Is this the "book chapter and verse" that indemnifies the cafeteria christians and their Jesus lite take on their Abrahamic religion ?


Pastor Dan Steen, Prairie Lane Church, Omaha
In Matthew 15, Jesus gets frustrated with the Pharisees because they criticize the disciples about hand washing, but they are missing what really matters. They have mixed up their traditions with God’s words. It’s so mixed up that they don’t really know the difference anymore. Jesus says to them, “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
So, we see the Pharisees don’t really know the difference between what is important in their faith and what is not. This was a mostly a problem with their hearts. They wanted their external actions to cleanse their insides. They wanted their strict obedience to turn into righteousness and holiness. But it wasn’t working. Their hearts were still hard; and this is why they end up picking fights over the wrong things. Is it really such a big deal whether the disciples wash their hands or not?
So, Jesus changes the discussion from their hands to their hearts. First, allow God in. First, get your heart in tune with God. And this will happen when they accept the message and person of Jesus. Then, at least they would be heading in the right direction. A new heart and the experience of God’s grace will provide more wisdom to discern between important rules and their own made-up traditions.
Likewise, we also need to be able to distinguish between God’s word and tradition in our faith. We need to know what is important and what is not. We need to fight the right battles. A heart in tune with Jesus will bring wisdom and discernment with it. Being loved, forgiven and accepted by grace will change how we look at and treat others. The Gospel changes our hearts first, and then our actions follow.




Pastor Steen never uses the phrase 'scripture cherry picking' but it sure looks like this could be his weaselly way of justifying the practice.  Or am I missing the point of his sermonette ??

Jesus hated water. He thought that as long as he had clean feet his whole body was clean. He liked to douse himself in perfume instead of washing his whole body with water.

(November 14, 2015 at 9:39 pm)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: Jesus hated water.  He thought that as long as he had clean feet his whole body was clean.  He liked to douse himself in perfume instead of washing his whole body with water.

Perhaps son of God and prince of peace is made entirely of lipophilic molecules.

Perhaps Pastor Steen is just an asshole?

(November 14, 2015 at 9:30 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: Is this the "book chapter and verse" that indemnifies the cafeteria christians and their Jesus lite take on their Abrahamic religion ?


Pastor Dan Steen, Prairie Lane Church, Omaha
In Matthew 15, Jesus gets frustrated with the Pharisees because they criticize the disciples about hand washing, but they are missing what really matters. They have mixed up their traditions with God’s words. It’s so mixed up that they don’t really know the difference anymore. Jesus says to them, “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
So, we see the Pharisees don’t really know the difference between what is important in their faith and what is not. This was a mostly a problem with their hearts. They wanted their external actions to cleanse their insides. They wanted their strict obedience to turn into righteousness and holiness. But it wasn’t working. Their hearts were still hard; and this is why they end up picking fights over the wrong things. Is it really such a big deal whether the disciples wash their hands or not?
So, Jesus changes the discussion from their hands to their hearts. First, allow God in. First, get your heart in tune with God. And this will happen when they accept the message and person of Jesus. Then, at least they would be heading in the right direction. A new heart and the experience of God’s grace will provide more wisdom to discern between important rules and their own made-up traditions.
Likewise, we also need to be able to distinguish between God’s word and tradition in our faith. We need to know what is important and what is not. We need to fight the right battles. A heart in tune with Jesus will bring wisdom and discernment with it. Being loved, forgiven and accepted by grace will change how we look at and treat others. The Gospel changes our hearts first, and then our actions follow.




Pastor Steen never uses the phrase 'scripture cherry picking' but it sure looks like this could be his weaselly way of justifying the practice.  Or am I missing the point of his sermonette ??

every religious teacher cherry picks scripture to align with their personal beliefs and agenda for any pastor to criticize others for cherry picking the bible is absolutely hypocritical they all do that most of what is in the bible is metaphor with no clear rules for interpretation so of course everyone is going to take liberties interpreting it as they think it should be interpreted every denomination has a different interpretation .

No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.
George Bernard Shaw

I concur, jenny1972, that that is what they do, however, I am of the notion that just because everyone else is doing it doesn't make it right, especially if God said it ain't right.

IOW, if the folks fronting for God are pandering their wares as the 'Truth', then they are stuck with every jot and tittle of it, since it sezzso in their book. That it's inconsistent, confused and confusing, contradictory, illogical, befuddled, cruel, stupid, impossible, and psychotic ain't my problem, it's theirs. If ain't none of them 'doing it right' just makes it all the better, but they all still need to have their noses rubbed in it, and rubbed in it till they admit it's fucked.

What the sermonette describes is not an example of scriptural cherry picking. It is an example of the Scribes and pharrisees re-writing the law of moses to mandate their traditional beliefs/give their traditional beliefs the same weight at the law of Moses carried. This is what 'cherry picking' ultimately leads too. a change in the law to justify a belief.

A good christian example of this is what Paul says about 'beware of those who put restrictions on who can and can not marry." verse certain religions telling priests they can not marry. This religion has taken the works of a few good men who did not feel they had to marry (which was ok with Paul's teachings) and mandated this practice across the board because that was thier tradition. this is what the pharisees did in the hand washing example.

their were many examples in the law about washing before certain ceremonies and certain priest decided to carry this practice over to all other aspects of life. No problem in doing so, until this became a tradition, and the law makers decided to add this to what God had actually said, then began to persecute those who did not follow the tradition as if it were God's law.

This practice infiltrates all aspect of every religion. Christianity is no different. Which is why i tend to stay away from doctrinal expressions of Christianity and try and only teach biblical Christianity. My study in Romans will show a huge difference in what most of your think Christianity is, verses what Paul/The bible demands it should be.

Why? for the same reason Jesus blasted the pharisees here...

Quote:It is an example of the Scribes and pharrisees re-writing the law of moses to mandate their traditional beliefs/give their traditional beliefs the same weight at the law of Moses carried.

And your evidence for that statement is?


We're waiting.

(November 17, 2015 at 2:42 pm)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:It is an example of the Scribes and pharrisees re-writing the law of moses to mandate their traditional beliefs/give their traditional beliefs the same weight at the law of Moses carried.

And your evidence for that statement is?


We're waiting.

From the OP:
In Matthew 15, Jesus gets frustrated with the Pharisees because they criticize the disciples about hand washing, but they are missing what really matters. They have mixed up their traditions with God’s words. It’s so mixed up that they don’t really know the difference anymore. Jesus says to them, “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”