Tag Archives: God
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?
- / Category Apologetics, Bible References, Commentary
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
Is 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.
- / Category Apologetics, Bible References, Commentary
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
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 […]
- July 19, 2012
- / Category Apologetics, Bible References, Commentary, Ministry
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
God and the Law in Queensland – A Juror’s Perspective
Summoned I’m on jury service at the moment. I’ll preface my remarks by reassuring everyone (including your Majesty), that I won’t disclose details of defendants, cases, witnesses, etc. I was mildly surprised, in my initial introduction to the Queensland Criminal Justice system as a juror, to find so many mentions of God in the functioning […]
- July 14, 2012
- / Category Commentary
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
A modern epistle: from the mouths of babes
Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old (Matt 13:52). I was going through some old files on my computer and I stumbled on this one. It’s kind of an epistle, written to my own church community. At […]
- July 13, 2012
- / Category Reflection on Ministry
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
The Ministry: “I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom…”
What possible value can come from simply “being there”? I’ve begun a habit of sitting in the Ipswich Mall every Tuesday. Several people join me regularly, a wide array of people I know come past during the day, and sometimes I also make new friends. I believe this is what God has for me at […]
- July 10, 2012
- / Category Marketplace Evangelism, Reflection on Ministry
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 1 Comment.
Church Leadership: Could Jesus be right?
What is leadership in the kingdom of God? The question of leadership in church life is a hot one. The Roman Catholic view, which consists of a single hierarchy of authority governing all aspects of church life, culminating in a single figure in the Pope, is profoundly different from the cell-church/home-church model consisting of as […]
- June 13, 2012
- / Category 1 Thessalonians 2, 2 Crorinthians 12, Commentary, Ephesians 4, Luke 14, Matthew 20, Philippians 2, Reflection on Ministry, Servant Leadership
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
Bonhoeffer – A scholar, a gentleman, a rebel, a martyr.
What did Dietrich Bonhoeffer think he was doing? Bonhoeffer had much to say about discipleship, and was also a vocal critic of the Lutheran Church’s inaction against the Nazis. Was he just a busybody with opinions about everything? No, he had a view of discipleship that applies as much to the church as a whole, […]
- June 11, 2012
- / Category Martyr, Research
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 2 Comments.
Street Links 2012 – God does not show favouritism.
Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (Jas 2:5) I attended the Street Links event in Ipswich this week. Last time I was there, I was as part of one of the […]
- June 6, 2012
- / Category Favouritism, Marketplace Evangelism, Reflection on Ministry
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 1 Comment.
Smacking: Can we “spare the rod”?
Is smacking children the “Christian” thing to do? All around the world, governments are defining child abuse in ways that include various physical discipline methods: in some jurisdictions it relates to leaving bruises, in others it relates to the use of implements other than the open hand, and so forth. In many, there is a total […]
- June 1, 2012
- / Category "the rod" of discipline for children, Commentary
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
Marketplace Christianity – In a Marketplace!
What is Marketplace Christianity really? Generally, the term “Marketplace Christianity” is used to describe the way in which a believer can represent their faith in their normal life – in most cases, at work. I do think its helpful for us to ponder how to live out our life in such settings, but is the […]
- May 29, 2012
- / Category Audio - Preaching, Church Group, Marketplace Christianity, Marketplace Evangelism, Mission to the Marginalised, Reflection on Ministry, The Human Connection
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 5 Comments.
“Struggling with Sin” is not “normal”. Don’t settle for it.
Why would a preacher say that it’s ‘normal’ to be struggling with sin, when the Bible says that it isn’t? Several times recently I have heard a similar message from different preachers, essentially: we should anticipate an ongoing struggle with sin, or various kinds of disillusionment in our faith, or times of feeling that God […]
- May 19, 2012
- / Category Commentary, Sin
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
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 […]
- / Category Apologetics, Commentary, Reflection on Ministry
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 1 Comment.
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 […]
- May 17, 2012
- / Category Apologetics, Commentary, Reflection on Ministry
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 7 Comments.
How many churches are there?
Why are there so many denominations in the Christian faith? What’s the difference? Does it matter? I was wonderfully confronted by the living God in a little Anglican church, and came to faith. Since that time I have been quite involved in a Salvation Army church, a Churches of Christ church, a Pentecostal church, and a church that […]
- May 12, 2012
- / Category Church, Church Group, Commentary, Reflection on Ministry
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 2 Comments.
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What 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 […]