"With
my current Pastor and all y friends from this Church, I stand alone. They all
believe in free will and that is fine. IT isn't what i like to call a
"faith hinderer" of which i have only encountered one (
-- Yes, it is possible to remain in a place that does not subscribe
to Reformation teaching on these matters. These
matters have been termed as an "in-house" debate.
However, though that is true, I think that ideally one will want to be in
a place that is firmly committed to Reformed teaching, because these issues
really affect just about everything we teach.
So, I think that once you complete your study, if you do determine that
the Reformed view is correct, I would recommend that you try to find a place
that is committed to those doctrines in order to get grounded.
I take it you are in
As for the Dead Sea Scrolls issue, and Christ killing animals as a small boy, you are referring specifically to such things as the false Gnostic gospels, such as the Gospel of Thomas, etc. Take heart though: serious scholars understand that such writings as the Gospel of Thomas do not have any where near the credibility of the legitimate Gospels that are found in the New Testament. When one examines all of the data with reference to the Canon of Scripture, and the false Gospels and other writings that are out there, our faith, rather than being hindered, only grows more and more as we discover just how overwhelming the evidence is for the authenticity and historical veracity of the New Testament. Here are some articles that deal with that topic:
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/web/crj0088a.html
http://www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com/ - This link is a response to the popular boook and movie The DaVinci Code. The site was produced by the seminary I attend (Westminster Theological Seminary: www.wts.edu)
http://www.biblicaldefense.org/Writings/new_testament_reliability.htm
http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Bibliology/Formation-of-the-Canon/
http://www.carm.org/questions/textualevidence.htm
I
realize that I may have to leave my
-- Yes, quite honestly, you are on a completely different sheet of theological music, so to speak. You really need to be in a place that is committed to these truths, because they have far reaching effects. When you get back to the states, I would encourage you to check out one of these denominations:
www.pcaorg.net – this is the denomination I am a part of, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Individual congregations vary in worship style from very traditional to more modern/contemporary (the congregation I am a member of is a blend of traditional and contemporary).
www.sovereigngraceministries.org
http://www.founders.org/misc/chlist.html
There are other various independent churches that may be Reformed/Calvinistic, and I know that the Evangelical Free Church (http://www.efca.org/) has many churches that are Reformed. You would have to just ask the leadership at those places.
Well, I guess that's it for now! Sorry for the long response, but as you can see, these are very complex issues that require a lot of thought. I hope you have blessed time studying these things, and of course I will help in any way that I can.
In conclusion, I found the following statements made by Dr. Clyde Kilby and quoted by Dr. John Piper that I think really sums it up nicely:
"Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega." http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/976_10_resolutions_for_mental_health/