You wrote: “But don’t you understand how this thinking plays into the whole concept of knowledge-based Christianity? I mean, why else do you think this whole issue confuses us so much? What if the massive extent of available Christian teaching is the cause of most of our confusion?” Awesome! You have just summarized how we got to the fractured, partisan, arrogant, judgmental place we see “representing” Christ today.

Hey Jim Here is a thought. 1 Corinthians 3:1 And I brethern could not speak to you as to spritural men but as to men of flesh as to infants in Christ.2 I gave you milk to drink not solid food for you were not able to recieve it. Indeed even now you are not able. I can also see why we would think that there are babies and those who are not babies. As Paul says here many were as you stated still carnal or fleshly in thier thinking. There are many who in their thinking they are like children as children they believe they are already grown and know all but like children they form groups and make all leave who dont conform to their group. Like most churches. Paul calls those who think like mere men infants. I believe this is more of a picture of something to help us see where some are coming from. There are many who have been in the way so to speak for years and they still think like natural men or as Paul states babes in Christ. So many think that the truths they have learned in church make them mature or grown up. The truth is if we are still acting like mere men by setting up boundries and dare all to cross them or we will do God a favor and kick them out we are still thinking like mere men or children. God is not in the business of kicking any body out of any thing. God is in the drawing all men to himself in Christ business. This does not happen whem grown men act like children. I drove a school bus for 19 years and that was to be part of my learning to prepare for ministry many go to bible school and I did that to didnt amount to much. The true test was to take care of other peoples children for more years then I would have thought I needed. We can learn a whole lot about people in general by watching children and how they interact with one another. We can learn a whole lot about the parents of said children also. It is always funny to me how so may take Jesus command to become like a child to enter the kingdom and throw it at you like all children are so wondreful. I have seen inconence in many children and child like faith we can all draw pictures from. I have also seen some of the most cruel things I have ever seen come from the mouth and the actions of children. I believe we are seeing it in many ways as of late in the news and in many of our own lives. Much of what children do and say come from the mouths of those around them. And many adults who still act like children and they are physcily grown. To many of these are in the pulpits of the churches most have grown up in. Any way just some thoughts on the subject.

‘For we passed from this childish reasoning when we received the Spirit of truth in Christ.’

I think the lack of the ‘how-to’ mind of neatly prescribed courses of actions is what is really terrifying. The natural mind is obsessed with prerequisites to fulfillment. Whereas this mind is fulfillment.