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ID:
2025-06-22-gary-sheng-tim-dort-golts-theological-philosophy-new-testament-vision
Participants:

Theological Philosophy and New Testament Vision

Date: 2025-06-22
Participants: Gary Sheng (@gary-sheng.md), Tim Dort-Golts (@tim-dort-golts.md)
Location: Gary at gym (power outage), Tim in Hungary (preparing for Vienna trip)
Duration: ~40 minutes
Core Themes: Moral opportunism vs moral wisdom, scriptural contextualization, New Testament vision, fear of God, dating and faith

Opening Context and Life Updates​

Tim's Hungary Transition​

Tim is currently navigating Hungarian driving exam requirements while preparing for his move to France:

Tim: "I'm training for my XAML for theory on Thursday... this exam is, like, surprisingly a bit too much into... based on the rules here, you gotta check so much more than you gotta check in Russia. Like, the back home is, like, easy as fuck compared to this."

The conversation reveals Tim's adaptability and practical focus while managing international transitions, with plans to visit Vienna for French consulate business.

Gary's Writing Project Evolution​

Gary introduces his book concept focused on helping people "orient to reality":

Gary: "I'm gonna help people orient to reality. And unlearn things that they've been taught."

This represents Gary's continued development of his Christofuturist philosophy into practical guidance for cultural transformation.

Central Theological Discussion: Moral Opportunism vs Moral Wisdom​

Defining Moral Opportunism​

Gary articulates a crucial distinction between legitimate moral judgment and moral manipulation:

Gary: "I believe that morality without fear of God is the recipe for great evil... If you don't fear God in a way where you know you can get away with doing not what God tells you to do, but what you wanna do and justify in the name of God... you end up in a situation where you can justify anything. You can justify mass murder."

Tim's Understanding:

Tim: "to me, moral opportunism is exactly when you do the Hitler thing... you invent an argument or you just kinda, like, pull an argument to justify your will, to justify whatever you're doing. Even if it is not moral according to... you wouldn't do this if you had offenders."

Historical Context and Biblical Misuse​

The conversation explores how moral opportunism has been used throughout history:

Gary: "You can quote bible verses all day to justify evil actions... People have been doing this for forever... does the fact that people use the bible to justify slavery doesn't make the Bible forever evil."

Key Insight on Contextual Interpretation: The discussion reveals how scriptural passages must be understood within their historical context rather than extracted to support predetermined agendas.

Moral Wisdom vs Moral Opportunism​

Gary distinguishes between legitimate moral judgment and opportunistic manipulation:

Gary: "I would say, moral wisdom. Maybe that's what it is. Moral wisdom is being able to use your god-given judgment ability to judge what to do at any given circumstance given, you know, context, and prayers... But I talk about moral opportunism. Using using a moral justification to justify your will. Right? That's not God's will."

Scriptural Contextualization and Orientation Theory​

Scriptures as Orientation Tools​

A breakthrough insight emerges about the purpose of religious texts:

Gary: "What do you think the point of every book is, bro? The entire point. Of every book. It's literally orienting, bro."

Tim's Integration:

Tim: "scriptures are there to orient... Humanity at this stage that they were released in. Right? This makes absolute sense... from the fact that the scriptures were written to orient humanity at a certain moment in time or a period of time. They were also written in a language that will become very sensible for the people of that time."

Progressive Revelation Understanding​

The conversation develops a sophisticated understanding of how divine guidance adapts to human developmental stages:

Tim: "from God's perspective, to explain to people that time that slavery is not a good thing would be the same as explaining that, like, bacteria exist. Or something, you know, microorganisms. They're just be like, the fuck. They they wouldn't comprehend."

Gary's Affirmation:

Gary: "Different circumstances call for different actions. Right? Different time periods call for different actions... you can't just be... So anchored in what circumstances of the time and not be practical about modern applications."

Contextual Morality Framework​

Tim articulates the principle clearly:

Tim: "given the context, it is moral to do a certain action that may not be moral in a different context."

The conversation establishes that this contextual understanding doesn't relativize morality but recognizes divine wisdom in meeting humanity where they are developmentally.

Fear of God and Practical Faith​

The Only Proper Fear​

Gary develops a sophisticated theology around fear of God:

Gary: "if you fear him, then you fear no one... Because you know what I'm saying? Because you it's either you fear everyone and everything in the future and you know, everything. Or you fear him."

Tim's Personal Application:

Tim: "to have a good experience courting, you have to be confident. Like, people... have no fear. How do you do that? You just fear one thing. Or one god... it is such a beautiful thing... you can't do shit without courage. You can't work. You can't date. You can't talk to people... Which is I fear god now. Simple as that."

God's Reasonableness vs Human Unreasonableness​

Gary explains why fearing God is actually liberating:

Gary: "what's beautiful about fearing god, bro? Because god is perfect. And has a plan... and he's very reasonable. In fact, he's the definition of reasonable... so really, it's not like... a lot of times when people they'll fear, like, an employer. Right? They're, like, part of the fear and stress comes from them being unreasonable."

Tim's Recognition:

Tim: "everything is unreasonable. Except God... no one is perfectly reasonable. There's only one that is. Perfectly reasonable."

