Really, is this your quote that reflects openness to change ... flexibility?
"We’ve had this conversation before. You haven’t changed your mind and I haven’t changed mine. I respect that."
Yes. More precisely, a restatement of my openness to change, flexibility.
Are you open to change what you believe?
A time frame question. About how long would you say that it takes people to make such a dramatic change about what they believe concerning God?
You know it's odd that in 32 years I've never met a Christian that adamantly or even mildly claimed to be an anti-Nicene Christian. Likey there aren't many.
Your phrasing here jumps off the page at me. Is it an intentional word play?
I’m adamant about being an Ante-Nicene Christian. I’m not adamant about being an anti-Nicene Christian. Do you understand the difference?
I feel pretty confident that you’ve met many anti-Nicene Christians in your lifetime. They aren’t supposed to speak about it on the board, though many do anyway. They’re skating on thin ice. I’m aware of several of them being banned during my brief time on Christianity Board.
There are millions of Ante-Nicene Christians in the world and some are active members of Christianity Board. I accept your anecdotal statement that you’ve never met any - myself excepted - during that span of time who adamantly (like me, for instance) or mildly claim to be representatives of Ante-Nicene Christianity.
Christians recognized the deity of Christ long before the Council of Niceae.
That’s true, as far as it goes.
Before the Council of Nicaea -> before 325 A.D. -> Ante-Nicene Christianity.
The writings preserved, in whole and in part, from the Ante-Nicene period of Christianity documents that some Christians did and some Christians didn’t. Even early Church documents written after 325 document it. Have you read, for example, what Gregory of Nazianzus wrote about it in AD 380? (It’s remarkable, as the noted Church historian Philip Schaff points out in his work,
History of the Christian Church.)
If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend to all our readers (trinitarian and non-trinitarian alike) a book on the subject written by Dr. Harold O.J. Brown. The title of the book is
Heresies: Heresy And Orthodoxy In The History Of The Church. (This is an excellent trinitarian source. He wrote for the specific purpose of persuading people who have left the orthodoxy of Nicaea and Chalcedon to return to that faith.)
You can't can't through the book of John without recognizing that specific theme.
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life". Just that verse alone is so powerful and deep. You are following tje Way but ...
Do you know what TRUTH means? Reality, all reality lies within Him. " In Him all things consist ( are held together); meaning - every atom in the universe.
Do you know what LIFE is? He is saying I am the source of all life , physical and spiritual. All things were created by Him through Him and for Him, visible and invisible - everything. So He did not create himself.
I’ll take your commentary on what he says under advisement.
Just curious. Do you think this is the first time I’ve heard this from anyone?