Tag: Bible interpretation

Knowing the Way – scripture, experience, learning, tradition and the Holy Spirit
(May 9, 2017)

In the discussion on my previous post, Nate has questioned my approach to authority and christian belief. I do not believe the Bible is inerrant, and I said that most christians accept other sources of knowledge also: “reason and evidence, church teaching and tradition, and the Holy Spirit”. And so he asked: “Why does the […]

"The light given" – does it make sense?
(May 7, 2017)

My (internet) friend Nate has a blog, Finding Truth which I regularly read. We disagree profoundly because Nate is an atheist and former christian, while I still follow Jesus. So we cross swords occasionally, often disagreeing (amicably) with the approach the other takes to questions, evidence and arguments. He is gracious enough to welcome my […]

The kingdom of God – a ticket to heaven?
(January 25, 2017)

I was talking with an evangelical minister recently, about social justice and the mission of the church. He felt evangelism should be clearly our highest priority, because it has “eternal consequences”. I suggested that wasn’t how Jesus saw things – his main message and highest priority seemed to be the kingdom of God. But the […]

Should christians accept everything in the Old Testament as truly from God?
(January 17, 2017)

I was intending getting onto some more positive topics, but I decided I needed to have one more look at this matter. My previous post, Did God command killings in the Old Testament or was that a misunderstanding?, examined an incident where Jehu became king of Israel by killing the former king, Joram. In discussion […]

Did God command killings in the Old Testament or was that a misunderstanding?
(January 6, 2017)

Arguments rage about the Bible and how we should interpret it, especially about the Old Testament. Conservative christians are often critical of those who take a “liberal” view, which conservatives see as destructive and unfaithful, while sceptics tend to see the conservatives as not following the evidence. Is there any way to break through on […]

Important enough to repeat
(December 29, 2016)

In the five and a half years I have been blogging here, I have posted 360 times. Some of those posts are forgettable, some I think are quite important or innovative. (I like to think so anyway! 🙂 ) But a couple of recent comments suggest to me that one post is important enough to […]

The real story of Jesus' birth?
(December 21, 2016)

The Christmas story is known and loved by many people who wouldn’t call themselves “christians”. The details are well known: angels, a stable with straw and animals, shepherds, 3 wise men with gifts, etc, and in the centre a glowing mother and a perfectly formed baby. Historians are not so sure about all these details, […]

Another king?
(November 24, 2016)

Critical issues:I think this post raises a crucially important matter for christians today. It was mob violence, but at least it didn’t lead to a lynching. Jason and a few friends, converts of the apostle Paul, were dragged before the city officials and angry accusations were made: “These men [meaning Paul and company] …. are […]

Red letter christians?
(November 14, 2016)

We are visiting family in the US right now, and the recent Presidential election is on everyone’s minds here. Reports are coming in that apparent white supremacists have been attacking, verbally or physically, people who belong to minorities such as blacks, Muslims and Latinos. Right wing christians are expressing relief that Hilary Clinton, who they […]

A wave of the Spirit we should be catching?
(October 26, 2016)

I came across a blog post today that summed up what I think has become a significant movement within christianity. Learning from a “hippie heretic” The post was This Nameless Movement of God on Chuck McKnight’s blog Hippie Heretic, and it was based on just one premise (taken from fellow blogger Brian Zahnd): “God is […]