Comments on: Discernment: Gray Matters http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/ reb•e•lu•tion (reb’el lu shen) n. a teenage rebellion against low expectations Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:48:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Misty http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-129797 Misty Sun, 23 Sep 2007 06:39:27 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-129797 I am glad that Samantha mentioned male gynecologists. Most Christians don't think about this issue. You can find a good article about what is wrong with male gynecologists by going to <a href="http://faithfulwordbaptist.org/gynecologists.html" rel="nofollow">http://faithfulwordbaptist.org/gynecologists.html</a>. I have no desire to condemn women who have gone to male gynecologists in the past. I believe that this is a cultural blind spot. We often don't question the medical industry, but the truth is medical professionals are not above us morally. I am glad that Samantha mentioned male gynecologists. Most Christians don’t think about this issue. You can find a good article about what is wrong with male gynecologists by going to http://faithfulwordbaptist.org/gynecologists.html. I have no desire to condemn women who have gone to male gynecologists in the past. I believe that this is a cultural blind spot. We often don’t question the medical industry, but the truth is medical professionals are not above us morally.

]]> By: Tash Renee http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-77405 Tash Renee Tue, 15 May 2007 23:23:51 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-77405 Awesome article. I very much appreciated reading it. It's so true, there are no in- betweens. Revelation 3:15,16 say's " I know they works, that thou are neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." and Matthew 6: 24 - "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Awesome article. I very much appreciated reading it. It’s so true, there are no in- betweens. Revelation 3:15,16 say’s
” I know they works, that thou are neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

and Matthew 6: 24 - “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

]]> By: Alex Jordan Harris http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-77360 Alex Jordan Harris Tue, 15 May 2007 19:53:07 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-77360 Excellent point about the discernment of the heart that delights in Christ, Mary. Thank you for sharing that. Gracie, you're absolutely right about the importance of our parents in accountability and discernment. Boundless is targeted at college-age students and older, many of whom are away from home, so that is probably why Eric didn't emphasize it, even though I know he agrees with you. :) Excellent point about the discernment of the heart that delights in Christ, Mary. Thank you for sharing that.

Gracie, you’re absolutely right about the importance of our parents in accountability and discernment. Boundless is targeted at college-age students and older, many of whom are away from home, so that is probably why Eric didn’t emphasize it, even though I know he agrees with you. :)

]]> By: Gracie http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-77317 Gracie Tue, 15 May 2007 15:23:25 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-77317 I thought that was a wonderful article. The only thing I'd like to add is that in the 'involving others' section, Mr. Simmons didn't mention going to parents for accountability, but seemed to be talking more about friends. I could be wrong. :) But I did want to mention, that if we are blessed to have a godly Christian parent in our lives, we should be constantly going to them for direction and advice. I thought that was a wonderful article. The only thing I’d like to add is that in the ‘involving others’ section, Mr. Simmons didn’t mention going to parents for accountability, but seemed to be talking more about friends. I could be wrong. :) But I did want to mention, that if we are blessed to have a godly Christian parent in our lives, we should be constantly going to them for direction and advice.

]]> By: MM http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-77056 MM Mon, 14 May 2007 14:18:31 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-77056 Guys, this is an insightful article, but I am concerned about committing to "distrusting the heart" as an absolute principle of discernment. A simple keyword search of "heart" in both the Old and New Testaments shows that while the heart can often be full of mischief and easily led astray, the heart is ultimately a very malleable thing. The heart can be purified and oriented to the love of God- in fact, this is what God commands! In fact, if we narrowed our search of "heart" to the Gospel of Matthew alone, we would find BOTH warnings about the heart and the following affirmations of the human heart's potential: the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8); the repentant can gain from the Lord an understanding heart (Matthew 13:15); and Jesus repeats the Dueteronomic command to love God with all of the heart. (Matthew 22:37). One of the best sets of instruction on discernment, which is used by Roman Catholic young people discerning vocations to the ministry, is the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Ignatius emphasizes the purification of the heart through total devotion to Christ, such that the heart can gradually come to be trusted as God's instrument. This principle relies on Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." The principle also derives from a basic principle of Augustine, who taught that when the heart was in love with Christ, the desires of the heart would also be oriented to Christ's love and service. Guys, this is an insightful article, but I am concerned about committing to “distrusting the heart” as an absolute principle of discernment. A simple keyword search of “heart” in both the Old and New Testaments shows that while the heart can often be full of mischief and easily led astray, the heart is ultimately a very malleable thing. The heart can be purified and oriented to the love of God- in fact, this is what God commands! In fact, if we narrowed our search of “heart” to the Gospel of Matthew alone, we would find BOTH warnings about the heart and the following affirmations of the human heart’s potential: the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8); the repentant can gain from the Lord an understanding heart (Matthew 13:15); and Jesus repeats the Dueteronomic command to love God with all of the heart. (Matthew 22:37).

