The
This page is dedicated to the spiritual
exploration and thinking that has evolved from endless hours of hammering on
the fundamental spiritual truths of life. Below are links to a variety of
writings in various states of development that may be of interest or use to the
reader.
As is true in the creation of iron art,
each of these presentations is but a temporal statement of current thinking. I reserve
the right, based on rational feedback, a new discovery of my own or any other
artistic reason or my own, to throw any one of these back into the fire for
more hammering or tempering.
Please understand that the points of view
espoused here do not project onto any other person or organization. They are
born out of my own personal struggle for truth and some of the truths I have
found that I deem as important to pass on. If your opinion differs, I would
like to hear it, but only in the context of honest dialogue about truth.
I have also added other
articles at the bottom that are worthy of consideration that I did not
write, but consider worthwhile. All or any of them are used by permission only
by the author. Also check out the links to other sites I
have thought worthwhile.
NEW! Check out the new
An effort to promote the development of
fiction writing and poetry as a means to spiritual insight and growth.
Articles by Frederick Faller
The concept of “sin” is
often misunderstood, even by those who use the word the most
And are most concerned
about its consequences on our lives..
In “Missing the Mark”* I examine the sin as a positive, motivating force in our lives of faith.
Changes often cause
idealism to swing in the opposite direction from the thing that is
currently being changed
in what we refer to as the “pendulum effect”.
In “Sour Grapes and the Abolition of the great Pendulum”* I ask, “Does this have to be so?”
Our Western concept of
“Righteousness” is not really what God intended righteousness to be.
Take a look at this alternative thinking in “Right or Righteous?” *
Here are a few thoughts on fasting
that I have collected over the years.
This is not authoritative, but will give you a lot to think about. “… they will fast …” *
Some of the greatest spiritual truths of the world are
couched in paradoxes.
In “Heads and Tails” *, I examine how paradox in spiritual thinking is essential
for understanding many of the teachings found in the Bible.
There is a subtle cultural distinction made between
the belief and faith.
In “What is a Believer?”,* I examine the effect this has in weakening our
view of how we need to believe.
Focus on prayer
The following are the notes from the class that I am teaching on prayer in Framingham, MA in the spring of 2005. These are my raw teaching notes and may not be something that can be deciphered without being in the class, but feel free to take a look.
Week 1: Do You Believe?
Week 2: The Divine Connection (“Can you hear me now?”)
Week 3: The Discovery of Prayer
The notes on prayer from the Rhode Island Married Men’s retreat * (Nov. 2002)
To a large extent, I believe that many persons have
undersold their right to a spectacular relationship with God.
In “Musings on Prayer” *, I explore some thoughts and experiences that make this idea real.
Articles by other Persons
“Obedience to the Unenforceable” was written by Kelly Petre and examines why we do things
that no one else has the power to enforce by rules, laws
or force.
“Our Eternal Hope” Justin and Amy Haight take a look at the
importance of having
a clear view of the eternal world as we strive to live
joyful temporal lives.
Early Christians
and War, by Amy Haight, examines briefly what some of the first to third
century
Christians believed about war. Worth a read in the times
that trouble us now.
Links to Other Worthwhile Sites
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Opinions Wanted
I believe that “hermeneutic”, or the fundamental assumptions upon which we base our understanding of the scriptures, determines to a great extent where we end up in our thinking about God and the community of the church. I have started putting together some thoughts on this topic for addition to this page. If you have any insights on this topic, feel free to send the to me.
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If you like what you have found on this site, you may want to consider my
visionary fiction novel,
“A Sword for the Immerland King”
If you have any questions, comments, quotes, quips, quibbles or quiet reservations about this page and its contents, please contact me at fwfaller@immerland.com Please keep responses positive, as I reserve the right to ignore any of them that are not.
The copyright laws of the United States protect the
content of these papers in several ways.
Most persons use copyright privileges to protect their right to profit
from their efforts. The copyright laws
also protect the content and phraseology of the work so that the original
author is free from the hassle of other people quoting, misquoting or restating
his words or his point of view. Copyrights also protect the use of this
material by others for financial gain without permission of the owner.
For the purposes of this collection of notes, you are
free to copy them and distribute them in
their entirety, without modification as long as it is not sold or printed for
sale in any form. I encourage
this. I believe these subjects are of
vital importance to modern day disciples of Christ and want to see as wide a
distribution of the ideas as possible.
However, rewriting, editing, commenting, reformatting,
publication, printing or reprinting for financial gain or quoting without
regard for copyright laws is unacceptable. Please consider my effort in this
area and honor this request.
Frederick W.
Faller
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