Off the main topic of this, but as a person with possible mild autistic-like traits and a rather nebulous grasp on my identity, could you explain this segment further, or consider writing more about it? "[H]e will “come to himself” like the prodigal (Luke 15:17) and begin building his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24–27) or he will double down on his folly (Proverbs 26:11) and plot how to kill Christ within himself (Matthew 12:14). For in the collapse of the persona is the calling of Christ – in the suffering, salvation. And in rejecting this, he rejects Christ."
When something shatters our identity, be it a comment, a question, or an event, then it is a clue that our foundation is not the rock – that is, Christ. In our lives, as human beings, we will go through countless iterations of this sort of thing… and if we are careful, we will get closer to Christ each time...
In some cases, this can be extremely painful – like when we build an entire identity on a specific view of a specific dogmatic issue or a way of viewing dogmatic issues (rigorism). While it is painful, we would do well to remember that this is Christ calling us back to himself. We should utilize this realization, like the prodigal, and run back to our father, who will welcome us with open arms.
Thank you. It was a very painful event that brought me out of 50+ years of devout Protestantism. I have many questions on the subject above, but I realize your time is valuable. If you can point me toward a book or other resource, that would be appreciated.
This is an absolutely brilliant , honest, and transparent treatment of the subject. That does not allow shame, guilt, and blame (the usual suspects of hyper scrupulousity) to dictate the outcome. Treating Gods gift of sex in marriage as a concession or some dirty thing that we engage in once or twice to have children is to paint God as a monster who enjoys watching his children suffer in privation and temptation. Surely Satan would wholeheartedly endorse that view !
"To have sex within the marital relationship, even for the sake of quelling lust, is better than abstaining but resorting to a box of Kleenex and pornography."
How would you explain this to a homosexual, who has no such legitimate outlet? Would kleenex and pornography for the sake of quelling lust be better than resorting to sodomy? If there is some non-sexual way of quelling lust, like "directing one's sexual energy into a hobby or some other task," why is it not good enough to require of heterosexuals within marriage as well?
Off the main topic of this, but as a person with possible mild autistic-like traits and a rather nebulous grasp on my identity, could you explain this segment further, or consider writing more about it? "[H]e will “come to himself” like the prodigal (Luke 15:17) and begin building his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24–27) or he will double down on his folly (Proverbs 26:11) and plot how to kill Christ within himself (Matthew 12:14). For in the collapse of the persona is the calling of Christ – in the suffering, salvation. And in rejecting this, he rejects Christ."
Hey thanks for the honest question:
When something shatters our identity, be it a comment, a question, or an event, then it is a clue that our foundation is not the rock – that is, Christ. In our lives, as human beings, we will go through countless iterations of this sort of thing… and if we are careful, we will get closer to Christ each time...
In some cases, this can be extremely painful – like when we build an entire identity on a specific view of a specific dogmatic issue or a way of viewing dogmatic issues (rigorism). While it is painful, we would do well to remember that this is Christ calling us back to himself. We should utilize this realization, like the prodigal, and run back to our father, who will welcome us with open arms.
Thank you. It was a very painful event that brought me out of 50+ years of devout Protestantism. I have many questions on the subject above, but I realize your time is valuable. If you can point me toward a book or other resource, that would be appreciated.
This is an absolutely brilliant , honest, and transparent treatment of the subject. That does not allow shame, guilt, and blame (the usual suspects of hyper scrupulousity) to dictate the outcome. Treating Gods gift of sex in marriage as a concession or some dirty thing that we engage in once or twice to have children is to paint God as a monster who enjoys watching his children suffer in privation and temptation. Surely Satan would wholeheartedly endorse that view !
"To have sex within the marital relationship, even for the sake of quelling lust, is better than abstaining but resorting to a box of Kleenex and pornography."
How would you explain this to a homosexual, who has no such legitimate outlet? Would kleenex and pornography for the sake of quelling lust be better than resorting to sodomy? If there is some non-sexual way of quelling lust, like "directing one's sexual energy into a hobby or some other task," why is it not good enough to require of heterosexuals within marriage as well?