The Purpose of GodThoughts

The Purpose of GodThoughts
Brad Reiches
Nov 28 2006 11:50PM

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Wednesday, November 29, 2006
GodThoughtsWired!

 

"The Purpose of GodThoughts"

"I believe, with all my heart, that our beliefs - whatever they are -

should be the product of our own conclusions."
-Pastor Brad

In regard to her New Internation Version (NIV) Bible, Casey Batson of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma writes,

"I am not going to throw out the Bible that has seen me through

children shelters, foster homes, both parents dying

and now dealing with my own marriage and children.

I have discovered God's will and purpose despite whatever flaws this translation has." 

Well said.  And here was my response:

Of course, "I would never ask you to "throw out" your Bible. 

Simply to be aware of what's going on in our church-world today. 

The primary purpose of GodThoughtsWired! is to equip people

with the knowledge to help them draw their own conclusions. 

I believe, with all my heart, that our beliefs - whatever they are - should be the product of our own conclusions.  Sadly, far too many people simply mimic whatever their teachers tell them.  My motivation is to instruct, certainly, but also to challenge the reader and to motivate them to THINK.  The Bible teaches us that God will hold all of us accountable for what we believe, and too few of us have the ability or knowledge to explain WHY we believe what we do.

As for the NIV, I absolutely believe and confirm that God has used it POWERFULLY in many peoples lives.  Discernment is what's most important.  I believe that there are certain verses in the NIV that represent God's word well.  Having said that, my concerns remain:

1.  The direction that the church-at-large is going with their irreverent attitude toward the scriptures in general.  i.e. Thousands of churches throughout the United States and Canada using "The Message" as the Bible?  I believe this attitude exemplifies how Satan will be able to bring us to the point of one world religion with one ecumenical bible.

2.  If all we had was the NIV, then it could be argued, which it is, that the Bible (NIV) does not teach that homosexuality, itself, is a sin.  The Word of God clearly teaches that homosexuality IS a sin, whereas the NIV blurrs the issue significantly.