More Random thoughts that are Bound to Get me in TROUBLE

Tod Bolsinger has a question, "What is your ideal church?" to which I responded:
1. The church is a people of the presence of Jesus (my sermon tomorrow). Laying on of hands..prayer..expectation of experiencing God in worship and community.
2. Very engaged in doing justice to the point that a distinctively simple life is present. People live frugally and sacificially for the work of doing justice globally and locally.
3. Discipleship is something that is done through "observation, imitation and discussion". The homes of people are open so we can learn how each other live. Community life as discipleship. 4. High view of scripture with respect to both our theology and our practice.
5. The arts are freely expressed in the worship experience and has representation from all cultures in the community and all ages.

Joe Kearns: Has some tough questions with respect to pro-life arguments and body/soul dualism.
My prolife position takes two forms:
1. Call me a knucklehead but I have never argued abortion on the basis of "body/soul" dualism but I always use biology. If a person says who knows when life begins why not say, "Life is when biological reactions are taking place" and hman is defined by genetics. So he issue has to do with the our law should protect human life that can with care experience the minimum level of self-consciousness and human experience.I would write the law in such a way that protects the elderly, the sick, the disabled, the retarded and the unborn but not a clinically brain dead person on life support. I would define it entirely biologically.
But I also am starting to see the merits of the following argument:
2. Members of human society and also governments are not only responsible for protecting the rights of individuals but also nurturing and promoting human flourishing for those who are not able to nurture their own flourishing. So society has an obligation to care for the sick and the state is obligated to step in if society has fallen to the extent where individuals neglect their responsibilities. This position has huge implications with respect to care for the elderly, children, the unborn and the poor. Nurture then is a positive good that humans are responsible for the obvious example is the care and the neglect of children.

and Blue Goldfish and I seem to qualify as one of those "iron sharpens iron" relationships.
brad