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Old 10-01-2012, 06:30 PM   #212
Peter Debelak
I Have Finished My Course
 
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Avon, OH
Posts: 303
Default Re: Should Members Obey or Submit to Church Leaders?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy View Post
That's the second time you've said that, and I still have no clue what it means.
Well, that's what I get for living in a narrow jargon community...

"Entailment" was used so often in my academic community that I just assumed it was a word commonly used in the general public. My bad.

It is a term in semantics - the study of meaning - and often used in formal logic.

In short, if a subset of something (Set A) is fully included in another set (Set B) then it can be said that the meaning of Set B is entailed by Set A's meaning. Think Venn Diagrams.

Thus, for example, the phrase "John is a man," is entailed by that statement "John is a bachelor." Since all bachelors are men, then if he is a bachelor, he must be a man. The reverse it not true: not all men are bachelors.

Soooooooo, back to the topic: I would argue that a healthy individual Chrisitan walk necessarily entails having a corporate spiritual life. Why is that? Because that is what Christ is after. Thus, if you are genuininely seeking Christ and seeking to live Christ, you will - necessarily - be led into group fellowship and even work. I emphasize "healthy" individual walk. It is entirely true that "rogue" individual believers can have an individual walk that doesn't include fellowship with other believers. I would say that the lack of fellowship is a barometer or "red flag" that the individual walk is unhealthy.

The reverse is not true. "Being part of a group" - signing onto its mission, doing work within and with it - does NOT necessarily entail having a healthy spiritual Christian walk. It is entirely possible to have a "successful" group experience without ever having to learn to hear the Spirit within.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Debelak View Post
A rigorous human order does not necessarily require faith. This is not an argument for confusion, but an argument about entailment.
That is if you focus on a healthy living by faith in God, you will get "order." If you focus having "order" you may not need any faith at all to succeed. As I said, a matter of entailment


Any clearer?

Boy, this forum really has helped me to realize how many jumps and leaps I make in my explanations, thereby utterly failing to make clear cogent points! Ugh!

In Love,

Peter

P.S. Just because the word I used is a very nerdy word, does not mean the thought I am trying to convey isn't a real, genuine and experienced-based one. I''m not arguing for some "mental ideal" thought up in some ivory tower. Hope that comes across.
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