I don’t believe that the collection of documents put together in the fourth century by Emperor Constantine’s council which is known today as the Bible was one hundred percent dictated by God. Because I believe there is a human element to it some say that I surely must therefore deem it all worthless. No! No! No! I really tire of saying this but I must … Continue reading What about the Bible???
Some say I am too negative on this site and there is probably some truth to that. So with this post I am starting a new category called “Let’s show the world”. These posts will be about positive things we can do to make Jesus Christ more visible in the world today. They will also include stories about churches and other Christian organizations who are … Continue reading Let’s Show the World….
RJ’s Comment Wouldn’t it be great if Christian billionaires got together to make a similar pledge except in Jesus’ name and for even more? How about 90%? For that matter why not Christian millionaires too? Wouldn’t that send a message to the secular world? Continue reading How about it Christian Billionaires??
This is a quick post with a question that popped into my head. I see from an article I read a while ago that scientists think they are getting closer to being able to confirm that there is life elsewhere in the universe. I wonder what the Christian beliefs are about this possibility? I suspect that as with almost everything else in Christianity it is … Continue reading Life in the Universe?
This post will close out my current thoughts on institutional purity. I have made it a point that institutional purity has done some grievous harm to the Body of Christ. I am therefore saying that we cannot insist that there are certain things you must believe in order to call yourself a Christian? In my mind yes there are some things that are fundamental but … Continue reading The Musts of Institutional Purity
The idea of institutional purity is noble in purpose but very faulty in delivery. The idea goes something like this: “Since we are the only ones to really understand the true nature of God we must protect our ideas from getting polluted by the rest of the world and in particular other Christians who think differently but are wrong. In other words we must fight … Continue reading Institutional Purity (Part 2)
I want to bring some comments from a previous post entitled The Right of Passage to the forefront so that the issue is clear. It has to do with my leaving my church home of the last eight years. As pointed out below I did short circuit the formal process at it’s beginning stages by volunteering to leave. I chose to take immediate action rather than to … Continue reading For Clarification….
I know some of you might be confused by the title of this post. Let me assure you up front that it is not about how you make your body pure by eating worms 🙂 . This topic is much too heavy to settle well in your stomach even if it were steak. The theme of the next three posts is really about is that … Continue reading Institutional Purity & the Diet of Worms
Some people probably think that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy applies only in the military. In reality it applies in several places in our lives. One of those is our local church. That is if you are a member of one of the churches that demand a high level of compliance to their beliefs. I was up until recently a member of one of … Continue reading Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell
Here I am a senior citizen so I thought I had completed all of life’s rights-of-passage. But I was recently proven wrong. Because of my stand, here and elsewhere, that I believe that the earth is more than 6,000 years old I have been asked to refrain from some worship activities at my current church! It seems I am not allowed to believe the age … Continue reading A Right of Passage….
Here we are in the Christmas season so the virgin birth will be mentioned many times in the coming weeks in both our Bible readings and our hymns and songs. Let’s take a 21st century look at this phenomenon and also ask some first century questions about it. Let’s start with the first century questions. There are some things in the bible that require us … Continue reading Virgin Birth…
In a recent exchange of comments with a reader of this blog he made the comment that I was demeaning other Christians when I say we are not doing a very good job of following Christ’s examples and words. By pointing out a supposed weakness in someone’s walk with Christ am I putting them down? Am I demeaning them? I think not. Am I possibly … Continue reading When you tell someone that they could do a better job of following Christ are you demeaning them?
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???
In questioning this claim, my wish is not to diminish the life of Jesus, but to honor it as fully as I can by asking whether his elevation to divinity is something he would have wanted. One telling clue to Jesus’s self-awareness can be found in the tenth chapter of the gospel of Mark when Jesus was approached by a man who called him “Good … Continue reading Did Jesus Ask Us to Worship Him??
I have been doing some studying on the concept of universal salvation or reconciliation. Here is what Wikipedia says about it: Origen was a 3rd century proponent of Universal Reconciliation. The belief in the eventual salvation of all humankind has been a topic of debate throughout the history of the Christian faith. In the early Church, universalism was a flourishing theological doctrine. Reconciliation is the … Continue reading Universal Salvation..
Here is a quote by Philip Gulley who is a Quaker minister and author. I couldn’t have said it any better At the end of the day, it is important to remember that while the institutional church is important to us, Jesus appeared to give it little thought. Though the church eventually became the means by which the story and witness of Jesus spread, neither … Continue reading The Institutional Church
I believe that affirming our potential is more important than condemning our brokenness. Many churches I have attended put a very strong I would even say an overwhelming emphasis on our brokenness. Their creeds which are chanted every Sunday point out that we are nothing but poor miserable sinners and are capable of absolutely nothing good. Besides causing inferiority complexes in those to buy into … Continue reading Affirming our Potential
I am back from my seven week hiatus and with some fresh insights. During this time I have stopped thinking about theology. It just became too troublesome for me to continue the way I was going. But, I have now come to some foundational conclusions. I was just getting too drained worrying about all the different views of Christ that exist in the world today … Continue reading A New Beginning….
I have come to the point where I need some time away from theology things. So I will stop blogging on RLL starting today. How long my hiatus will be I don’t know right now. Thanks to all of you who read me on occasions. I am humbled that you think my words are worth your time. I pray that all of you continue to … Continue reading Some Time Away….
Let’s look at some more red letters today: John 8:3-11 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to … Continue reading Go and sin no more…
Let’s continue on with our study of Jesus’ words about forgiveness. Last time we concentrated on Jesus’ forgiveness of our sins. This time we will look at what Jesus says about us forgiving others who sin against us. Let’s jump right into the red letters. Mark 11:22-25 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, … Continue reading Jesus and Forgiveness … Part 2.
Let’s spend a couple of posts talking about Jesus and forgiveness. Many Christians frequently point to the words from St. Paul in Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. They take those words to mean that there will … Continue reading Jesus and Forgiveness… (Part 1)
RedLetterLiving 