Unequally Yoked
I've been having a discussion with a very intelligent (and rather cordial) atheist for a few weeks now. The discussion has taken place exclusively on his blog, with fellow atheists and skeptics ocassionally chiming in. To my surprise, I found a person who was supporting my perspective in the comment section. But when I click on the profile, I find this description of the person:
At first you may be thinking, What's the problem? She's a theist, he's an atheist. Don't you have enough in common with her to work together to show him the holes in his logic? Well, at first it may seem so. However, I am not interested in merely getting a person to acknowledge the existence of God (the demons do that and shudder), but introducing them to God, as He describes Himself. Sure, at first we could argue toward a deity, but can find ourselves disagreeing whether this Deity created or allowed the world to evolve, and more importantly, whether His salvation is exclusive through the cross, or is universal in its effect, saving everyone.
I can't effectively enter into a discussion with an atheist with a Muslim at my side. Why? Because though we both believe in a god, our gods don't allow for the other one to exist. They are mutually exclusive. And my desire is not to turn an atheist into a pantheist (believing deity to be in everything) but into a Biblical Theist. Therefore, I find myself saying your belief that there is not God is a lie, and belief in Allah is a lie too.
That's why the church has to draw its line at the gospel. I don't have to agree with a person about how to practice baptism or whether the sign gifts exist today to call a person to repentance and faith in Christ. However, if I truly believe the gospel is all pervasive in every issue, I also can not partner with someone who does not believe it or denies its claims. It's not that God declared not to be unequally yoked because it softens the gospel message. He declares not to go there, because if I am truly gospel-centric, I will find it fruitless and that it does not work. If I don't find frustration in being unequally yoked (by this I am meaning any partnership, not just the typical marriage inference that is drawn from it), then it probably means I have diminished the gospel in my own life.
I'm just me. One of a kind. God threw away the mold when She made me...smart move.Uh oh. Do we really have enough in common?
At first you may be thinking, What's the problem? She's a theist, he's an atheist. Don't you have enough in common with her to work together to show him the holes in his logic? Well, at first it may seem so. However, I am not interested in merely getting a person to acknowledge the existence of God (the demons do that and shudder), but introducing them to God, as He describes Himself. Sure, at first we could argue toward a deity, but can find ourselves disagreeing whether this Deity created or allowed the world to evolve, and more importantly, whether His salvation is exclusive through the cross, or is universal in its effect, saving everyone.
I can't effectively enter into a discussion with an atheist with a Muslim at my side. Why? Because though we both believe in a god, our gods don't allow for the other one to exist. They are mutually exclusive. And my desire is not to turn an atheist into a pantheist (believing deity to be in everything) but into a Biblical Theist. Therefore, I find myself saying your belief that there is not God is a lie, and belief in Allah is a lie too.
That's why the church has to draw its line at the gospel. I don't have to agree with a person about how to practice baptism or whether the sign gifts exist today to call a person to repentance and faith in Christ. However, if I truly believe the gospel is all pervasive in every issue, I also can not partner with someone who does not believe it or denies its claims. It's not that God declared not to be unequally yoked because it softens the gospel message. He declares not to go there, because if I am truly gospel-centric, I will find it fruitless and that it does not work. If I don't find frustration in being unequally yoked (by this I am meaning any partnership, not just the typical marriage inference that is drawn from it), then it probably means I have diminished the gospel in my own life.
posted by danny2 @ 10:32 AM
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