Tag Archives: Scripture
Heaven: “a banquet of aged wine — the best of meats and the finest of wines”
Heaven as “a banquet” There are numerous Biblical texts which liken heaven, in various ways, to a great banquet. But how is this properly used in general conversation, in apologetics, in evangelism, or in pastoral care?
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 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 MoreWe are his “hands and feet” because we are the “body of Christ”? Oops, mixed metaphors!
As a member in the “Body of Christ”, am I His “hands and feet”? I was interested to hear someone recently suggest that we Christians are the “eyes”, “hands”, “mouth”, etc. of Christ. It’s a neat metaphor which indicates our responsibility to act, perceive and speak on God’s behalf, and to that extent I have […]
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Infant Baptism: Yes, or No?
Should we Baptise infants or not? My view on Infant Baptism attracted some interesting feedback from a lecturer: “Some original and neatly articulated theological reasoning”. If I’m right, of course, it’s not “original” in the sense of being a new invention, but in the sense of being the reasoning which produced the Scriptures in the […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Gospel of John
The Gospel of John: Many people’s favourite book, but scholars neglected it for centuries!
“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 […]
What is Transubstantiation? When a Zebra is not a Zebra; it’s an Ottoman, but it’s still a Zebra.
What is Transubstantiation? The Roman Catholic theology of Transubstantiation describes the Bread and Wine ceremony (Eucharist) as “the actual partaking of Christ in person, hence literally”. Many Protestants consider it to be a metaphor or a mnemonic instead. Who is right? Firstly, let’s just acknowledge that people have died over this question. In the Reformation, at various […]
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 […]
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Isaiah: Hiddenness
Isaiah and the theme of Hiddenness In the Book of Isaiah there is a notable theme describing a kind of “hiddenness”, which refers to spiritual blindness and deafness by the people. It is a fascinating theme, and often misunderstood. This is a little journey through the Book of Isaiah tracking on this particular theme.
- August 20, 2012
- / Category "Eyes to see", Commentary, Hidden, Research, The Book of Isaiah
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
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