PIT (Point In Time) fallacy: Any theological idea, theory, etc., that comes into being at a certain point in time and, by implication, leaves everyone who existed prior to that point in time "out of luck" is not to be believed without careful analysis and thought.
Does believing something make it true?
Discuss: When Jesus makes this statement to Pilate, is it restricted to a PIT?

More: John: The reason for the season

Here are some examples.

• Suppose that a particular Bible translation is advocated by a group as the one and only inspired word of God. Does that mean that everyone in prior times was "out of luck"?
• Suppose a particular viewpoint is adopted for part of the Bible. Does that mean that everyone in prior times was "out of luck"?
• Aristotle, Eratosthenes, etc., talk about the earth being round, providing various levels of evidence and/or proofs. If one decides, for example, that the Bible says that the earth is flat, does everyone before who did not believe this "out of luck"?



More: Gnosticism and the point in time fallacy

Here is an example of a word slide where ideas change from the original Greek to Latin to Middle English to modern English and then some.

• The Greek word for (internal or intrinsic) "opinion" becomes the Latin word for (external or extrinsic) "glory" which takes on more meaning in English.
• The Greek word for "favor" becomes the Latin word for "grace" becomes the English word for "joy" which is similar to the English word "hedonism".

Soon, in a twisted way, the "favor of God's opinion" morphs into "God is glorified by our joy in Him" and called "Christian Hedonism".

The following is a traditional approach of frequentist statistical .

• Create a hypothesis called the null hypothesis.
• Gather arguments for or against the hypothesis. This often involves "cherry picking" of evidence.
• Order the arguments based on how convincing they are. Hide arguments not favorable.
• Use any deception techniques on the assumption that the "end justifies the means".

It has been shown (e.g.,, Judea Pearl, 1970's) that the frequentist statistical can show almost anything true and anything false as desired.

The Bayesian statistical approach, and the causation models developed by Pearl, fit more like a constraint-based logic system in a probabilistic fault-tolerant search for truth within constraints.

Details are left as a future topic.

Here are the five main points (just the claimed false points) of Rick Warden's outlining of Five Heresies of Christian Hedonism from his blog of January 25, 2017. Each idea is from Piper's writings.

• 1. "...we should pursue happiness, and pursue it with all our might."
• 2. "The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed."
• 3. "You cannot please God if you do not come to him as rewarder."
• 4. "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever."
• 5. "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him."

http://templestream.blogspot.com/2017/01/christian-hedonisms-false-dichotomy.html (as of 2024-02-24)

Note that while Warden calls these false points, a better way to phrase it would be that the Bible does not appear to support the ideas claimed by Piper. It is up to each person to decide, based on the evidence, whether the claims in the book are valid. There may be undesirable consequences for certain answers.

A leading figure in Christian Hedonism today is American evangelical and Christian pastor Matt Chandler. Here is a description of his study of the Beatitudes.

What does it mean to be blessed? And, more importantly, how do we become someone who is blessed? The kind of life God is calling us to may not look the way we imagined, but it will be better than we could have hoped. In this eight-session series, pastor Matt Chandler takes us through the Beatitudes and shows us what it means to live in the kingdom of God. Through Jesus’s teaching, learn what a blessed life really looks like.

Do you see any hints of Christian Hedonism in the description? Note the following of the Greek words in the Beatitudes.

• The Greek word "blessed" in the Beatitudes means "happy".
• The "Kingdom of God" is not in the Beatitudes. The "Kingdom of heaven" is a code phrase for a different idea.
• The description says "may not look the way we imagined". How might it be different?

The Greek does not appear to match the KJV (King James Version) translation.

• KJV: ... serving various desires and pleasures.
• Greek: ... serving desires and various pleasures

That is, the "divers" or "varied" appears to go with "pleasures" and not "lusts" or "desires". Another way to parse the sentence fragment is (by distribution) as follows.

• Parse: ... serving various desires and various pleasures.


• Good food and drink. What is wrong with the drink?
• Good food and good drink.

In the previous verse, they were not "asking". In this verse, they are "asking" badly. Is James saying that if we "ask" in the right way, we will get what we "ask" for? What's the "ask"?

The KJV translates as "amiss" a Greek word that means "bad".

• "κακῶς" ≈ "badly, miserably, maliciously" (as used here)
• "κακός" ≈ "bad, ugly, wretched, mean" (related word)

These words are used by Jesus to refer to those who have fallen and need the Good News.

The ancient Greek word "ἡδονή" ≈ "delight, pleasure, taste"and is the source of the English word "hedonism".

• Does "God" consider the "world" an enemy?
• Does the "world" consider "God" an enemy?

This appears to be a (not uncommon) converse logical error by James.

• The world considers God an enemy does not mean that God considers the world an enemy.

The Greek phrase «του θεου» appears in 496 verses in the GNT (Greek New Testament). In 494 verses this is translated as "of God" or "of ... God" (with an adjective, etc.). There are only 2 places where this is translated "with god". These are translated as "with God" for reasons that are not clear.

