"Grace Is Not God's Backup Plan" - Adam Miller

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DarkJedi
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Re: "Grace Is Not God's Backup Plan" - Adam Miller

Post by DarkJedi »

mom3 wrote:Small threadjack here -
The week we did Paul's thing about grace in Philippians there were clearly some old guards who did not get it even with reference to Uchtdorf's talk.
One of my personal frustrations with the present church climate and direction is the near abandonment of Uchtdorf's talk, including the top leadership. The new policy, the Sabbath retrenchment program, the less than stellar Women's Essays - much of this could be replaced with an energized focus on Grace, on God's greatest gift. Let the rest ride out a natural tide. Let mercy, Grace, and love be the main focus. I think it would do the church, the nation and the world a lot of good if the LDS leadership focused solidly on that.

Rant over. Return to the regularly scheduled topic.
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
In the absence of knowledge or faith there is always hope.

Once there was a gentile...who came before Hillel. He said "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot." Hillel converted him, saying: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."

My Introduction
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LookingHard
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Re: "Grace Is Not God's Backup Plan" - Adam Miller

Post by LookingHard »

mom3 wrote:Small threadjack here -
The week we did Paul's thing about grace in Philippians there were clearly some old guards who did not get it even with reference to Uchtdorf's talk.
One of my personal frustrations with the present church climate and direction is the near abandonment of Uchtdorf's talk, including the top leadership. The new policy, the Sabbath retrenchment program, the less than stellar Women's Essays - much of this could be replaced with an energized focus on Grace, on God's greatest gift. Let the rest ride out a natural tide. Let mercy, Grace, and love be the main focus. I think it would do the church, the nation and the world a lot of good if the LDS leadership focused solidly on that.

Rant over. Return to the regularly scheduled topic.
Talking so much about grace he is talking a different language (with a cool accent).

I too have Adam's book on my list for Christmas reading list.
Old-Timer
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Re: "Grace Is Not God's Backup Plan" - Adam Miller

Post by Old-Timer »

Grace has been mentioned FAR more often from the pulpit at all levels in the last few years than in the previous decades of my lifetime.

I love that movement.
I see through my glass, darkly - as I play my saxophone in harmony with the other instruments in God's orchestra. (h/t Elder Joseph Wirthlin)

Even if people view many things differently, the core Gospel principles (LOVE; belief in the unseen but hoped; self-reflective change; symbolic cleansing; striving to recognize the will of the divine; never giving up) are universal.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken
Minyan Man
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Re: "Grace Is Not God's Backup Plan" - Adam Miller

Post by Minyan Man »

I just got this book. I'm looking forward to reading it.

There is a quote attributed to John Bradford:
There but for the grace of God, go I.
I've always hated it.

Because you're comparing your life or experience to someone else.
It's like saying: Thank God I'm not that guy.

Too far off topic?
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DarkJedi
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Re: "Grace Is Not God's Backup Plan" - Adam Miller

Post by DarkJedi »

Got the book for Christmas. It is a quick read, it's short, about 75 small pages with lots of space on the pages (for notes, perhaps?). It is not what I expected but I didn't let that deter me. It is not a Givens or Wilcox kind of book where the topic is expounded with all kinds of outside references and footnotes. There is an introduction by Miller and then each chapter of Romans is paraphrased (sort of retranslated) in Miller's own words. For example, the first verse of Romans chapter 2 reads thus in the KJV:
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Miller writes it like this:
Dead to life you'll try to hide behind your judgements of others. But there's no excuse for judging others. There's no excuse for twisting God's commandments around. They were meant to seal you to both God and your neighbor, not estrange you from them. When you use the commandments to condemn others and congratulate yourself, you're the one who ends up condemned.
I do like the book overall, but again it's not what I expected. I plan to read it again side by side with the Bible (probably more that one translation), but I would have preferred this book to be more along the lines of Wilcox or Givens.
In the absence of knowledge or faith there is always hope.

Once there was a gentile...who came before Hillel. He said "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot." Hillel converted him, saying: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."

My Introduction
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mom3
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Re: "Grace Is Not God's Backup Plan" - Adam Miller

Post by mom3 »

more along the lines of Wilcox or Givens.
Wow, could you imagine of the Givens took a crack at retranslating Paul. Mind blowing.
"I stayed because it was God and Jesus Christ that I wanted to follow and be like, not individual human beings." Chieko Okazaki Dialogue interview

"I am coming to envision a new persona for the Church as humble followers of Jesus Christ....Joseph and his early followers came forth with lots of triumphalist rhetoric, but I think we need a new voice, one of humility, friendship and service. We should teach people to believe in God because it will soften their hearts and make them more willing to serve." - Richard Bushman
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Re: "Grace Is Not God's Backup Plan" - Adam Miller

Post by Old-Timer »

The lessons yesterday in the third hour were on Pres. Uchtdorf's latest talk about grace.

They were wonderful. (I know, because I attended one and my wife taught the other one.)
I see through my glass, darkly - as I play my saxophone in harmony with the other instruments in God's orchestra. (h/t Elder Joseph Wirthlin)

Even if people view many things differently, the core Gospel principles (LOVE; belief in the unseen but hoped; self-reflective change; symbolic cleansing; striving to recognize the will of the divine; never giving up) are universal.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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