proninja said:
Jayrok, did you ever delve into non fundamentalist theologians? Barth in particular seems to be a theologian that may appeal to you.
Yes, I am familiar with Barth, though I admit I haven't read his enormous body of work. In him, I see a guy who felt compelled to rethink the beliefs he learned from his mentors because the way things were developing in Europe around the first world war. I see him as opposed to someone like Calvin, for sure. But I'm not sure I buy what he preached either.
The thing with theology, the NT supports different flavors of theological thought. Just depends on where you read.
Predestination? check.
Faith apart from works? check.
Faith along with proper works? check.
Jesus as God incarnate? check.
Jesus as a man subordinate to God? check.
Jesus pre-existent and eternally divine? check.
Jesus exalted to Christ at baptism? check.
Jesus exalted to Christ at his resurrection? check.
Christianity starting with Jesus as God who came to earth to sacrifice himself? check.
Christianity starting with a mythological Christ? check.
And so forth. The beginning of
John 18:38 is where I find myself.