Mere Christianity

There is a nice little comment battle at Mere Comments following this post (and apparently continued here). Assuming you are like me, and don't have time to read the whole e-debate, I'll reproduce my favorite part.

Here is a comment by a reader, David:

Mr. Hutchens and Mr. Nicoloso,

During time of year where we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace why not take a break from 'discussing' the problems a Christian group of which you are not a part of? We Evangelicals are certainly not immune from criticism, and I wouldn't deny you your voice, but perhaps a better use of our voices right now would be to join together and sing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!"

We have many differences, and they matter, and I don't propose ignoring them. But I think a Mere Comments version of the WWI Christmas Truce would help us remember that we have so much more in common. And that it what I appreciate most about Touchstone.

And a great response from S.M. Hutchins:

Alas, David, if only we could.

But I have before me an Evangelical Bible (the TNIV) that makes the angels' song, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests"--"men" (anthropois) removed.

Who should give up his principles to join the angel choir? Will the egalitarian sing "men," or the rest of us sing "those"? Do you begin to see what kind of damage has been done by the innovators--what kind of wound they have inflicted upon the Church? It does not stop bleeding during Christmas. If anything, it gets worse.

The egalitarians, whose translation this is, constantly involve us in nothing less than the question of whether we worship the same God. They must consequently worship in their own places, and we will worship in ours. They should have thought of their inevitable estragement from Christendom before they changed the Bible. Or maybe they did.

Yours is a nice thought, but while there may be lulls in the battle, there can be no truce.

Not only must we keep the nativity at the center of Christmas (per Pope Benedict), but we must keep striving for the absolute Truth of it all. Merry Christmas!