While I obviously don't know if it's existentially true, I love what C.S. Lewis said on this topic: "Is it not frightfully unfair that this new life should be confined to people who have heard of Christ and been able to believe in Him? But the truth is God has not told us what His arrangements about the other people are. We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him."

Yeah. The Bible says a lot about salvation. Peter said repent and be baptised, Paul said it was about faith in Jesus, James said faith without works is dead, Matthew 25 mentions only works and rejects faith, John says no one comes to Jesus except God draws them.

Pretty much any church trying to parse the Bible's position on salvation does much the same thing: assume the passage(s) they find most congenial are clear and simple and really mean what they say, and interpret the other passages to fit that framework.

C. S. Lewis, I think, is quite sensibly cautious in treating the matter as neither clear nor simple.

In "What is wrong with my students?" news: Today, we were doing an in-class activity. The class split up into groups, and I gave each group a formula to prove, with instructions that they should pick one group member to write up their proof and one to present it to the class. One student immediately took out his laptop and looked up the proof online.

Coming in slightly late in this, but the song lyrics. I would say the song writer was Southern Baptist, just guessing based on the terminology because when I heard that song I knew exactly what it meant.

In fact there's a song "Washed in the Blood of the Lamb" (lamb here = Jesus)-- you can find the lyrics here - [link]

Well lyrics to the version Alan Jackson did.

Seems to me that phrasing is meant to be are you Saved or not with the "washed in water" not necessarily refering to other Baptism from other denominations but the "washed in water" more akin to being washed in regular worldly water.

But that could be just my own take on it. Jesus' Blood and being Washed in It or His Blood being on Things is a recurring theme in Southern Baptist hymns.

Hey all {{{buffistas}}} I skipped and skimmed 'cause I took the day of the internet yesterday. Does anyone have a good bread recipe for beginners?

Laga! Best book EVER: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. Seriously.

I had SUCH a good day, so why am I so freaking cranky now?

Ok. I think I know why I'm cranky. I could use someone to tell me if I'm overreacting or justified in my cranky.

I haven't seen CBD since Monday. We were supposed to get together last night, but he ended up canceling to play games with his friends (he plays with them every Friday night too). Apparently, they had gotten a new game that they loved, and they were going to play last night, and he was afraid if he didn't go over that he'd be shut out of playing that game in the future--or not be as experienced or whatever. So, fine. I studied then got together with a friend.

So, we had plans to get together on Sunday. Often on the weekend we'll spend most of one day together. Today he asks if I mind if we go to dinner with his parents. I say, fine. Then tonight I call to say that it's going to be warm, and we should go ice skating in the afternoon (we've been trying to go ice skating for a month now). He's like, "Oh, I can't. I've got a magic tournament. I'm just going to meet you at dinner."

So, I won't have seen him in a week, and when I do see him it will be at dinner with his parents. I'm annoyed. I'm not really upset, but I'm annoyed, and he doesn't really understand why. Am I overtired and overreacting? Or am I justified to be annoyed?

I would be annoyed.

Best book EVER: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Ooh that does sound good. I wonder if I can track down a copy by Saturday. That's bread baking day. For his vacation D has decided to do everything on the Mental Health Calendar (it has things to do each day instead of days of the week).

I would say you are justified in being annoyed.

You are trying to spend time with him and he keeps changing things around and not letting you know until (it seems) the last minute.

I would be more than annoyed. I would be wondering whether CBD was intentionally trying to get some distance. But I'm paranoid like that.