Tag Archives: religion
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.
Read MoreThe Fundamentals of Christianity, as encoded in the Writings of Moses
The core of the Christian/Jewish polemic: What was Moses trying to say? At the very core of the ministry of Jesus, and the teachings of his apostles, is a fundamental claim about what Moses was saying in the first five books of the Bible. Either he was saying that the Covenant struck at Mt Sinai […]
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The Naked Gospel
What is a ‘Christian Culture’? No matter how we define a Christian culture, it must begin with Christ himself, in who’s name it stands. By definition, everything that we find in “Christian culture” must be found in him, otherwise we are badly mistaken. That’s just common sense, right? So why is it that almost everything that […]
Read MoreReligious Freedom: Do Christians need to relearn it?
Freedom of Religion: A Christian EthicFreedom from religion? Some non-religious people think that the constitution provides for “freedom from religion”. It most certainly does not! It provides for freedom of religion. And it’s a vital freedom. So much so that what might seem to be a home-run for the Christian cause, which violates the freedom of […]
Read MoreEvangelism the Indonesian way: Become a Christian and be persecuted!
“Come on, do the call of Jesus” In the West we say, “Become a Christian and be blessed”. Not in Indonesia! Over there they say, “Come on, do the call of Jesus“, after explaining that this call involves experiencing the sufferings of Christ, which is “blessed”. That’s not what we tend to associate with “Blessed”!
Read MoreIs Ecclesiastes about feelings?
How are we supposed to feel when we read Ecclesiastes? I was asked whether the central message of the book of Ecclesiastes was “Pessimism”, or “Joy”. In other words, how are we supposed to feel when we read it? (Or perhaps, how did the author feel when it was put together?) I don’t think we’re […]
Read MoreWhat is a “Statement of Beliefs”, anyway?
“What we believe…” – Is that a creed? Is it a doctrine? Or is it just “What we could agree on at the meeting”? In this article I’m examining one specific article in one particular “Statement of Beliefs” to see what function it fills. I’ve been bothered by both the presence and the absence of […]
Read MoreThe 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 […]
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 […]
Read MoreTithing: Unbiblical. Shouldn’t we prevent believers from doing it, then?
Is it Permissible to Tithe? Tithing is not a New Testament principle, and despite endless attempts to make it sound like Christians are obliged to tithe, the Good Book simply doesn’t say so. But does this mean that we must stop people from tithing? Is it spiritually dangerous? Is it like circumcision, about which Paul […]
Jesus and the Wineskins: What does it mean?
Nobody seems to understand what the wineskins are about! A friend asked me what Jesus was talking about when he mentioned sewing patches onto garments, and putting wine into wineskins. I didn’t know the answer, and a quick overview of the commentaries revealed that nobody else does either. Most theories produce problematic answers Whereas there […]
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 […]
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, […]
Ecumenism in Roman Catholic theology: Lumen Gentium analysed for Ecumenism.
Summary – Lumen Gentium as an Ecumenical document Lumen Gentium, (“Light of Nations”, Vatican II, 1964) changed nothing in the ecclesiology of the Roman Catholic Church, and it was designed that way. But the whole process of Vatican II, including this document, did prove to be a catalyst for ecumenical dialogue in many ways. Again, this […]
“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 […]
Read MoreGentleness 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 […]
Is the practice of “Journaling” Biblical?
Define the Gospel In Christianity Today, on 14th June, 1999 (>Article<), nine Evangelical leaders were invited to “define the gospel” within about 300 words. The responses are very interesting, highlighting the various emphases of their various traditions.
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Christian Assurance, Apart From the Law: A Defence Against the Judaisers
Judaisers A ‘Judaiser’ is someone who insists that a believer in Christ must join the Covenant of Moses, which was ratified at Mt Sinai around 1300BC. The Apostle Paul was routinely persecuted by Judaisers, who were scandalised that Paul’s non-Jewish (“Gentile”) converts were not being circumcised. The Judaisers are back. There is a whole movement […]
- June 21, 2013
- / Category Baptism, Circumcision, Commentary, Covenant, Election, Ephesians 2, Galatians 3, Judaiser, Righteousness, Romans 4, Romans 6, Romans 8
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
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