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Re: Radio Satan
>From: "Peter T. Chattaway" <petert at interchange_ubc.ca>
>Reply-To: "Peter T. Chattaway" <petert at interchange_ubc.ca>
>CC: Over the Rhine listserv <Over-the-Rhine at actwin_com>
>Subject: Re: Radio Satan
>Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 11:02:50 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Ryan wrote:
> >
Now, do we need the grace of God to do what's right? I've seen many a
> > humanist do what's right with no benefit to themselves and they
> > certainly didn't ask for the grace of God and then I assume did not
> > receive the grace of God to do the deed.
>
Peter replied:
Why on Earth would you assume that God waits for people to ask him to do
things before doing whatever it is that he wants to do?
Ryan replied to Peter's reply:
This is an extremely challenging question to say the least. I read a book a
many years back (the name escapes me at the moment) whose thesis was that
God sort of "disabled" him from acting in the world apart from a human
request through prayer. I don't know if this is even possible, but it's
interesting to think about. You have probably heard the sermon about people
being God's hands and feet. Being pure Spirit God cannot act in the
material world unless it's through a material vessle, whether it be the
parting of the Red Sea through a windstorm for instance or through a
designated human being such as David whipping Goliath's ass (with the
confidence he received through prayer I might add). Let's just take for
example the Red Sea story. Could God have blown the stubborn Israelites
right on over the riverbed without the direction and encouragement of Moses,
or did he need a free moral agent to tell them what to do? I suppose the
former was possible but it's questionable as to how many of them would have
survived such a pummeling let alone been appreciative of it. So, does need
free moral agents in order to act in human affairs? My guess is probably
yes. Now, do we have to ask God for the inspiration, courage, wind power or
whatever we need in order to live to fight another day. I guess I could
resort to some sort of scripture quoting to try and deal with this one, but
will try not to take the easy way out (although Jesus words to do mean an
awful lot to me). I guess then I'm forced to answer a question with a
question. Why wouldn't we ask if we had faith, and why would God act if we
didn't?
> >
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