More: Converse fallacy: If A then B does not mean If B then A

Paraphrase: That (it is) not impossible (potentially possible) beyond every spoken word of God. (potentially possible means that it has not happened yet)

About the 16th c., the "every (spoken) word of God" disappeared. The "of God" was changed to "with God".

Before this, the following were used.

• 4th century Latin Vulgate as "omne verbum" ≈ "every word".
• 5th century Wulfila Gothic as "ainhun waurde" ≈ "each word".
• 8th century Old Church Slavonic as "всяк глаголгол" ≈ "each word".
• 10th century Wessex Gospels Old English as "aelch word" ≈ "each word".



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More: Something to say about words

More: Matthew 18:15-17 Conflicting and faulty resolutions

The Greek for "count" is related to the word for "hegemony". The word for "pleasure" is the source of the English word "hedonism".

Discuss: Do "sinners" or "false teachers" want to come into your church and "feast" with you so that you become part of their conspiracy? Are we really "better together"?

What do you think of when you hear someone having pleasure to "riot" in the day time, publicly showing their disdain for God and wanting everyone else to approve? The ancient Greek word "τρυφαώ" ≈ "coddled, pampered, indulged".

More: 2 Peter 2:1-22 Déjà vu all over again

The ancient Greek word "τρυφαώ" ≈ "coddled, pampered, indulged". Luke records the "delicately" or "pampered". This detail is not in Matthew.

More: A hard look at soft ideas

More: Matthew 11:12-14 Exploring the Kingdom of Heaven

More: 2 Peter 2:1-22 Déjà vu all over again

The LXX (Septuagint) adds, or the HOT (Hebrew Old Testament) subtracts, the "many good things". The LXX has "unjust sacrifices". The HOT does not have "unjust".

Can a sacrifice be "unjust"? Jesus says he wants "mercy" of the "strong" and not "sacrifice" of the "harmed".

Epicurus (341-270 BC) was a Greek philosopher who, rejecting Plato's ideas, founded the movement called Epicureanism. These ideas are still popular today and preached in some churches.

• self-sufficient life surrounded by friends
• absence of pain, control of anger
• peace and freedom from fear
• happiness and pleasure (hedonism)

Some pastors will preach on the great importance of having friends and make that part of their Bible teaching. It is hard to find Bible support for this idea.

Instead, one should "be a friend" as Jesus was, and not "need a friend".

More: Song: What a friend we have in Jesus

More: Philippians 4:9-11 Being content with self-sufficiency

More: Stoics and Epicureans

The ancient Greek word "ἐπικουρία" ≈ "help, aid" and is used by Paul as a play on words of the Greek philosopher "Ἐπίκουρος " ≈ "Epicurus" (341-270 BC).

Did Paul first become a "friend" of those to whom he was "witnessing"?

• Epicurus advocated having "friends" to "help" you and being "self-sufficient".
• Paul advocates getting "help" from God.



More: Stoics and Epicureans

Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr, the Beatles song "With a little help from my friends" was on the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album released on May 26, 1967.
It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help. Epicurus.

Consider Paul. No. Not Paul McCartney, but the Apostle Paul.

☐ Does Paul depend on "friends" for help?
☐ Does Paul get help from God?

What does Paul think of the "Epicurean" philosophy of having friends, anger management, etc.?

More: Stoics and Epicureans

Here are some quotes from Epicurus. Some may relate to Christian Hedonism.

We must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything, and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed toward attaining it.

If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.

It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself.

Here are some quotes from Epicurus. Some may relate to Christian Hedonism.

Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.

Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.

It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.

Here are some quotes from Epicurus. Some may relate to Christian Hedonism.

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

There is no such thing as justice in the abstract; it is merely a compact between men.

The Greek for "lovers of pleasures" has to do with being a "lover of hedonism" which is part of the philosophy of Epicurus.

• "ἡδονή" ≈ "delight, pleasure, enjoyment" and is the source of the English word "hedonism".



More: Stoics and Epicureans

More: 2 Timothy 3:1-12 Silly women in the she shed

The Greek for "more than" is that of "rather" or "instead of".

The ancient Greek word "μᾶλλον" ≈ "rather" as in "rather than". In a comparison, in context, it could be "rather more". The modern Greek word "μάλλον" (MAL-lon) ≈ "rather, more precisely".

More: 2 Timothy 3:1-12 Silly women in the she shed

Paul appears to be making the following contrast.

• "lovers of hedonism" as in the Epicurean philosophy

"rather than"

• "lovers of God".

Might this be a reference to ideas such as Christian Hedonism?

More: 2 Timothy 3:1-12 Silly women in the she shed

Verses 2-3: 15 words describing men. Verse 4 has 5, the last 2 a comparison.

More: 2 Timothy 3:1-12 Silly women in the she shed