One of the best sets of instruction on discernment, which is used by Roman Catholic young people discerning vocations to the ministry, is the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Ignatius emphasizes the purification of the heart through total devotion to Christ, such that the heart can gradually come to be trusted as God’s instrument. This principle relies on Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” The principle also derives from a basic principle of Augustine, who taught that when the heart was in love with Christ, the desires of the heart would also be oriented to Christ’s love and service.

]]> By: Samantha http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76581 Samantha Sat, 12 May 2007 23:29:38 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76581 Just wanted to clarify...I meant to say "she" in the above comment, as I was not referring to the original article in my statement about Christian liberty, but to Valerie's *comment* . Just wanted to clarify…I meant to say “she” in the above comment, as I was not referring to the original article in my statement about Christian liberty, but to Valerie’s *comment* .

]]> By: Samantha http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76577 Samantha Sat, 12 May 2007 23:07:39 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76577 Yes, I read through the article. I was responding to his direct statement that there "aren't really grey areas". ;-) Perhaps I misunderstood. But moral relativism is a totally different issue from whether there are areas of life about which God has been silent in His word and/or areas where people disagree about the application of a Biblical principle. One issue that interests me is the issue of nudity. Christians disagree strongly as to when viewing nudity is acceptable. Is it only acceptable when bathing children or in the context of the marriage bed? Is it acceptable to view non-pornographic fine art with nudity? Is it acceptable to be an artist's model? Is it all right for a woman to see a male gynecologist? Is it all right for a baby to crawl around without his diaper? I think this is a bona fide grey area, but I also think that the list for discernment given in the article can be helpful in determining your answer to these questions. Yes, I read through the article. I was responding to his direct statement that there “aren’t really grey areas”. ;-) Perhaps I misunderstood. But moral relativism is a totally different issue from whether there are areas of life about which God has been silent in His word and/or areas where people disagree about the application of a Biblical principle. One issue that interests me is the issue of nudity. Christians disagree strongly as to when viewing nudity is acceptable. Is it only acceptable when bathing children or in the context of the marriage bed? Is it acceptable to view non-pornographic fine art with nudity? Is it acceptable to be an artist’s model? Is it all right for a woman to see a male gynecologist? Is it all right for a baby to crawl around without his diaper? I think this is a bona fide grey area, but I also think that the list for discernment given in the article can be helpful in determining your answer to these questions.

]]> By: Alex Jordan Harris http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76555 Alex Jordan Harris Sat, 12 May 2007 21:59:57 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76555 <b>Samantha:</b> I think if you read through the two articles you'll see that Eric isn't denying the truth of Christian liberty. A lot of times our "liberty" is used as an excuse to <b>not</b> practice biblical discernment. The point is not that there aren't gray areas, but that there aren't gray actions. :) Samantha: I think if you read through the two articles you’ll see that Eric isn’t denying the truth of Christian liberty. A lot of times our “liberty” is used as an excuse to not practice biblical discernment. The point is not that there aren’t gray areas, but that there aren’t gray actions. :)

]]> By: Samantha http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76525 Samantha Sat, 12 May 2007 20:23:14 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76525 If there are no grey areas, is the long-standing principle of Christian liberty a myth? And how, for example, do you know how God feels about the internet or any kind of situation or technology that did not exist at the time the Bible was written? If there are no grey areas, is the long-standing principle of Christian liberty a myth? And how, for example, do you know how God feels about the internet or any kind of situation or technology that did not exist at the time the Bible was written?

]]> By: Valerie http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76509 Valerie Sat, 12 May 2007 18:48:54 +0000 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2007/05/discernment-gray-matters/#comment-76509 Interesting article! So many people don't want to see that there aren't really grey areas. We get so caught up in society's message of moral relativity and non-judgmentalism that we forget God has a different standard. We have seen firsthand in our church the damage that can be done by a lack of discernment. It causes nothing but trouble and strife and confusion. The ONLY thing I take issue with in that article was that the Bible they quoted was incorrect - Jeremiah 17:9 really says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?" "Sick" is not the same as "wicked". Interesting article! So many people don’t want to see that there aren’t really grey areas. We get so caught up in society’s message of moral relativity and non-judgmentalism that we forget God has a different standard. We have seen firsthand in our church the damage that can be done by a lack of discernment. It causes nothing but trouble and strife and confusion.

The ONLY thing I take issue with in that article was that the Bible they quoted was incorrect - Jeremiah 17:9 really says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” “Sick” is not the same as “wicked”.

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