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Guided Reflection Presentation
Guided Reflection Presentation
Cory Edmonds
3/2/2019
For my guided reflection presentation...i decided to go into the area of the dots and the
lines.
This was a concept that, prior to taking this class, i had no understanding of and had never heard
of it. Before learning about the theological concept of “the Dots and the Lines” i generally had
trouble with my inward feeling of seeing the truth, and then seeing people who were so close, but
seemed to keep missing the mark. It was a feeling that the church could never be unified because
of the petty arguments and squabbles between denominations, but my spirit believed otherwise. I
knew, deep down, that there had to be a better way, a way to get back to the concepts laid out by
the first church. A way to bridge the gap between the various fields of theological thought. And
the dots and the lines helped do this for me, helping with the turbulences i was feeling inside.
We have our dots. The dots are those things that are absolute in scripture, “regardless of
version” that are laid out and well understood. These things the body of Christ could put there
lives down on, knowing that they are truth. On the other hand..we have our lines. How the lines
works is that, when people utilize things like human reason “which is inherently flawed in
everyone” and try and find answers to things not clearly stated in scripture but, having enough
2 Edmonds
evidence within the dots to make rational conclusions about it “ and knowing God's character
and heart behind the other scriptures and Dots”, we come to believe something based on this.
The thing i learned from this class was, to not worry so much about arguments regarding those
lines. By the inherent nature of how the lines are created, and the absolute variety of
interpretation that brings “no two people are the same” no one knows which lines may be right,
and which will be wrong. The only way any of us will learn which is which is in heaven, where
god will explain to each of us the areas where we were right and wrong. Knowing this, it's much
easier to be accepting and understanding with those whose lines differ from my or my church's
own, as there not worth arguing over. Istead, the whole body of christ needs to find a way to take
this concept to heart and work together to do God's work, and get rid of anything that is a clear
false prophet and taking away from the legitimacy and heart of the church. We need to get to a
place where the criteria of being saved is by God's grace and jesus sacrifice, and if a church
holds the whole scripture to heart, teaches it as it is meant to be, and lives a life that reflects god,
they need to be our brothers and sisters. And because of the dots and the lines, i can take this
understanding with me in all my future dealings with other denominations i don't agree with.