Christian Odyssey: Letters to the editor

Letters to the Editor

Thank you for Mr. Morrison’s article "Victory on the cross" in the April/May 2007 edition. There are some aspects to this article that I ask you to please think about. It says, "Christ is fully divine, and he has (present tense) a human body."

Did you know that the New Testament does not teach that Jesus had a human body after his resurrection? This is a Roman Catholic teaching.

KW, e-mail

The bodily resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ is central to Christianity, not just a belief of the Roman Catholic Church. Scripture, traditional Christian confessions and orthodox Christian belief deny that Jesus was resurrected as immaterial spirit. The empty tomb of Jesus attests to this fact.

I liked very much the article entitled "Evidence of Black Africans in the Bible." However, I’m confused as to your organization’s belief that "all" are God’s children. Don’t you have to be a believer (i.e., a Christian) to be an adopted child of God?

Don’t all others sit under the wrath of God awaiting judgment? Therefore they cannot be his children, but rather vessels fitted for destruction. Are not all people on the path of condemnation until God causes them to regenerate and believe and become children of God?

E-mail

The statement you quoted and the article itself was not discussing the resurrection to life as opposed to the judgment to condemnation (John 5:28-30) or who will be in either, and on what basis. It pointed out that all races are equally God’s creation—and thus equally his children—and that no one, black, white, yellow, or brown, is excluded from his love and purpose. As the Scripture says, "For God so loved the world [meaning everyone] that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

The article "No Contest" in the June/July 2007 Christian Odyssey is aptly titled. I suggest that the article will ignite more conflict and polarization rather than move all readers toward logical resolution of the current concepts among Christians surrounding Genesis and Creation. The article was not big enough to cover all of the paradigms of the players involved and so it is aptly titled, "No Contest."

RG, Australia

The article was intended to be a contribution to the debate—not the last word on the topic. It focuses on one aspect of the debate, and makes no attempt to cover all the questions. How could it? How could anything? This is a vast and controversial subject. Whatever our preconceived ideas, or whatever side of the debate we find ourselves on, we need to update our thinking and not cling to ideas that both modern research and reliable biblical scholarship have shown to be untenable.

Your argument that Genesis isn’t to be taken literally is not surprising. So many church leaders have taken this stand to avoid the fuss—and need—to explain that Genesis is the literal word of God. "Let’s just all get along and not upset anyone" is the call of the day for many church leaders.

Why defend the Christian faith as the word of God when you can change the story(s) however you wish? Please delete me from any of your mailing or email lists. I get enough information telling me "well…the Bible doesn’t really mean that" all the time.

BH, Ohio

We will remove your name from the list if that is what you really want. But why cancel just because you don’t agree with an article? Are you sure we have "changed the story"—or have we tried to understand it in the way that it was intended? If you read the article carefully, you will see that it supports the Bible by offering a sound explanation to a subject that causes many people to dismiss the whole book as nonsense.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for your cover article in the June/July issue of Christian Odyssey ("No Contest: Why the Argument over Genesis?"). We are constantly wearied by the seemingly solid front of young-earth creationism presented by the "mainstream" American evangelical establishment. The most militant of these "young-earthers" essentially insist that one cannot be a Christian without subscribing to their paradigm. It is refreshing to read an unshackled perspective. The information about cosmogony was interesting and makes so much sense.

E-mail

I love your magazine. It’s colorful and full of thought-provoking articles. Enclosed is a check to help meet your costs. Thanks for a job well done.

LP, Pennsylvania

I would like to give a donation to help support your ministry for others to have Odyssey also—as far as it reaches.

EM, Colorado

Letters for this section should be addressed to "Letters to the Editor." Send your letters to Worldwide Church of God, PO Box 5005, Glendora, CA 91740-0730, or by electronic mail to john.halford@wcg.org.

The editor reserves the right to use letters so addressed in whole or in part, and to include your name and edit the letter for clarity and space. We welcome your comments.