Arguing on Twitter | Christ: “Wisdom is Justified of Her Children”

IE: The proof is in the pudding | Dr. Anthony Bradley

Mar 14, 2021

I had a twitter interaction with a man I have much respect for.

Professor of religion, Theologian, Researcher.

I noticed on his Twitter thread that he was comparing the results of evangelicalism vs Catholicism and how Protestantism yields superior fruit. Its worthwhile to compare notes…especially if we are looking for the best solutions. Paul himself said, “Prove all things - hold fast that which is good”

Here we go:

Anthony B. Bradley @drantbradley

After my fraternity book, I’m considering notes from 20+ years of 18-24 year-old evangelical church-raised guys explain why they’re agnostic. Parents made the same tragic errors: 1) wrongly assuming teens only need Christian peers. Teen guys first need immersion with adults.

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley The LDS church sends young men on 2 year missions. Hard to find a better way to prepare a Christian man for a lifetime of service.

Anthony B. Bradley @drantbradley

@RealTJHale Israel has mandatory military service. That's probably much better, esp., for where guys are developmentally.

I thought it was weird that mandatory service in the Jewish military was a better option but I don’t expect an evangelical to accept the premise that an LDS mission is the missing link

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley Are we still referring to prevention of agnosticism among Christian men?? I'll clarify that by "service" I meant a lifetime of Christian service expected from the lay member/Priesthood holder.

He wasn’t alone

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley Is mandated military service really seen as a better tool for combating agnosticism then voluntary, self funded ecclesiastical missionary work? This is fascinating.

Is the nicest way possible he explained to me that its because the Church of Jesus Christ is a cult, so there is no way that a “true Christians” would “prove” or “hold fast” to anything that was cult.

Anthony B. Bradley @drantbradley

@RealTJHale Yes, historically so but I’m also not convinced that the practices of what evangelicals call “a cult” would be a recommended model for helping evangelical young adults stave off becoming agnostic (since evangelicals don’t believe Mormons are Christians).

namb.netAre Mormons Christians? - ApologeticsWhen taken as doctrine, “cultic” is the only way to describe the teachings of the Church...

I am certain the Dr. assumed there was something in this article that I hadn’t heard 1000 times - and I admit if I was in his position I would believe the same thing. These articles do a very good job of pointing to scriptural “evidence” of doctrinal differences - but the people who use these tactics do a very poor job of pulling context & themes from the Bible, relying instead on their interpretations of singular verses…example: (Rant incoming)

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley Honestly If I were a sectarian/evangelical I’d probably feel the same way. If I were willing to compare notes..it would bother me that the “cult” model was achieving far superior results. I could dismiss the methods & condemn the doctrine (above) but how would I account for it?

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley This is an explicit theme of the New Testament. Critics of Christ & Apostles could readily cite their disagreements of interpretation in scripture/tradition. They struggled to reconcile/rationalize what they “knew” with what they observed. If you will indulge me:

Exhibit A: Missionary Work

Christ commanded that we are to preach the Gospel to every nation, kindred, and people. Revelations says that the everlasting gospel was possessed by an angel and it would be shared with every nation, kindred, and tongue. Observe:

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley 1)The Church of Jesus Christ has 70,000 FT missionaries around the globe preaching to every nation, kindred, tongue, & people....at their own expense. While some disagree it’s a fulfillment of scripture...Name another church that could accomplish this, honestly? Its a miracle.

Exhibit B: Temples.

The Lord’s covenant people have always received instructions regarding temples - including when, where, and precisely how they are to be built. There are numerous prophecies in the Bible about temples prior to and after Christ’s return. There is also one in Revelation about the time when the Temple will no longer exist, due to us being in the presence of the Father. (Temples are to prepare us to return to his presence…so it follows)

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley 2) The Church constructs/maintains Temples all over the world (expense=billions of dollars) to gather scattered Israel in the last days. They recently announced temples in the Middle East, India & China. What other church could accomplish this? It’s a miracle.

Christ’s dire warning to those who deny miracles

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley There will eventually be thousands. I have other examples but my point is that I would shy from using derisive labels if I could not account for the power & authority manifested in the works. That tactic played out poorly in the Bible and Christ cursed entire cities for it.

The Last 5% Makes All The Difference

Other examples include lay clergy, fertility rate (along with every other social metric from education to charitable giving to voting patterns) & the settling of the American West. The point is that in churches that have 90-95% doctrinal overlap - has anyone considered that if the fruits are far better from one tree than the other (especially someone already making comparisons between Protestantism & Catholicism) then perhaps the last 5% makes all the difference.

There was nothing in the article above about how Christ treated those who derided Him while ignoring miracles that they themselves could not explain. This is as important a lesson from the Bible as any of the verses in that article:

HaleStorm @RealTJHale

@drantbradley Re:agnosticism The results should be studied/modeled even if evangelicals disagree w/ the doctrine...moreso if they are certain its a cult (devil, drunk, sinners, etc.) Christ’s own words: Wisdom is justified of her children. IE the proof is in the pudding. Good day & God bless

Wisdom is justified of her children can also be translated to read “of her deeds/works” Christ cursed entire cities because they ignored great works. They dismissed the power and authority of God by apathy, ignorance, or rationalization.

The good Dr. has not responded and I don’t expect him too. I suspect that his answer to the questions above would be similar to that of the Pharisees when asked about John’s authority, “We cannot say”

Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good.