AC,

I am speechless. Truthfully, I was about to pack it in and just go solo <pun intended. Thank-you so much for your kind words. Once again I am speechless. I agree not everyone is hung up on theology and doctrine. I was challenged once as to why I became a Christian and replied that I had nothing left to lose. (having lost everything) The very angry person informed me that I had to want eternal life, but the truth is I never worried about Origin of the Species, whether or not the Bible was true or not and all the classical things dealt with in apologetics. They never worried me for from a very early age, I was consciously aware of Jesus. At eleven I sang in a Church choir and just really loved the words about Jesus. Whenever hymns were sung I would sing them like I believed them. Crazy but I never had all the stuff that I keep getting told unbelievers have to straddle in order to come to faith, it was a gradual transition and then an explosive revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which lasted for nearly 12 days. I was completely blown away as I stood looking at the sun one morning and realized that Jesus had made it...etc. (I was told by numerous apologetics, that my testimony is subjective and therefore inadmissable as proof of the existence of God. I wondered if that was true it would rule out a considerable chunk of the Bible...but that is another story.)

I know that John Calvin brought much in the way of systematic study of the Scriptures but I still battle to have it so clinical and cold. In the end the Holy Spirit is the one who opens our eyes and hearts to the Scriptures, and certainly it is not beyond him to open up our eyes at a concert while listening to Ingaddadavida by Iron Butterfly, or whilst watching Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. I just think that all this Sola Scriptura stuff is so restricting and in many way blocks out a gigantic library of testimony. The essentially hateful ideas that are expressed towards Charismatic or Pentecostals because they are closer to the Roman Catholics in the way they are embrassing other religions is a deep frustration to me. I wonder where this is all headed if we are going to close our minds and not see that the word of the Lord is also written on subway walls.

Sorry, for more grief. I do not expect you to reply, it was just more of the same. Thank-you kindly and yes, I have a book by Augustine that I plan to read, 'The Confessions' the one that I am looking for is his, 'Retractions', but if you have something else that you think I could benefit from I would happily appreciate you sharing that with me. I have written a lot of stuff here, but the truth is your words have so stimulated me and your kindness has knocked me out.

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bif.gif" alt="" /> Thanks, I need it!