With the previous post about works being on my mind I am thinking of my Christian friend who, at least in my mind, is a “No Assembly Required” Christian. Whenever I mention works he immediately says that I must be doing works in order to gain heaven. No matter how many times I have to told him that is not the case he continues to … Continue reading Works and Heaven….
Since we are into the beginning of the Christmas season the above title came to mind. Although I was not fortunate enough to be a parent I certainly sympathize with those who are when it comes to having to assemble things like bicycles and such for their kids for Christmas. I imagine to many parents the words “No Assembly Required” is a much sought after … Continue reading Assembly Required….
Maybe someone can help me out with this question. Were all the Apostles baptized with water? I don’t recall seeing this in the Bible. If water baptism was so important then surely Jesus insisted that all his immediate disciples be baptized. If they were baptized this surely would have been a major event in their lives and someone would have reported it. If I change … Continue reading Were the Apostles Baptized??
I believe that to constantly harp about our sinful state is more harmful than anything it might accomplish. I believe that we should teach our children that they were made by God and God does not make junk. I believe that God means for each of us to accomplish certain distinct things while we are here on his earth. I believe that God is very … Continue reading I Believe…
A close member of my extended family died yesterday after a long and agonizing downward spiral. For the last two years she was no longer of her own mind and became a very spiteful person. It was totally sad to see her in that state for so long. It is not that she was a superhuman before that but she was not unlike many today … Continue reading A Long and Agonizing Death…
In line with the last post about possible bias by the Gospel writers in relation to the Beatitudes let’s look at some modern day interpretations. To those of us who think one of the primary reasons Jesus came to us was to show us how to live the Beatitudes are front and center among Jesus’s words. In light of the last post I am going … Continue reading Beatitudes
How much of an agenda did the original Biblical authors have when they were writing their words? Were the differing parallel verses found in the Gospel text simple misinterpretations or remembrances or were they intentionally different because of the differing views of the authors. How much different did Matthew and Luke view Jesus’ messages. Looking at the differing parallel verses of the Beatitudes found in … Continue reading Differing Parallel Verses and Theological Agendas…
In many Bibles, some words are set apart with a red font. Why is this? It is to remind us that when God became Man and personally gave us words that those words are probably something we cannot afford to miss. So why don’t many churches today take the “red letters” to heart? Why aren’t we doing more to be Christ’s hands and feet to … Continue reading Why Red Letters??
Jesus warned us not to pledge our allegiance to worldly things but instead to give that honor to God alone. His most often example of idolatry was money. But today there is literally a myriad of things that we have chosen to put up as idols in God’s place. One of these in my mind is the greed around the concept of universal healthcare. Jesus … Continue reading Is the Greed around Universal Healthcare a form of idolatry???
