said this idea was worked out in much greater detail by the Italian Protestant refugee, Acontius. I'll enjoy investigating the ideas of this fellow and others of his persuasion because it may be the one area of theology that holds as part of its system the imperative to be of the one mind of Christ. It might actually be the first workable system that invites Christ honoring unity. But first I will evaluate Calvinism. I've had a four week persistent cold that has not been very farrier friendly. But it must be on it's way out.

I read this book three years ago. Why didn't I remember that the second to last chapter held some key informaion pointing toward much more sound, scripturally supported theology than the present divisive choices of the last couple thousand years.

Soon

To whomever it might be of interest. I really am trying to get at the topic listed at my last post. My busy season is upon me but I have a few good windows in the coming two weeks. Should be plenty of time to get a serious post up. In the meantime, anybody ever have a dog they really liked? We had eleven good years that ended peacefully a few years ago.


Above, we were moving back from California where I'd been working at river rafting and construction for 7 years. That was 14 years ago. So the dog's been gone about three years now. I don't miss him anymore, I thought I'd just fill up some space with a little of my available photo history.












The good old Sierra Nevadas




















Tuolemne river canyon.















Too much sunshine.






Trying to figure out how to get the people on the rock, and their boat that's buried against it in the water beneathe them, back up and running downstream again, before dark.