Comments on: 66. Uncomfortable with Gospel Presentations

By: Mark Naylor

Mark Naylor — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:47:25 +0000

Excellent comment, David. I especially enjoyed the observation about Paul’s “shotgun wedding.” I would suggest that those converted on the day of Pentecost were “God-fearers” who were in Jerusalem celebrating the festival and very open to a sign from God. That is, they were already on a spiritual journey. That said, yes, I agree with your final statement. What I was especially addressing was the danger of salvation formulas being used in a mechanistic way, which was not the case with either Paul or Augustine.

By: David

David — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:48:52 +0000

While I agree that the Centered Faith model is preferred to the Bounded Faith model, scripture seems to give us plenty of examples of both. If Cornelius’ conversion was a wedding, then Paul’s was a shotgun wedding. What about Zaccheus or those converted on the day of Pentacost? Augustine seems to have had a dramatic conversion as well. Bounded Faith can be valid model provided that people are discipled to “center their faith.”
Thanks for the thought provoking article.

By: Mark Naylor

Mark Naylor — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:33:31 +0000

Thanks, Rick. Great quote. Tozer says it way better than I could!

By: Rick Powell

Rick Powell — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:24:42 +0000

A.W. Tozer says something very similar in “The Pursuit of God”: “The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. Christ may be ‘received’ without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is ’saved,’ but he is not hungry or thirsty after God…” (pages 12-13). Thanks Mark for a very thought-provoking article!