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Dan Dowd

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  • Dan Dowd
    Jan, email me and I will send you a link to download the chart. - Dan Dowd
  • Dan Dowd
    Mary Beth, I apologize for having to mark it private for now. The sermon title and graphics were from a different sermon. When that is fixed the sermon will once again be public. Dan Dowd
  • Dan Dowd
    Gary, your comments are valid. Loving our enemies does not have to mean that we need to be in their presence - especially if they are hurting us. Some people are better loved from afar even as you said. The point of my message was that we are not allowed to hate an enemy because of how it hurts us, and because God has a desire for them to be in His family.
  • Dan Dowd

    Thank you for your question! The God's Word Translation is a “closest natural equivalence” translation. On the chart, I would put this to the right of the New Century Version. The authors add interpretation that is not supported in the original manuscripts. The Passion Translation goes even further towards a paraphrase putting in the same area as The Living Bible. There can much more said, but I hope that answers your question.

  • Dan Dowd

    You are using a false line of reasoning to refute the point I am making. A day like Valentine's Day was never originally practiced to honor the one true God. A song might be problematic depending on the words used originally, but many songs with no false teaching or without an origin of being against God's teachings can be used to put some beautiful thoughts to honor God instead. Having said that, there are songs or hymns I won't sing because they use words that teach doctrine in opposition to God's Word and to His clear instruction of how we are to live. Following your lines of reasoning, we can do anything we want, say anything we want, use any symbols the way we want, as long as we say we don't accept what most people know to be the origin or meaning of those things. We are to worship God through His Spirit and in His truth (John 4:24).

  • Dan Dowd

    Thank you for your query. The point I am making is to not show love under the trappings of what is recognized in Valentines Day. If I buy flowers, or chocolate or take my wife out to dinner on that day, everyone assumes I am doing it because of Valentines. This is no different than if I exchange presents on Christmas Day with someone - are presents wrong? No, but everyone assumes I am doing it because I accept the symbolism used for that day. The point is to honor God without the handed down false teachings of so many holidays that proport to honor God (or at least have a Christian tradition).

  • Dan Dowd

    David, The Geneva Bible is similar in approach to the KJV. It was the go-to Bible before the KJV became more popular and is a word-for-word translation in approach. It was also used as a guide for some of the translators of the KJV. I did not include it in this article because it is not a widely available translation and for most people the old English wording is hard to read.

  • Dan Dowd

    I am so very glad this article was helpful to you! I find Job's story to be one of great encouragement when it looks like everything is falling apart - God is with us as we yield to Him.

  • Dan Dowd

    Stefhanie - while sources are not noted in the article I didn't want to distract from the article with the number of sources I found in the points I made. A web search will turn up the information I used in writing this article. I used the article from the Fox News article noted as a starting point and went to various medical sources to see if the article had good science. It did not. Thanks for interest!

  • Dan Dowd

    Brandon,
    In writing this article I did come across a number of articles written by biologists (or biologists who were interviewed) who did claim these "vestigial" organs had no purpose. This position still shows up routinely in high school and college text books.

    Yes, it is amazing to consider the complexity of life on this planet! If considering that we humans are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made" is pressing Biblical inerrancy then I accept the charge. The reality of our existence (and the rest of life on this planet) is simply too finely tuned and complex to be explained by the theory of evolution.

    Thank you for taking the time to write!

  • Dan Dowd

    Thank you James!