From: James H. Vellenga (jhv0@viewlogic.com)
Date: Fri Apr 26 1996 - 08:55:06 EDT
> From: David Sims <parson2@msn.com>
>
> Dear Carl,
>
> There is so much that I would like to disagree with you about as concerns the
> signature "In Christ," but I am afraid I wouldn't have time. Let me just make
> it brief by saying that comments to this list are not to the general public,
> they are to people who have expressed an interest in Biblical Greek, not
> Homeric Greek, but Biblical Greek. It is true that all may not be Christians,
> but that was also true of Corinth and Philippi when Paul wrote to those two
> churches.
>
> As for it being Pharisaical, where do you get that? Paul encourages us to
> boast in the Lord, and he never says to limit it to professing Christians.
>
Dear David,
As a biblical Christian in a secular setting (electronic design
automation), I tend to agree with Carl. People here at work are
are more than a little aware that I am a Christian, but one of my
goals is to show that a person who takes Christ, the Bible, and
the resurrection seriously is not necessarily obnoxious or
unapproachable. Hence, I avoid a lot of overt statements.
I wear a cross, and insist on ethical behavior, and if someone asks
me to account for a decision, I sometimes in all honesty cannot
avoid mentioning my faith. That's enough, in many cases, for
people to start asking more questions.
One of the problems with our often well-meant attempts to present
Christ is that they can distract from what it is we would otherwise
want to convey. And in the particular case of the Biblical Greek
mailing list, I think it's great that a number of people who do
not believe as we do nonetheless find it fascinating. My own hope
is that if the rest of us deal with the subject as subject matter
per se, then at least some of the former will let that subject matter
work on themselves without being distracted by having to react to
what are after all incidentals. Basically, I think that the Scriptures
are powerful enough to convince (many) if we can just get people to study
them in depth.
I have a woman in my group at work here -- a lapsed Methodist, I believe
-- who noticed a posting on PTWCHOI that I printed out on our printer.
She has now brought in a collection by Stendahl of essays (by
others) on implications of the Dead Sea scrolls for our understanding
of Jesus's times -- and probably of things that Jesus himself
said. While not a believer as we understand the term, she
nonetheless has been fascinated enought to pursue this subject
in some depth. I hope to be able to read enough of what she's
brought me to encourage her further. That's the kind of thing
I would like to see happening in b-greek as well -- although I
also enjoy the idea-swapping for its own sake.
But I do respect your views, and especially your desires to serve
Christ in whatever way possible.
Please do me the favor of not posting this note more widely.
In Christ,
Jim Vellenga
James H. Vellenga | jvellenga@viewlogic.com
Viewlogic Systems, Inc. __|__ 508-480-0881
293 Boston Post Road West | FAX: 508-480-0882
Marlboro, MA 01752-4615 |
http://www.viewlogic.com
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