Author Archives: Kevin Bennett

Are we “Born of God”, or “Adopted”? It can’t be both.

Does the Bible say we are adopted by God? I am quite certain that the Bible does not say we are adopted by God. It does say that we are born of God. Many commentators seem awfully confused about this, but that’s because they are reading an English translation of a Greek document, written in a […]

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The Veil Torn, the Earthquake, and the Resurrection of the Dead – Matthew 27:51-54

A dramatic account, but does it make sense? In Matthew 27, an orderly account of the process of Jesus’ arrest, interrogation, and crucifixion is proceeding along nicely, when all of a sudden there is a dramatic change. It is a change in style, and in content. No sooner does it begin, it is finished! But […]

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How to understand the “Two Natures of Christ”? That’s the wrong question.

The “Two Natures of Christ” The first generation of Christians had no trouble understanding that Jesus was human, and that he was also divine. Arguments only arose subsequently, when the theologians had stopped asking the right questions.

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The Kingdom of Heaven is like Yeast

Yeast: Bad… or good? Often in the Bible, yeast is a metaphor for things that are bad. So why did Jesus say that the Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast (Matthew 13:33)? Listen in, and find out!

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Be ye Baptized

Be Baptized Every One Of You Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are […]

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In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was gone…?

Lost in Translation So I was reading the New Testament in Tetum, the language of East Timor. I started to discover some interesting things that happen in translation. I thought I would blog about them, both to make notes, and to aid my fledgling comprehension of Tetum. The Tetum New Testament I am reading is […]

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… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 22

The Word on the Street “WHEN I SEE SO MUCH SUFFERING I WONDER IF THERE REALLY IS A GOD” So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there […]

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Life is Worth Living

It is Worth Saying that Life is Worth Living Crisis: In the last month, at least four people have committed suicide in the local Indigenous community. Conundrum: There is a deliberate policy of not publicising suicides, because it is well known that such news can trigger others to commit suicide. Effect: A whole community is left […]

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… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 21

The Word on the Street SO THEN I GOT DRUNK So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. I hope this series […]

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Come, let us reason together. To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom!

Plumbing the Mysteries of God In modern English when we describe something as a “Mystery”, we mean it has not been “solved”. Either we can get enough information and can solve it, or we can’t and it remains a mystery. But that’s not what the word means when you read it in the Bible. In the Bible […]

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… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 20

The Word on the Street FROM HIS FULLNESS WE HAVE ALL RECEIVED, GRACE UPON GRACE So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I […]

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… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 19

The Word on the Street AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. […]

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… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 18

The Word on the Street THE PARABLE OF THE ONE WAY STREET So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. I hope […]

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… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 17

The Word on the Street THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I […]

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… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 16

The Word on the Street Freedom So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. I hope this series gives a colourful insight […]

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Proverbs 31: Best Wishes from your Monster-in-Law

“A capable wife who can find?” I confess that I don’t like Proverbs 31. To be more precise, I don’t like what Christian thinkers do with it. Proverbs 31 deals, for the most part, with an idealistic description of “a capable wife”. It has, from time immemorial, been used to make wives everywhere feel inadequate […]

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A Parable to Explain Jesus’ Claim to be “Son of God”

The Kingdom of God is like a Furniture Maker… When people think about how Jesus’ can claim to be the “Son of God”, they most often think in terms of the Virgin Birth:   Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy […]

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John 20:19-31 – The Honoured Guests and Their Servant Leaders

Blessed are those who have not seen… Ever wonder why some people got a “bolt from the blue” encounter from God, and you didn’t? Jesus says that you are the one who is blessed, not them. How does that work…? I preached this message on Sunday, April 12 2015.

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“Zealot” – Reza Aslan’s Implausible Jesus Story

Not the Greatest Story Ever Told: Aslan agrees that the Gospels are “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, in his Author’s Note. His own version is… not. Aslan is a masterful storyteller (he should be, because he’s a professor of creative writing!), but the story he is telling has some serious problems. Aslan is not an historian, nor […]

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Reflections on the Trip of a Lifetime: In Review

The Greece and Turkey Trip in Review After we returned, I wrote a little summary of the Study Tour for my Bible College’s magazine, Summa Supremo. I found it recently and thought I’d add here.

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