Jesus vs Paul?
(January 22, 2016)Difficult issues series It doesn’t take a lot of reading in the New Testament before you notice that Paul seems to have a different emphasis to Jesus. Can we learn something from these apparent differences?
Tag: doctrine
A "revelation of God’s true nature"?
(December 29, 2015)I concluded my previous post on DNA and evolution with this comment: “DNA is fundamental to all life. As christians we can see it as part of the way God has set up the universe. So we should be willing and interested to learn what it tells us about life. I think what we learn […]
Why did Jesus have to die?
(December 9, 2015)Difficult issues series It is one of the most central teachings of christianity that Jesus died to save us from our sins. But it has come under scrutiny in recent years – from believers, who want to understand and explain it better, and from non-believers who attack it as barbaric and illogical. There are many […]
Conserving the old vs welcoming the new
(November 8, 2015)Difficult issues series Christians are often seen as conservative – about their beliefs, about politics and about ethics. The old joke asks “How many christians does it take to change a light bulb?” And of course the answer is: “Change???” So how do we know when to hold on to what we’ve got, and when […]
Close to misunderstanding Jesus?
(November 1, 2015)Difficult issues series On the first Counting Crows album, Adam Duritz sang about Maria, who said she was “close to understanding Jesus”. But I can’t help feeling that modern western christianity has covered Jesus in layers of theology and convenience, and is close to misunderstanding Jesus. If you think that’s harsh, please read on.
Is Bible inerrancy a key doctrine for christians?
(July 30, 2015)Difficult issues series The inerrancy of the Bible has become a divisive doctrine in recent years. Many churches and colleges, in the US in particular, treat this as a “make or break” doctrine, lecturers have been sacked for denying it, and accusations are made against those who hold a different view. At the same time, […]
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord’?
(June 17, 2015)I was reading an article today by a christian minister who I respect, and he said: “Christians gather in order to listen to the Scriptures being read, and to the gospel being proclaimed.” It made me think ….. Why?
Face to face with the Old Testament
(May 22, 2015)The Old Testament presents a number of problems for many christians. We are taught it is the inspired Word of God, yet it contains many things we find difficult – Genesis 1-3 is contradicted by evolution, God commands his people to invade and kill, and there are some strange events that are hard to swallow […]
Old Testament God angry, New Testament God loving. Right? Or wrong?
(May 15, 2015)In the Old Testament, God, who is variously known by names like Elohim, Yahweh, Adonai and El Shaddai, is active, angry and violent – talking to Moses, defeating armies, guiding by pillars of smoke and of fire, and threatening those who disobey. But in the New Testament, God seems to be more relaxed – a […]
Knowing God's will – do we have to learn Greek?
(May 4, 2015)It was an argument about women preaching in church. The first guy was a moderate and a historian, and he wrote a book about why women should be allowed to preach. The second guy was a pastor and a conservative, and he argued against this view. The first guy replied, the second guy responded. Each […]