tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post115889885922727291..comments2023-11-11T21:26:46.689+00:00Comments on This Side of Sunday: Inside of SundayJon Couttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01728055140831842717noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post-1159202108955585542006-09-25T17:35:00.000+01:002006-09-25T17:35:00.000+01:00if only there were a third group, with the strengt...if only there were a third group, with the strengths of the catholic church as well as the protestant. i don't know enough about the orthodox church, i think it has its problems, but it is considered the third group of christians. (i've also heard charismatic/pentecostals referred to as another "stream" of christianity)<BR/><BR/>i saw we invent a new one. that would tick off everybody and then they'd finally be unified in their dislike of a common enemy!Jon Couttshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01728055140831842717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post-1159161601581353112006-09-25T06:20:00.000+01:002006-09-25T06:20:00.000+01:00Love that you're admitting the bubble and doing wh...Love that you're admitting the bubble and doing what you can with it Jon. I really enjoyed this post and can't wait for more of your "self-interested" posts during Seminary.<BR/><BR/>Heidi, I have a couple friends who are Catholic and we have some of the same conversations that you are having. It's a pretty big stretch to say the Catholic church was around before the Bible, certainly not in it's current form it wasn't. The fact is the church is always changing as is the culture it is in. There are many things Catholics and protestants don't do that were once vitally important to the church. A Catholic friend of mine told me that she confessed to her priest that she hadn't been reading her Bible enough, he told her she didn't need to and she argued with him. I agreed with her but pointed out to her that this is a protestant idea, personal devotions etc.. She didn't like that but it's an example of how even devout Catholicism is changing. We need context and the community of Christ is called by Christ to interpret the Bible in a fluid way. (See Jesus' teaching on Binding and Loosing, it's all about interpretation of God's word in community) Have you ever read a book by Rob Bell called Velvet Elvis? It's not a perfect book but it's had a huge impact on my faith.<BR/><BR/>I also have love for the Catholic and protestant traditions for different reasons and annoyances with both as well.<BR/><BR/>Sorry for the ultra long comment.Tony Tantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14619319927519736211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post-1159132297800689222006-09-24T22:11:00.000+01:002006-09-24T22:11:00.000+01:00wow. that's really interesting. i find a lot of th...wow. that's really interesting. i find a lot of things about catholicism attractive. but i find a lot of things about protestantism attractive too. church authority is a huge thing. if they were more flexible in the development and evolution of their doctrine I'd consider going there too. in a way, protestants are too all over the place, and catholics are too staid. (at least in an official capacity)<BR/><BR/>thanks for readingJon Couttshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01728055140831842717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post-1159126616187695982006-09-24T20:36:00.000+01:002006-09-24T20:36:00.000+01:00Rob and I spent the first two years we were marrie...Rob and I spent the first two years we were married in Three Hills, AB while I attended Prairie Bible College. I remember that same feeling of living in a bubble. I kept thinking that this isn't real life, it's so artificial, it drove me nuts. I know that Rob and I would vent a lot of our frustrations about it to our family and friends back home too.<BR/><BR/>I have to tell you again how much I enjoy your writing. You always seem to give me new things to think about. Your post before this one (as well as some of the stuff on holy crap) has really struck a chord with me. Recently we had a visit with an old girl-friend of mine and her husband. They are in Oxford as he is getting his PhD in Theology there. Both of them have decided to become Catholics. I know that she was raised in a MB church and her background is very similar to mine, I'm not entirely sure of his religious upbringing but he did say that this decision was ten years in the making. We questioned them quite closely as to what it was that made them decide to be Catholics and it was tough for us to really understand their reasons. At first he said his reason was "heaven". And I thought he was joking, I'm not so sure now. Some of the things that you and your friends have been discussing has seemed to tie into that and has helped to make things a little clearer for me. I think one of the main reasons the chose to go that way is the whole interpreting of the bible to suit yourself thing. He seemed to have great issue with protestants dividing into different denominations, or overthrowing a long standing rule (like women on the elders board, or no divorcees in ministry) based on a new "understanding" of biblical teachings, and that if enough people in the church wanted something like that and could get the vote to go one way, then things would change. We had a hard time with their belief that (and I may have this wrong but this was what I got from it) the church is a higher authority than the Bible given that the church came first and essentially put the Bible together. <BR/><BR/>I guess after all this rambling, I just wanted you to know that what I've read on your blogs has given me some new perspectives that have really helped me understand where my friends may be coming from. And I thank you for that.Heidihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08255782495182327756noreply@blogger.com