The Kingdom Come

Occasionally I receive emails about thekingdomcome.com's content. Many are from Emergent-types telling me how I'm not lovey-dovey enough but I receive many rather interesting emails that are worthy of interaction. What follows is an email from someone saying they are a former twice-ordained minister.

"Roderick;
You seem sincere in seeking truth. I would suggest (and I realize you do not know me from Adam) that you pursue truth by reading "beyond" the Catholic gathering of "scripture" and get your hands on any writings you can - example; The dead Sea Scrolls, The Pseudopigrapha,The Lost Books of Adam and Eve, The Epistle of Barnabus, The Gospel o Thomas etc. And perhaps even some Hindi writings ie. Vedas and Upanishads. I would also strongly encourage you to read 'The Razors Edge' by Somerset Maugham (There are two movies made from the book also), it is about one mans spiritual quest for truth.
I like your site very much and you impressed me with your take on current events and Islam especially.
I am 63 years old and have been twice ordained (no longer practicing), but am by no means a mainstream Christian any longer. If you would like to know more of my background (I do not wish to bore you)feel free to ask.
Once again,keep up the good work and God Bless."

I appreciate emails like this so I don't want the sender to think I am being glib in my interaction. First, I really disdain this phrase "seeking truth", not because I think I have all truth now but because part and parcel of my Christian Faith is the belief that God is in complete control and has revealed what He wants us to know. So much of today's "Arminianistic" Christianity casts itself about as if to try to hook bits and pieces of "truth" and add it to its pile of "truthes". Rather, Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Yet, the mindset of many Christians today is that they have to supply the "evidence". Their faith is really merely the opposite of doubt and is ready at any moment to succumb to any and every new thing.

Now, I'm not saying this is what the sender is about -- he may simply being using common verbiage when he used the phrase "seeking truth". But something comes out right away that did flag this email before I read much further. The sender says:

"I would suggest that you pursue truth by reading "beyond" the Catholic gathering of "scripture" and get your hands on any writings you can.

This is a false premise. The current Canon of Scripture was NOT "gathered" by the Catholics (I supposed he meant Roman Catholic? -- as there is a difference). You see, the implication here is that the Roman Catholics collected only the "books" they wanted in the Bible and excluded others. This premise MUST begin with the idea that God could not really control what message he wants to convey. God was somehow at the mercy of man and man's ability or corruption of "gathering" the correct texts. Well sir, if that is the case then I need not read any more of any thing of "god"; for I would not follow such a weak being anyhow...no matter what books may have been excluded.

For more on how the Canon of Scripture was SET long before the Roman Catholics came into existence; see here.

The second issue I had with this email is how it went from the false premise of implying God didn't sustain His conveyed truth within the present Bible; but then the sender urged me to look outside of the Judeo-Christian heritage and read Hindu texts. So, it would seem this fellow goes even further than the typical postmodernist who thinks we somehow need to piece together God's Word from all the Gnosticⁱ and other heretical works. Again, I'm not trying to be hostile to this fellow. Truth is, I HAVE READ most of the works he is suggesting I read -- but that was when I was still an Arminian Christian.

I have a copy of the Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English. I have of copy called "The Lost Books of the Bible" which contains most if not all of the pseudigraph. I have much of the Greek Philosophical texts in 3 volumes called the Paidea. I have read the Quran 3 times or more (see here).

I get it. This fellow thinks I am "seeking truth" in a sheltered manner. That I'm not being "open minded" enough. Well, there comes a time some people's minds are so open that they are ready to slip out of their skulls and fall to the floor. I prefer to have a "focused mind". Let us start our beliefs with presupposition -- and whether people like it or not, we ALL have presuppositions -- starting points. Again, as I said earlier; my starting point is that whoever/whatever "god" is He/It must be in complete control. This is BEFORE we even get to my Christian Faith. Because if this God isn't completely sovereign, then how can I trust anything I MIGHT THINK is "truth"? If there is multiple "gods" or even multiple (and contradicting) messages from one God; then it is hopeless and we may as well live our lives out to our own designs and desires only.

Having said all that, I do think I will write this fellow back. It would be interesting. I have spent so much time around heretics (like the hyperpreterists) and ivory-tower elitists like Kenneth Talbot that I need a break from all of that falsehood and pretension, even if I believe this fellow's premise is wrong he at least seems sincere. And before anything ELSE, I seek to interact with HONEST and sincere people. I have atheist and Muslim friends that I find more apt to interact honestly then some of these other folks.

Thanks for the email. I'll get back with you soon.