The issue of slavery was an issue of the day. Slavery was a form of debt repayment. Instead of a bank holding a note against somebody, the debtor worked for his loan underwriter. The obediance you speak of merely states that you have allowed yourself to go into debt. It is not the creditors fault that you lived beyond your means, thus you owed someone. Accept personal responsibility for your action and be glad you have a chance to work your debt off instead of just going to prison!

Verse 9 goes on to say that the slave’s master must also treat his debtors rightly.

Anything the bible says in black and white (or red) is ABSOLUTE truth. There is no grey area when God’s Word addresses it.

As for Whyte Stonne and your comment on head coverings, Paul was acknowledging man’s lustful cravings and was telling women that they have a resposibility to not distract the men from the God centered teachings during the group worship/teaching times. Paul say this as a distraction during his day, and I see it as an even bigger one today. How often do you see a teenage walking around with very little covered. It is a distraction when an adult does it, it is an abomonation when somebody allows their teenage daughter to walk around like that, especially in church.

The church ,ust maintain a high standard that we may be seen as an alternative to this ungodly world. How do we expect hurting lost souls to look to the church for truth when we look just like the world, just adding ‘Jesus loves you and has a great plan for your life’ to it.

People in the world know that it only brings pain. When we try to look like the world, all ’seekers’ see is pain wearing a mask. Sounds kind of like Satan in the Garden. ‘You have everything you need, but don’t you want a little bit more?’

Adam and Eve knew good and evil, because they started out with absolute good. We start out knowing only evil, and if we act like the world, we will never know anything but evil, and the destruction that God brings on evil!!!!

You are correct in comparing Scriptural clarity on the issue of slavery with Scriptural clarity on the issue of homosexuality.

I would add the issue of women wearing head coverings as well.

Read Paul’s question in I Corinthians 11:14. “Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?

“For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious aboaut this, we have no other practice–nor do the churches of God.”

Where long hair and head coverings are not required among evangelicals and fundamentalists, how is Paul’s requirement explained away?

With an appeal to culture. They go to extra-biblical sources to explain why they don’t have to conform to Paul’s *clear* teaching. Paul, in this case, apparently was not able to discern between absolute truth and cultural truth in his teaching.

I have no problem with evangelicals and fundamentalists making an appeal to extra-biblical sources to explain why they can disregard a clear teaching of Paul. They are perfectly within their rights to do so. It is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Apparently.

Love that quote from Doug Wilson. Good food to take with you.

–James

~That’s an excellent and vital point applicable to all men who fill the role of pastor and shepherd. If the shepherd doesn’t know the lay of the land, the lion will surely get a meal of the flock.

Anyhoo, after his declaration, I was genuinely curious about where this was coming from. He and his wife were also teaching the college students Brian Mclaren. Now, to Mclarens credit, he wasnt primarily the source of universalism that the deacon/elder had gotten it from. Yet, Mclaren’s logic inevitably leads there becuase after all, we cant really know if hell exist, can we?

I spent a good 3 months researching him, and yes, that means listening to his interviews, reading his writings, and his critics. What Dr. Macarthur is saying here is predominantly what i ended up writing about to my pastor, almost verbatim. its not because Dr. Macarthur has somehow misinterpreted Mclaren, its because this is how Mclaren is.

As a pastor, how effectively can Mclaren protect his flock if he cannot discern sin?

Surely, if we love our family, our friends, and our Lord, will we not preach Christ crucified in the same manner as the Apostles?

Seriously it is breaking my heart to see modern evangelicalism on the same downgrade as the evangelicalism of a century ago.