Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ssc-vax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!tld From: tld@ssc-vax.UUCP (Thomas L Davis) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Centrality of the Incarnation Message-ID: <803@ssc-vax.UUCP> Date: Thu, 2-Feb-84 15:52:29 EST Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.803 Posted: Thu Feb 2 15:52:29 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 8-Feb-84 05:50:53 EST Organization: Boeing Aerospace, Seattle Lines: 130 A turtle only makes progress by sticking his/her neck out, so I am going to leap into the Creation Science discussion with some observations of my own. >From "The Book of Common Prayer", 1979, Seabury: The Holy Scriptures (pp. 853-4) Q. What are the Holy Scriptures? A. The Holy Scriptures, commonly called the Bible, are the books of the Old and New Testaments; other books, called the Apocrypha, are often included in the Bible. Q. What is the Old Testament? A. The Old Testament consists of books written by the people of the Old Covenant, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to show God at work in nature and history. Q. What is the New Testament? A. The New Testament consists of books written by the people of the New Covenant, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to set forth the life and teachings of Jesus and to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom for all people. Q. What is the Apocrypha? A. The Apocrypha is a collection of additional books written by the people of the Old Covenant, and used in the Christian Church. Q. Why do we call the Holy Scriptures the Word of God? A. We call them the Word of God because God inspired their human authors and because God still speaks to us through the Bible. Q. How do we understand the meaning of the Bible? A. We understand the meaning of the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the true inerpretation of the Scriptures. Lambeth Conference of 1888 Resolution 11 (pg. 877-8) That, in the opinion of this Conference, the following Articles supply a basis on which approach may be by God's blessing made toward Home Reunion: (a) The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as "containing all things necessary to salvation," and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith. (b) The Apostle's Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed; as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith. (c) The two Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself -- Baptism and the Supper of the Lord -- ministered with unfailing use of Christ's words of Institution, and of the elements ordained by Him. (d) The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of His Church."Miracles", by C.S. Lewis, Macmillan, 1978 Chapter XIV The Grand Miracle (pg. 108) The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this. Just as every natural event is the manifestation at a particular place and moment of Nature's total character, so every particular Christian miracle manifests at a particular place and moment the character and significance of the Incarnation. There is no question in Christianity of arbitrary interferences just scattered about. It relates not to a series of disconnected raids on Nature but the various steps of a strategically coherent invasion -- an invasion which intends complete conquest and "occupation." The fitness, and therefore credibility, of the particular miracles depends on their relation to the Grand Miracle; all discussion of them in isolation is futile.