Four years ago I published a post entitled Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism. The first two paragraphs read as follows: Moralistic, therapeutic deism, a term first used by Christian Smith, seems a fitting description of much of what passes for Christianity in North America. The followers of this religion believe in a God who wants them to … Continue reading Confusion about the Gibeonites
The Bible
The name of God
LORD, in upper case letters, appears 6,510 times in the English Old Testament. This is not a translation of some Hebrew word meaning Lord, but of YHWH, the name of God. This name was first revealed to Moses in the account of the burning bush Exodus chapter 3. God tells Moses that His name is … Continue reading The name of God
The Logos
Greek philosophers believed the world had always existed and realized that there must be some active principle that made the world function in an orderly fashion. Heraclitus, Zeno and Plato described this principle that ordered and maintained the universe and permeated all reality as the Logos. Logos means word, reason, plan and all that might … Continue reading The Logos
Read the Bible for all it’s worth
I recently came across a statistic that stated that only two per cent of those who call themselves Christians have read the Bible through. If we would read any other book the way most Christians read the Bible we would soon lose interest in it. We say that we believe we are children of the … Continue reading Read the Bible for all it’s worth
The origin of the Bible
[This is an attempt to write a Bible study lesson for twelve to fourteen year old children. I invite you to read it and tell me what you think. All helpful criticism, comments and suggestions are welcome.] People who do not have a system of writing pass on their history from generation to generation by … Continue reading The origin of the Bible
Give them reasons to believe
I just read a sentence from a children’s lesson about the Bible that leaves me bewildered. I don’t want to reveal the source, but here is the sentence: “Through the past centuries many ungodly men have determined and tried to destroy the Bible, the Word of God, but have not been able to accomplish it.” … Continue reading Give them reasons to believe
Three keys to getting the most out of reading the Bible
Read it like a story book, not a recipe book A cook will pick up a recipe book and look for the type of dish he wants to make. The recipe will list all the ingredients and provide all the instructions needed to prepare that dish. Some folks try to use the Bible in the … Continue reading Three keys to getting the most out of reading the Bible
Joy to the world
Angelic messages surrounding the birth of Jesus: To Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-19): And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto … Continue reading Joy to the world
Book Review: Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
At the ripe old age of 17 I believed I had outgrown any need for the Bible. It was almost ten years before I opened the book again. I was sceptical, but I thought there might be something worthwhile somewhere in this collection of writings. I guess I was looking for answers, but didn't really … Continue reading Book Review: Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
The achilles heel of reference Bibles
An ancient Waldensian confession of faith states that their preachers were required, before being ordained, to memorize the gospels of Matthew and John, all the Epistles, and a good part of the writings of Solomon, David and the prophets. Of course that was necessary in their day, before the invention of the printing press. After … Continue reading The achilles heel of reference Bibles
Flatlander Faith 