Wednesday
Jun282006
Finally, the Beast Revealed!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 at 07:49AM
At last . . . I am ready to reveal the location, if not the identity, of the beast.
The fragment of Revelation (pictured here), contains a textual variant from Revelation 13:18, which indicates that the true number of the beast is not 6-6-6, but 6-1-6.
And 616 is, of course, the area code for . . . Grand Rapids!
(And just in case you have no sense of humor, this is a joke!).
Reader Comments (38)
</end sarcasm>
It figures you are from Grand Rapids.
I knew the 616 area code meant something.Since Zondervan is taking over the town maybe I'll never go back.
I must remain the anonymous missionary for the time being.
George
Oh, wait...
anyone else know "what figures"?
I love Grand Rapids - but I understand the negativity toward it in the Reformed community. Plenty of strange thought comes out of here.
The URC and the OPC are our only hope!
This is an education facility and many have access to this computer (including teens). If an unwanted post came from this computer I apologize. I will be sure to log off in the future.
thanks. that's at least a bit more lucid than george's comment. however, i am trying to understand th elink between me and the rest of it...
back to you, though. what sort of strange thought comes from GR?
the one thing that has always struck me about this place is the oddness of this situation: it is the cradle of the american reformed community, yet it's almost as if that's a dirty little family secret. don't get me wrong. there's plenty of good reformed influence around here. but they seem by and large captivated by the very evangelicalism i have renounced myself. my unspoken plea is to turn back, there's nothing there!! go back to your roots, embrace your history and renew it!
I'm sure I read that on a chart somewhere...
That was a carefully torn portion from the Gospel of Mary, wasn't it? (!)
In the past, the "strange thought" from Grand Rapids has been out of confusion over the covenant amongst and between the Reformed. Also, the Reformed community here historically has also mildly embraced a doctrine of cultural restoration or Christian Reconstructionism - which rears it's ugly head in an idea that "Creation, Fall, Redemption" is what the reformed faith is all about (therefore redeem the culture). In addition, a small denomination with roots here emphatically denies the doctrine of "common grace." More recently, Calvin Seminary has given in to post-modern liberalism and praised the critical work of Howard Van Til, who denies the authenticity and historicity of Genesis 1-11 (he's an big-bang darwinist!).
More recently, the continued slide into liberalism by the CRC and of course, there's always Rob Bell to talk about...
in my reformed understanding, there is such a thing as the cultural mandate which frees us from the broader evangelical subcultureal retreat into the ghetto and is more a common sense approach to world affirmation and involvement; though i loathe the versions of cultural restorationism/transformation that give the religious right a foothold to embrace the social gospel of the right.
the denial of common grace is protestant reformed, the one doctrine that keeps me from any interest in joining. their whole identity is based on their exit from the crc over this issue.
i must say i never understand the charges of liberalism toward the crc and cal sem. i think that term is used...liberally. i am crc but not wild about it either. its president is the 'charles colson distinguished prof of theology.' aligning with the social gospel of the right and embracing the likes of colson is my problem. but to those that accuse cal sem of being liberal what do you make of this sort of thing? it might be of interest to know that the author of this blog got his phd under muller, who teaches at cal sem and seems to speak highly of muller.
my suspicion is it comes out of the whole women in office debacle. i think the term liberal is used because this scrapes against political values and not so much theological ones. i am in the no camp with regard to this issue, but it is not as disturbing to me as the embrace of arminianism seen in the crc and the embrace of wider evangelicalism. i'd prefer a woman who was a stauch calvinist than a man who is weak kneed. but you have to choose your battles.
rob bell is a rodeo clown not worth commenting on...
zrim,
Muller is great and I know some great students that are currently studying under him in for their PhD's. Liberalism at Calvin Seminary prevails mostly in the MDiv program - its hold-over from the H. Van Til era. Not many deny that there is a vast undercurrent of a post-modern type of liberalism there, even a few CRC pastors that I know acknowledge this sad reality. Women in office is just the tip of the iceberg - it is reflective of an over-all erred and critical hermeneutic that is being accepted.
As for the liberalism in the CRC, this is mostly at the Synodical level and mostly confined to the congregations closest to Calvin Sem - There are many faithful congregations in the CRC fighting the good fight (but for the most part losing it).
The Christian Reconstuctionism that I am referring to is the kind that says: "we must redeem all avenues of culture, life, and politics in an effort to usher in the kingdom of God." Whether expressed that boldly or not, this view is subtly held by many in the RCA and CRC (but of course, not limited to those denominations). Confessions ascribe the label, "Jewish Dreams" or "Jewish Opinions" to this mentality. In the "Creation, Fall, Redemption" paradigm they are missing the great climax of redemptive history; Consummation!
I believe in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is a difference.
More can be written here and I certainly didn't elaborate enough - but I am out of time and I think I am going wildly off topic. But that’s my 2 cents.
I HAVE BEEN KNOW TO TRAVEL AS FAR AWAY AS HOLLAND, MI OR EVEN KALAMAZOO ONCE. AND I WASN'T WEARING MY SEATBELT THE ENTIRE TRIP!! I AM STAN, FEAR ME!!! BWAHHAAAAHAHAHA!!!