For the sake of brevity one thing was not expounded on in "What is the Gospel?". There is a key component upon which a correct understanding of the gospel stands or falls: sin. Without a correct view of sin the gospel looses its power.
Sin is best described, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is want of conformity unto or transgression of the Law of God. This definition is as condensed a view of sin as possible, but there is more.
In the pages of Scripture sin is described as: whoredom (i.e. adultery; Hosea 1:2), an egregious affront to God's eyes (Habakkuk 1:13), treason (Ibid.), et al. Furthermore, it is said of those who have sinned that they are: of a debased mind (Romans 1:28), unrighteous, evil, covetous, malicious, slanderers, haters of God, inventors of evil, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless (Romans 1:29ff).
How then can anyone have a low view of something the Bible takes so seriously? The answer to that question lies in their own sinfulness; for all have sinned (Romans 3:10ff) and no one is good and our minds are twisted and enslaved (Romans 7:19). Therefore, for the gospel of Jesus Christ to show the gravity of what occurred on Golgotha two thousand years ago, one must understand the situation that all men are in.
In the Garden of Eden it was promised Adam that on the day he ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil he would surely die (Genesis 2:17), but Adam and Eve did not die that day, at least not physically but spiritually. The Apostle Paul words the human condition thus:
"And you were dead in transgressions and sins 2 in which you once walked following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air (i.e. the devil), the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience (i.e. mankind)-..." (Ephesians 2:1-2, emphasis and parentheses added)
Sin is the reason that Jesus Christ died on the cross. Sin is the reason that a holy man, the only Son of God (Philippians 2:6), was falsely tried and convicted and murdered at the hands of those he had come to save (Luke 23ff). Sin is the reason that a Holy God poured out the full measure of his wrath upon His only Son to save sinners (2 Corinthians 2:16ff; Colossians 2:13). Therefore, any view that is less than that of the Bible and therefore God, robs the gospel of its power.
I was reading comments including yours on a Mother Jones' comment section. I can't sign in without having to add cookies which I refuse to do for Mother Jones. So here is a link that I wanted to give you that someone shared the beginning of the article, but includes so much more about ad hominem:
ReplyDeletehttp://plover.net/~bonds/adhominem.html
I suppose I'm supposed to take the word of someone without them backing up what they're saying?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.infidels.org/library/modern/mathew/logic.html#hominem
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ad-hominem.html
No, Obama is not declaring war on religion. RELIGION, in the form of Catholics smarting over their bad press about the child abuse, and the evangelicals who just aren't very smart, are declaring war on the constitution.
The proposition would go like this:
1) You are opposed to HHS maintaining their position that contraception is required by your insurance carrier that you must now provide
2)You are an Evangelical Christian, and therefore not very smart
3)Therefore, you are at war with the Constitution
Proposition 2 clearly is an ad hominem attack on Evangelical Christians not addressing either the issue at hand (contraception and HHS). Neither is original poster addressing the arguments of Evangelicals or Roman Catholics (e.g. the mandate is a violation of conscience, even indirectly, et al). Therefore, according to ACTUAL definitions of an ad hominem fallacy and not the raving pontifications of an anonymous, sourceless article, the remark is clearly an ad hominem fallacy.