Category Archives: Apologetics
… 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 […]
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 […]
Jesus’ strange sayings about God: Not so strange after all
Jesus is sent by God, and is God, and is equal to God, yet prays to God…? I was in discussion recently, and this topic arose. Some of the Christian rhetoric around the “Trinity” doctrine and other Christology can be hard to follow, and I get that. In fact there have been some fairly substantial […]
Read MoreAsking the right questions about what “Son of God” means
What does it mean when Jesus says he is “Son of God”? Jesus claimed to be God’s son. He claimed to be both equal and subservient to God. This mystifies theologians today, because they find it hard to reconcile these two things. It isn’t supposed to be that hard. Let us ask not how Jesus […]
Read MoreThe Angels at Christmas time: What’s with that?
Why is there so much about angels in the Nativity narratives of the Bible? The Biblical account is a narrative. It is constructed in the form of a story. So if the whole story of God is being told through the history of God’s dealings with creation, who is the story for? Who is the […]
Read MoreOriginal Sin: The Original Meaning
Original Sin, the meaning revealed… without even mentioning sex! Original Sin is a doctrine completely separate from any notion of sex or sexuality. The Church has managed to confuse those ideas in most unhelpful ways throughout history, but I won’t be doing so here. So if you’re in the mood for a salacious, sexy romp […]
Read MoreGenesis 2:2-3 – Why God rested
Why did God rest? We often ask our Biblical texts questions that they were not designed to answer. This can be ok sometimes, and it can yield information that is good and helpful. But at other times it can result in us reading the text in ways that were never intended, potentially obscuring or even […]
The fear of death: A Reason for Faith?
Is faith all about the fear of death? People who don’t pursue a faith conviction like Christianity or Islam, which teach about the afterlife, are sometimes left to wonder why on earth people “of faith” are interested in such things. One suggestion they come up with is that it is because of the fear of […]
Read MoreWhat is the “Authority” of the Bible?
The Nature of the Bible’s authority So if the Bible comes from the “people of God”, rather than falling out of the sky directly from God, how can it be said to be authoritative? The Process As we have seen, the Bible came together as a process over countless generations, and human beings were most […]
Where did the Bible come from?
So where did the Bible come from? Rather than describing the process theologically, that is, in terms of how God spoke or what the role of humans was in the process, we can talk in terms familiar to the non-believer: Sociology. What is the sociological process involved in the formation of the Bible?
Read MoreIs the Bible actually “the word of God”?
In what sense is the Bible, “the word of God”? This sounds like a simple question to answer, but it is actually a long-running and very heated debate amongst Christians. Many claim that the Bible is “the word of God”, but they often mean different things by that statement.
The Holy Bible: Offering An Explanation for the Atheist
What can an Atheist be offered about why the Bible is important to Christians? Shouldn’t we (Christians) be able to describe the Bible in terms that an Atheist can understand and appreciate, even if they don’t share our view of it’s spiritual authority? The pithy, “the Bible is the word of God” really won’t do […]
Gentleness and respect. Sharing your faith.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect – 1 Peter 3:15 Some time ago I had a long (spanning 18 months) conversation by Facebook email, with an Atheist who sought me out after […]
How to: Converse with an Atheist about faith
How do we talk about faith with Atheists? I don’t claim to have the final word on the topic, but it’s about time for an initial word! For several hundred years, Christianity has too often approached the Atheist with pointed finger, and accusations and threats. All in “love”, of course! Because we don’t want the poor […]
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- If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you – Matt 12:28
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Genesis 3: No Curse on Adam and Eve. “μη γενοιτο”!
Human kind was certainly not cursed by God at the Fall, nor would it be theologically possible It is said (widely, but for example at Bible.Org), that when Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed them. This is not true, and I plan to demonstrate not only the fact, but also the theological reason why, it […]
- November 22, 2012
- / Category Apologetics, Commentary, Curse, Fall (of mankind), Genesis 3, Total Depravity
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 2 Comments.
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