tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13840519.post6655014807927790909..comments2024-03-27T03:32:53.817-05:00Comments on Euangelion: The First Liberal Theology: DocetismMichael F. Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713482855679578651noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13840519.post-48689958755217482362007-11-05T06:10:00.000-06:002007-11-05T06:10:00.000-06:00I don't find this analogy particularly helpful or ...I don't find this analogy particularly helpful or accurate. Liberal theology isn't about making Christianity amicable to the spirit of the age. It may, as a rule, be more aware of the fact that <I>all</I> theology reflects the culture and time it is expressed in, and thus be willing to jettison things that seem like they were simply cultural baggage of an earlier age or prior cultural context. <I>That</I> approach can certainly be questioned (Bultmann famously did so). But to suggest that the Docetists were the Liberal theologians because they were trying to make Christian amicable to the spirit of the age doesn't seem to reflect what was actually going on. Surely there were conservative Jewish Christians making the Gospel amicable to <I>their</I> context, without being liberals. The Docetists were some who gave priority to some philosophical assumptions about the nature of divinity and suffering, but I am not certain how many if any did so in a self-aware manner, as opposed to merely interepreting the Christian teachings through the lens of their own perspective - as we all do.James F. McGrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13840519.post-62428768571507176362007-11-05T04:58:00.000-06:002007-11-05T04:58:00.000-06:00And the prophet's idea that you didn't have to sac...And the prophet's idea that you didn't have to sacrifice animals to be cleansed came before that, for the people of God.<BR/>The Petrine idea about accepting <BR/>Gentiles and the Pauline idea about circumcision not being necessary for Gentiles came later, as the edited text shows.geoffhudson.blogspot.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724916983698195467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13840519.post-24459996770431501402007-11-04T21:57:00.000-06:002007-11-04T21:57:00.000-06:00Of course, whether or not that fits the idea of ma...Of course, whether or not that fits the idea of making the message "more amicable to the spirit of the age" probably depends on whether you're asking Paul (<I>me genoito!</I>) or the circumcision party (of course!).J. R. Daniel Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14000174430575970585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13840519.post-4578865792332570262007-11-04T21:54:00.000-06:002007-11-04T21:54:00.000-06:00I'd take issue with the idea that docetism is the ...I'd take issue with the idea that docetism is the <I>first</I> liberal theology. I think that honor goes to the Torah-free mission to the Gentiles. <BR/><BR/>Blame Peter if you're an Acts guy; blame Paul if you're not, but the idea that you don't have to be circumcised to be part of the people of God was an astonishing rejection of the conservative theology of the circumcision party.J. R. Daniel Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14000174430575970585noreply@blogger.com