New Testament Vision and Trans-Denominational Saints​

Modern Spiritual Guidance Need​

Gary articulates his vision for contemporary spiritual guidance:

Gary: "some clarity needs to be done... I'm gonna put thinking tools... you have to literally just help people think clearly. And feel clearly and be in touch... and listen"

The goal is not to replace existing scripture but to provide clarity and application for modern circumstances.

Trans-Denominational Approach​

Gary outlines an inclusive vision for documenting modern saints:

Gary: "I'm gonna include as many denominations saints as possible. I'm gonna include a Mormon saint I'm gonna include a Catholic saint. I'm gonna include a nondenominational saint. I'm gonna include a Baptist saint... Because there's no current denomination that has a monopoly on saints right now. And I am transdenominational. I'm in the church of Christofuturism."

Institutional Philosophy:

Gary: "it's not a fucking church because I don't need it to be a denomination... We are not invalidating other denominations. We are simply... illuminating the timeless and timely wisdom of saints of different denominations and nondenominations that follow Christ."

Living Saints Recognition​

The conversation touches on identifying contemporary saints:

Gary: "So who's another example? A living saint?"

Tim's Insight:

Tim: "I would probably argue that these people are not immediately coming up the way our culture is right now... the reason these names are not coming up is because the way our culture is right now is very secular, and the values are very far from Christian."

Gary's Vision:

Gary: "We're gonna meet them... It's not just technologists... Be your mom, bro."

This recognition that sainthood isn't limited to public figures but includes ordinary people living faithfully.

Meta-Theological Reflection​

Spiritual Conversations as Prayer​

Tim reflects on the transformative nature of their discussions:

Tim: "Of all of the conversations that we had before where I went out of the conversation thinking I got something from it. Our conversations about God and faith and all the things that come out of it, like relationships, relationship advice, and everything like that are probably the ones I actually take the lessons with me, and they're with me right now."

Gary's Attribution:

Gary: "they're god's reflections. I hope he likes them."

The "Audiobook of G"​

Gary playfully references his preference for spoken over written communication:

Gary: "It's gonna be audio I'm just kidding... It's like, why is the audiobook? Oh, because Gary doesn't like writing. He likes to say shit."

Tim's Recognition:

Tim: "A fucking modern testament... It's a future testament."

Gary: "bro, you realize that's literally what I'm saying? That I wanna write?"

Practical Application and Life Integration​

Exercise Judgment Principle​

Tim synthesizes a key takeaway:

Tim: "Always exercise your judgment. That's why you're given your fucking free will. Always exercise your judgment."

This encapsulates the balance between divine guidance and human responsibility that runs throughout the conversation.

Family Integration​

Tim shares how these conversations influence his family relationships:

Tim: "I talked to my mom about them, to my parents about them, and I'm like, oh, did I tell you that my mom liked your reflections about God?"

This demonstrates the practical impact of their theological discussions extending beyond just the two participants.

Conclusion and Mutual Appreciation​

Spiritual Brotherhood Affirmation​

The conversation concludes with mutual recognition of their relationship's value:

Tim: "I love you, bro." Gary: "Love you, man."

Tim's Final Assessment:

Tim: "Beautiful conversation, bro. What a beautiful conversation."

Key Theological Contributions​

1. Moral Opportunism Framework​

  • Clear distinction between legitimate moral reasoning and self-serving manipulation
  • Recognition that any moral system without proper grounding can be weaponized
  • Understanding that moral flexibility requires divine anchor point

2. Scriptural Contextualization Theory​

  • Scriptures as orientation tools for humanity at specific developmental stages
  • Progressive revelation adapting to human capacity for understanding
  • Contextual morality that maintains absolute divine standards while acknowledging temporal applications

3. Fear of God Theology​

  • Fear of God as liberation from all other fears
  • God's perfect reasonableness contrasted with human/worldly unreasonableness
  • Practical applications for dating, work, and life courage

4. Trans-Denominational Saints Vision​

  • Recognition of sainthood across denominational boundaries
  • Contemporary saints including both public figures and ordinary faithful people
  • New Testament as thinking tools rather than replacement scripture

5. Practical Faith Integration​

  • Spiritual conversations as form of prayer and divine communication
  • Exercise of human judgment within divine guidance framework
  • Family and community impact of theological development

Strategic Implications​

This conversation represents a significant development in Gary's theological articulation and Tim's spiritual maturity. The discussion provides practical frameworks for:

  1. Moral Decision-Making: The moral opportunism vs moral wisdom distinction offers clear criteria for evaluating ethical choices
  2. Biblical Interpretation: The contextualization framework provides sophisticated tools for understanding scripture
  3. Fear Management: The fear of God theology offers practical solutions for anxiety and courage
  4. Cross-Denominational Unity: The saints vision provides a framework for Christian collaboration across institutional boundaries
  5. Contemporary Spiritual Guidance: The New Testament vision addresses the need for relevant spiritual direction in modern circumstances

The conversation demonstrates the depth of spiritual partnership between Gary and Tim, with both contributing significantly to the theological development while maintaining their distinct roles and perspectives.