[sword-devel] Doctrinal Statement

[Dan Blake]

I agree with Troy about letting anyone create code and other tools for
SWORD.  I do think, however, that the issue of weather or not to distribute
"material contrary to traditional orthodox Christianity" should be decided
now and that we never change that decision again.  It gets the topic out of
the way before there are modules created that could influence that decision.

> o As far as content, I personally will not ship CDs that contain
> material contrary to traditional orthodox Christianity.

> o I have not been against non-Christians contributing code directly to
> the project and honestly haven't thought to ask.  If it's good code, I
> use it.
> o Now thinking about it, I would probably still hold to this stance by
> means of the verse: "... notwithstanding, every way, whether in
> pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached" Phil 1:15-18

If you look at this verse you notice that Paul said I don't care if it is a
believer or a non-believer preaching, as long as they are preaching CHRIST!

Galatians 1:8  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed.
Galatians 1:9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any
other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Paul was very much against people that preached a distorted gospel.  I vote
that we never distribute "material contrary to traditional orthodox
Christianity".

We can't stop people from making these modules, but we should not put our
"stamp of approval" on contrary works by distributing them.

Another account we should look at is:

Acts 1:17  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are
the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
Acts 1:18  And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and
said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out
of her. And he came out the same hour.

One of the lessons I see here is that Paul needed to confront this woman to
show she was possessed even though she was speaking the truth at the time.
If Paul had ignored her, after they had left town, she would have been free
to say/teach anything she wanted and her words would have carried much more
weight because the men of God listened to her.  It wouldn't be true but it
would still have been how people perceived it.  So Paul took away all doubt
about were this woman's words were coming from and that they didn't have
anything to do with that spirit except to cast it out.

Daniel Blake