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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Mission Statement & Formal Introductions

First of all, my name is Shaun Snyder.  In my life, I have been a worker, student, husband, & father.  I decided to create this blog based on deep religious conviction.  Though I do not claim to be an expert, I do have plenty experience in this field.  I was raised, from birth, in a Pentecostal home.  I went to a Pentecostal church most of my early life.  I went to a Christian school and a Christian college.  I have attended and studied in churches, tabernacles, cathedrals, and synagogues.  I've been to Catholic mass, Jewish Shabbat, and many Protestant services.  I have preached and I have been on mission trips.  I started this as a means to help the many who have come to my aid and requested guidance.  This is not a debate room, though I will try to answer questions to the best of my ability.  If I can not, I do seek the advice of ministers and theologians.  In short, I have a relationship with God and feel like sharing my views.  No, this is not a "Do what I say" blog.  This is not an "I condemn you to Hell" blog.  In fact, I will be the first to point out that I struggle with sin.  Who doesn't?  So I have no right to judge.  Instead, this is a "How did we get here? What do we need to do to get back?" blog.

So to set the rest of this course, let me establish some ground rules:
  • My foundation is that there are several people who have different world views on the Bible.  Atheist believe it is fallible so they will hunt down every inconsistency.  Most Christians believe that the New Testament changed the Old so they will look for everything to prove that the old law no longer exists and that Jesus changed everything.  Jews argue that the New Testament is the work of liars and therefore only the Old, specifically the first five books, is valid.  This blog will stand on this world view that Old and New Testament are equal and that every verse upholds the other.
  • Again, this is not a debate.  You are free to ask questions and I will answer them as quickly and best as possible.  I am not condemning anyone.  Therefore, I will not discuss things that are specific sin matters.  That is between you and God, not me.  I will be discussing the rules and laws of the Old Testament and how they apply in the New Testament and today.  I will discuss things that are meant to teach those who will listen.  I will also teach how those who have doubts can believe.  Most importantly I will teach love for God and love for man.
  • I do not always use the names God or Jesus.  For posterity's sake I will use them in the beginning.  However, throughout this blog as my lessons progress, I will use them less and less and refer to more actual names that have all but been lost through time.
  • Though I am a Creationist this will not be an evolution versus creation debate.  I will refer to Creation to show significance of prophecy and so forth but I will not get into detail how it all happened.  I was not there and neither were the evolutionists, so either one of us could be completely off on how the world was developed.
  • I am not telling you how to live your life.  If you want to believe what I say, awesome you and I are in agreement.  If you choose to not and believe I am a heretic, as the name of the blog suggests, then so be it.  I love all of you either way.
  • I will not share anything you do not want me to share.  I love hearing success stories though so please tell me.  Also, any prayer requests you send me unless otherwise specified will be between us.  Being a public site I will engage in email and messenger conversations but please do not ask for my phone number, if I feel it is pertinent, I will share it with you.
  • I will try to post weekly or biweekly however, due to life's constraints I may not always be able to post.  Also I will always look through your answers and requests but again may not always be able to give prompt response.  Please be patient and bear with me.
I may update this page as I see fit but feel free to read and enjoy. 

3 comments:

  1. Hi Shaun,this is Nena. What are your views on 1 Corinthians 9:21? This was one of the question that came up on our study this past Friday. Rick gave his explanation but we would still like to hear another view.

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    1. First of all, we are talking about Paul. It's very easy for people to forget what Peter said about him. 2 Peter 3:14-17 discusses what Peter was trying to explain to others about Paul. In those passages Peter warns us that Paul is very intelligent but that his words can be confusing. Peter says that the ignorant and confused will twist his words to their liking. So whenever reading a verse from Paul you HAVE to take it in full context and sometimes break it down. So 1 Corinthians 9:21, what is Paul saying? Well if you look at the previous verse it is just as confusing isn't it? Read the chapter. In it Paul is talking about the importance of the law with reference to the oxen. So he is not saying the old law isn't valid cause depending on the translation he admits to still being under it instead he is talking about several different laws. In the ministry there are circumstances which require us to put ourselves in situations in order to win others to God. So am I not under the law of the United States? However, am I not also under the law of God? So rough translation here is what Paul said: To them that are lawless (as without any of God's law), I became as such (though I am under God's law even more so the law of Christ [since he fulfilled Passover]) so that I may win them over to God. In other words we have to set aside a level of judgement in order to win those over to God. I am not the ultimate judge so it is not my place to accuse those who do not even believe in Him. Instead I need to minister properly knowing that fact and let God do the rest. Which is exactly what Paul is saying in the following verse.

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    2. Sounded like Rick's explanation. Yes we read and discussed the entire chapter in context as well as other related scriptures. One person in the group was still confused that's why I asked. Thank you! More to come..... I have to share computer with Rick,

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