Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!princeton!njin!paul.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: hikaru@buhub.bradley.edu (Michael Podeszwa) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: This Present Darkness Message-ID: Date: 7 May 91 04:10:35 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Bradley University Lines: 48 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In iadt1kr@prism.gatech.edu (J. Kenneth Riviere (JoKeR)) writes: >My brother and his new wife gave me This Present Darkness and were >wildly enthusiastic about it. When I read it I found that it was >somewhat interesting as a fantasy novel (I read fantasy novels >regularly) but I had serious problems with its theology. >One thing that bothered me about it was the hero pastor's ("The Praying >Man") pursuit of sinners. At one point he gave a brief description of >his view of his calling as a pastor and one of his top priorities was >to punish sinners or condemn sinners or some such thing (I don't have >the book with me right now to get the exact phrase). This bothered me >since we are instructed to "Judge not lest ye be judged". I've always been taught that "Judge not lest ye be judged" was not to say that we shouldn't judge, but that whatever standards we use to judge will be used for us as well. If we couldn't judge, who could say murder is wrong? >There is also the point that he took steps to expell a member from his >congregation. It seems rather presumptuous to believe both that we >are sin-free enough to be able to cast the first stone and that we >know enough to pick which sinner to expell if we are perfect enough >to judge since we are all sinful creatures due to the fall of Adam. >Besides that, it is the sinners who need to hear the word of God, >isn't it? How are we following in Jesus' footsteps if we refuse to >embrace sinners (while hating the sin) when He repeatedly associated >with those who needed to hear His word rather than speaking only to >the righteous? The steps the pastor took are from Paul. The sinner has heard the word of God. The pastor pointed out to him where he sinned and the sinner refused to repent. In that refusal to repent, the pastor had him brought before the church and excommunicated. For me, the worst part of the book was that everything was caused by Demons. Nobody seemed to do evil because it was their nature, but because they were demon possessed. -- Michael Podeszwa <>< hikaru@buhub.bradley.edu <>< Whoever called it necking was a poor judge of anatomy. -Groucho Marx "Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger. Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break." -H. G. Wells