[CS-FSLUG] Open Source Theology

[dmc]

 > Michael Bradley, Jr. wrote:
> How did the early Christians, particularly their more vocal and 
> well-known teachers-leaders feel about the subject of "church tradition?"

"Early" loosely identified "christians" varied
greatly in their faithfulness to the Word of God.
Some were rank heretics, some indulged syncretism
as they attempted to merge personal preferences
with the Word of God, others were simply careless.

The Apostle Paul even had to correct his fellow
Apostle Peter for such carelessness and warned
his ward Timothy to defend against similar error.
God had to directly intervene in Peter's thought
process to cause him to reach out to non-Jews.

You have well-documented some of the traditions of
one specific denomination based on writings not in
the accepted Canon of most non-Roman Catholics.

My point is that such is not useful to one seeking
a pure Biblical Christian faith.  The emergent
church movement correctly identifies some serious
flaws in the non-emergent church where traditions
and fears prevent reaching the modern culture --
something Paul worked hard to overcome.

The emergent church gets into trouble where some
are sloppy in their theology as they imagine that
they have to modify the Word of God to accomplish
the work of God.

As soon as one adds anything to the basic Canon
and gives it an authoritative status equivalent to
the Canon one injects uninspired error -- as well
as triggering the condemnation of Rev. 22:18-19.

"18I testify to everyone who hears (BC)the words of
the prophecy of this book: if anyone (BD)adds to
them, God will add to him (BE)the plagues which are
written in (BF)this book;

"19and if anyone (BG)takes away from the (BH)words
of the book of this prophecy, God will take away
his part from (BI)the tree of life and from the
holy city, (BJ)which are written in this book."

Source with Footnotes & Cross References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=REV%2022&version=49;
[NASB]

That any group of humans may choose to develop
local traditions is predictable, that they will
attempt to evangelize their extra-Biblical traditions
is also predictable, such is Biblically discouraged.

The point is that there must be a clear wall of
separation between the Word of God and everything
else.  Fallen-human uninspired error is must not
ever be lifted to equivalence with the perfect Word
of God.

Such is "folly", as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes,
folly at best indeed.

IMHO, YMMV ... doc