In post #1531, angellous-evangellous said: "I would appreciate better thinking."
[My first thought is "and people in hell would appreciate ice water," but let's not say that.]
Good,
better,
best. . .
Jesus' words were characterized by truth and simplicity.
The
best thinking is characterized by the same. . .and that's the standard in
my book.
The arrogant intellect captiously disdains simplicity. . .preferring instead complicated, abstract concepts.
I prefer ("appreciate") the way Paul did it:
"All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived in Athens spent their time doing nothing but talking and listening to the latest ideas. . .Paul reasoned day by day in the marketplace with those who happpend to be there. . .A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, 'What is this
babbler trying to say?'. . .Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus (the supreme tribunal of justice), where they said to him, '. . .you are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.' . . .When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, 'We want to hear you again on this subject.' . . . .A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysus, a member of the Areopagus. . ." (Ac 17:16-21, 32-34)
"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom. . .for I
resolved to know
nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ and him
crucified (nothing philosophical about that--
Paul eschews philosophy in favor of simple truth). . .
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with demonstration of the
Spirit's power. . .
Where is the wise man (Gentile philosophers)? . .Where is the scholar (Jewish teachers of the law)? . .Where is the philosopher of this age (Greek sophists)?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? . .Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ
crucified (nothing philosophical about that): a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (Greeks). . ." (1 Co 2:1-4, 1:20-23)
Paul, I am
not. . .but if
plain simplicity is good enough for Paul, it's darn sure good enough for me in
post #1521, A Case for Individual Human Life Beginning at Conception.
And if truth and simplicity are good enough for Jesus' words, they are
more than good enough for mine.
NB: The Scriptures of both testaments are peculiarly
lacking in abstract, complicated, mystical, esoteric jargon.
God's truth is not
esoteric, it is
exoteric.
And that is
my model for communicating truth.
Fairest Lord Jesus
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