When it comes to metaphysics… I love a good story as much as the next person! But let’s remember that when posting from a tiny phone, or in the everyday rush on our laptop, distinctions such as the Giant Difference between “Eternal” and “Everlasting” sometimes fade.
@Jonathan_Burke has a whole riff on how human souls are not “immortal” … and that this is a Greek concept and so forth. He’s quite adamant about the whole thing.
And then one day I asked him a simple question, which I’ll roughly paraphrase here: “Based on your understanding of the Bible, do you agree that those who experience the General Resurrection will exist forever (with or without a physical body) in the Kingdom of God?”
He indicated the affirmative.
Case closed; the conversation was over.
I’m in favor of spending a little more time polishing our swords, and a little less time falling on them, for the sake of a jot or tittle. Most of us here are perfectly happy to invest in such distinctions when the conversation calls for it. But to expect theologically precise terminology at all times, even when the arc of a specific debate doesn’t require such precision can sometime strain the human Id.
Were you here for the fun and frolic about just “who was it?!?!?” who paraphrased a BioLogos officer’s words in such a way as to offend the scruples of one of our more ardent participants? Oh, that was a great day for hay! Mind you, the paraphrasing did not even use quote marks … so there was no attempt to deceive or abuse. It was just a general comment to lead into the actual article where the officers words were specifically there for all to scrutinize.
The criminal was never identified . . . but I’m pretty sure it was water and stale bread for a few days …
Special Offer: As a way of demonstrating my sincerity to you - - pick a topic, your favorite topic to debate, and I’ll start a thread on it if you like. Or you can start the thread. Whatever you think is fair. And I’ll be happy to be as excruciatingly precise as the discussion requires … and we might even have a break-through, right here at BioLogos !!!
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Below is my favorite image showing that sometimes Evolution has perfect timing! These Terror Birds, awful & nasty creatures, were stuck in South America during the emergence of increasingly sophisticated primates in Africa. Now that was a lucky break!
