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Jeff M Newman's avatar

Thanks Gary for sharing this. I did a search and came up with these difficult topics: Genocide, Slavery, Treatment of Women, Polygamy, Vengeance Psalms, God Hardening Hearts, Animal Sacrifice, Ritual Purity Laws, Child Sacrifice References, Patriarchy, Harsh Punishments (e.g., stoning), Eternal Curses, Holy War, Nationalism, Divine Jealousy, God Sending Evil Spirits, Levitical Sexual Laws, Ethnic Exclusivity, Capital Punishment for Minor Offenses, and Violence in God’s Name. I can see why these would be embarrassing and hard to discuss. I appreciate you talking about these topics. Looking forward to learning more.

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Gary Edward Schnittjer's avatar

Jeff,

Yikes! I would be afraid if I searched all of that some one would send the authorities to my house. Thank you for spelling it out a lot of challenging subjects.

Gary

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Jeff M Newman's avatar

100%. Watch out! You're welcome on the topics. Each would require lots of studying. Thanks for the encouragement to dig into the hard stuff.

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Elizabeth Ashley Gale Langley's avatar

Dear Gary,

I find the grammar of the sentence quoted quite awkward: “She’s more comfortable with the Old Testament God of judgment and wrath, with having very few people in the world that God loves” (Where the Light Fell, New York: Convergent, 2021, chapter 23)."

Would something like this make more sense: "She has felt overwhelmed by the number of people in the world who have seemingly rejected God's love and herself ("in [her] eyes") as well. Through this lens, she tends to see God as the God of the Old Testament blessings and curses, a system that seemingly brings judgment and wrath to Israel before Jesus arrives incarnated.

However, since Jesus has moved into her own heart (thanks to Keith B. for the "My Heart, His Home" pdf), she has seen that, for instance, (as her More-mom taught her mom): it is loving to set boundaries for one's children. As her Pop-pop showed her: it is a good thing to withhold a gift from a child in order to encourage the child to not presume to receive that gift. As her Granny and her own mom in earlier years taught her: love is lived out quietly, though gentle lullabies, and a PB&J when tuna doesn't sound good.

This is just a rough draft, but I did want to reply to you! Thank you for teaching so well!

Wendy

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Gary Edward Schnittjer's avatar

Wendy,

Thank you for this. The sentence is from Yancey's memoirs. It is jumbly. Your reading is generous and maybe what she would say. Thank you for taking her side.

I am not getting at her view. I am concerned with what Yancey is saying about his view of the OT. In context Yancey has been making a sharp distinction between the OT and NT.

I am pushing the opposite side. Namely, that Yahweh, in the difficult laws of Torah, is the champion of those in trouble. Those who have no one to help them. And more to the point. The good part of the NT ethic all comes forward from Yahweh's mercy in Torah's commands.

I appreciate you wrestling with this difficult statement.

Gary

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