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Charles Williams 59, Male Celina, Texas United States: Share

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Your Office, Study, or Wherever You Do Most of Your Thinking

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How would you describe yourself theologically?

I am a follower of Christ, not because I am good but because I am not. I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God. I believe that the Bible is authoritative, contextually inerrant, and sufficient and that the Church, as imperfect as it is, is God's chosen instrument tasked with making disciples and spreading the Gospel until God brings this age and all ages to an end. When that day comes God will establish his kingdom in a new heaven and a new earth. My theology aligns with Southern Baptist. I am not an evangelical because that assumes a theology rooted in the reformation. Luther started right but then failed to live up to the full implications of what he discovered in God's Word. I also think that both Calvin and Arminius got it terribly wrong wrong. I believe in a Gospel of forgiveness based on the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ for all of our sins. The terrible sacrifice of Christ tells me that we have value based on the imago dei and that we have the God-given will to respond to His grace and forgiveness. It is not our response that makes us worthy but rather it is Christ who covers our sin and in so doing justifies us before God. It is the Holy Spirit who enters our hearts at the time of justification to begin a life-long process of sanctification. There is one blessing of the Holy Spirit, not two or three and speaking in tongues is neither a sign of Holy Spirit, nor is it a representation of anything worthy of the worship of a Holy God. While the Charismatic movement has taught us much about open and enthusiastic worship of God, its theology is fundamentally flawed. In my view the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at once a gospel of judgment and a gospel of grace and in these there is no conflict or tension. I do not believe that tolerance equals compromise in the essential elements of the faith and therefore I agree with Machen that Protestant Liberal theology is something other than Christian.

Who is the greatest theologian in the last 2000 years? (Besides Biblical People!)

I don't know yet. In as much as Jesus was not a theologian, but rather is the supreme subject of our theological aspirations I did not list Him. As my studies continue I will someday be able to answer this question. But not yet.

My Book Shelf

Here's what I'm reading now? Anyone else reading any of these?

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Latest Activity

Charles Williams replied to Rey Reynoso's discussion 'Help on Purchasing a Bike'

Rey, I used to race and my preference in those days was Cannondale. They were and are fast, efficient, and hand made. Those were road bikes but they have an urban/recreation bike that is exceptional. Go to the cannondale web site and they have a n...

November 23

Charles Williams replied to Lisa Robinson's discussion 'Gnosticizing Evangelicalism'

Goldsworthy wrote along a line similar to your article Lisa. He identified a tendency toward what he called "quietism" which in his words is essentially a rebirth of docetism. He wrote: "The human characteristics of the biblical documents are igno...

November 22

Brian w. Drechsel commented on Charles Williams's blog post 'Blogging our way toward acceptability...'

I understand your perspective and agree with much of it. With all the denominations more people are judging the merit of others. It may be easier to see the man-made hypocrisies in the traditions of others and they get pointed out. If anything can...

November 21

joanne guarnieri commented on Charles Williams's blog post 'Blogging our way toward acceptability...'

Amen brother, you say the truth

November 21

Jason commented on Charles Williams's blog post 'Blogging our way toward acceptability...'

Wow! Admittedly, I skimmed over this. I must say, however, that an amazing spirit permeates this, and I appreciate it.

November 20

Charles Williams replied to Jason's discussion 'Your Office, Study, or Wherever You Do Most of Your Thinking'

Ha. Yeah. But he's a homebody and doesn't like to get his paws wet, cold or dirty.

November 20

Charles Williams replied to Wilson Hines's discussion 'Making the best out of this Group and getting deeper into the language!' in the group Original Languages Study Group

Hey I'm a Baptist so now I'll be keeping my eye on you! Seriously if we are talking about using Wave, it is difficult to get accounts there since it is still in development and the feature set is not all there.

November 20

Charles Williams replied to Jason's discussion 'Your Office, Study, or Wherever You Do Most of Your Thinking'

Well this is where I have been hiding and studying while we looked for a house. The squalor is palpable but thankfully it is temporary...two more weeks. And Char, meet Harvey, our 18 lb. Main Coon. He is gentle and curious and loves kids. He's ...

November 20

Charles Williams's Blog

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At 11:58am on April 28, 2009, Crazyupstart said…: Ah... thank you :) From everyone else's comments I was beginning to think I had said something way off.

At 1:57pm on April 25, 2009, Char said…: yeah well sorry for the whole thing. It's probably obvious given how irrational the comment was that I wasn't really angry at you, it was just a catalyst. Still I am embarrassed by and regret it.

He did see it as personal and I told him not to take it that way. I did find the fact that you said that my earlier post had a level of anger and viciousness surprising even for me hurtful. I am blunt, but not often angry. I usually don't post if angry and there have been many discussions I have quit because of someone taking offence. I rarely try to be vicious. I am not particularly emotional and given that I consider ideas as separate from the people who may hold them this usually seems to come across badly. But I do try to follow the rules of the site.

In a way it's ironic that you were surprised that we took what you said personally and reacted to it as an attack, because that's the way we felt also. Everyone seemed angry and no one knew why the other people were attacking them.

Thanks for taking the post down. I am sorry for putting on a show.

At 8:38am on April 23, 2009, Char said…: Charles, sorry for my outburst. As it was irrelevant, melodramatic and inappropriate I deleted it.
It's clear you don't like me and you certainly don't owe me any favours. But I would ask that you delete the comment quoting that post. Of course you could leave it there so it remains as an embarrassment to me, which I suppose I would deserve.

At 12:47pm on April 21, 2009, Kathy said…: Thanks for your nice comment on my blog, Charles. I'm also reading Carson's O Lord How Long!

At 3:10pm on February 15, 2009, Kathy said…: Thanks so much for your very nice comments, Charles. I'm up north in Loveland. Also, I just bough How Long, O Lord to read :)

At 8:08am on January 23, 2009, Ratatösk said…: Didn't mean to call you on it. I've always considered Ratzinger as an ally- minus the Roman innovations. He even has a way of making much of the Roman stuff seem not so innovative. I have a hard time telling his understanding of purgatory, from the classic protestant postion, for example.

Thought there might be something I wasn't aware of.

You write very well, by the way. Cool name, too.

Christ's Peace

At 3:43pm on January 22, 2009, Ratatösk said…: Just curious- what's your beef with Ratzinger, Charles?

At 1:32pm on January 21, 2009, H said…: Very nice job on the Gnosis thread!

Peace,

Holly

At 5:38pm on December 11, 2008, Kathy said…: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I have so many pictures....

At 2:02pm on November 18, 2008, Lisa Robinson said…: Thanks for your comment Charles. What text are you all using? We are using Basics of Biblical Greek by Mounce and going at a pretty impressive clip...22 chapters thus far.