Steve I'm still confused

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Steve,

There was something very unusual about Steve's reply to my questions about
what makes an Apostolic.

1] An Apostolict need not be a conservative Christian.

In this comment he uses conservative and fundamentalist interchangly.
This will offend the so called neo-conservatives and Barthians to death.


2] An Apostolic must belive in the Rature.

Here he has excluded all liberal Christians and most conservative
non-fundamentalists.  I am not sure that Steve realizes it but in eyes of
most seminary trained ministers belife in the rature qualifies you as
fundamentalist.  Non conservatives (Modernists, Humanistic Christians,or
Liberal Christians) universaly deny the rapture claiming it is a metaphor
for social change.  Most of them also deny the ressurection of Jesus
Christ.  They further considere the scripture a man made document.

It is intersting that most conservative Christians who are not self avoid
fundamentalists or charasmatics deny the rapture will occur.

The first question is given that this liberal Christian who believess who
are
not self avowd
fundamentalists or charasmatics deny the rapture, why imagine this liberal
Chirstian Apostolic?



After imagining such a rare creature, the second question is after imaging
such a rare creature, how will it help us comunicate with other?  After
all if you went to Liberal theologians claiming that we have a liberal
wing they would look at you cross eyed.


Third question is are you familiar with liberal theology and why most of
us find it boarderline Christian at best (Whitehead, Cobb, Birch,and
Schwitzer would be typical Liberal Theologians of the 20th century)?  I'm
not suggesting that you are ignorant, but before I go to far I need to
know of what you speak.

Were you aware that when a typical Apostolic reads the theology of a main
stream protestant conservative (K. Barth or W.F.Albright for example) they
find
the material shockingly different from their view of Bible?  How much more
shocked would they be if they were reading real liberal theology?

Are you aware most liberal theologians support the ordination of Gays?

Are you perhaps suggesting there is some fourth kind of protestant?

ie not Liberal, not Conservative, not Fundamentalist, but ___?


Why do you naturly put the word American in front of Conservative
Christian (there is nothing about conservative theology that would require
Americans be singled out.)

I'm not trying to attack your stand here?Although I cannot seem to support
your calls for Ecuemnical dialog but I find the language you use very
puzzling.

I realize that you posted quite a bit about fundamentalism, but it has
thus far not matched the any deffinition I've found anywhere else.

A further question is if we excluded the belifes of overwhelming majority
of Apostolics (Holyness Standards, text only view of the Bible,community
closeness ect.) aren't we presenting our selves as a two issue religion?
and aren't we making the two issues targets to shoot at?

After all, these panels are for the purpose of discussing non-salvation
issues?



It strikes me that one case against dialog is that most of us haven't
bothered to learn much about the current debates in Theology, so on an
'Ecuemenical Panel' we Apostolics may have nothing to say.


I realize that when you have said something on a topic you will
declare it clearified, but given that your adjenda seems to entail,
broadening the idea of Apostolic to permit a very few more people to
bec considred such, and engaging in dialog with theologians (not
with standing the fact we scaresly have any theologians), the details of
this idea are very complex.

Did you consider the fact learning theology is a major undertaking. We
apostolics are very happy, for the most part, being Christians with little
or no theology.  It works, for talking to each other.  What is the gain in
learning a language just to talk to other Christians?

Would it help incidently if I posted my sources on Fundamentalism
(American and others)


			With Love in Jesus Name,


			Yeaton