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Contra Stavrinides
by Frank Nelte

PART I: AN OVERVIEW

The official position of the Church of God on the nature of God can, according to Kyriacos J. Stavrinides, be expressed in one compact statement: God is one being in three hypostases --- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Let's notice the approach Dr. Stavrinides has taken to reach this conclusion:

1. He is critical of the Bible being of any value in matters of "theology" ... to use the Bible in matters of theology is simply part of "the Protestant heritage".
2. Since he has no "explicit" (i.e. BIBLICAL) evidence to support his ideas, he builds his whole case on, what he likes to call, "implicit" (i.e. NON-EXISTENT) evidence ... by which he means reasoning from isolated Biblical statements, usually taken out of context.
3. Since he has no "explicit" (i.e. BIBLICAL) evidence to support his ideas, he builds his whole case on, what he likes to call, "implicit" (i.e. NON-EXISTENT) evidence ... by which he means reasoning from isolated Biblical statements, usually taken out of context.
4. The material he presents to the ministry of God's Church is based on two general Councils of the Catholic Church: the Council of Nicea and the First Council of Constantinople.
5. But before he presents this material, he FIRST has to discredit that the Bible really means what it says (i.e. in every area where the Bible contradicts his ideas). He tries to do this in "PART I" and "PART II" of his outline. THIS TAKES UP ONE THIRD OF HIS WHOLE PRESENTATION ... into #6 of the video tapes!
6. Under what he calls "problematic areas" and "the usual mistakes" he lists 7 points:
   1. A) the meaning of "ELOHIM";
   2. B) John 1:1;
   3. C) John 1:14;
   4. D) the NATURE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT;
   5. E) SPACE and TIME;
   6. F) ANALOGICAL language;
   7. G) ANTHROPOMORPHIC pictures;

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