The sinful woman [who anointed Jesus' feet] sought the company of the righteous; but these seek the company of the unrighteous. They visit each other to talk all manner of foolishness; to injure their neighbour's reputation; to defame and backbite; to speak disgracefully of one another, speak of costly furniture, houses, goods and handsome companions, … Continue reading They that seek to be rich
Christianity
Humanism as the established religion
It appears to have began long ago with Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the patron saint of Roman Catholic theologians. He studied Greek, Arabic and Hebrew philosophers and incorporated some of their thinking into Christian theology. His major innovation was the idea that God and truth are not solely revealed by the Bible, but that man by … Continue reading Humanism as the established religion
Idolizing truth
We make an idol of truth itself, for truth without charity is not God, but his image and an idol which we must not love or worship; still less must we worship its opposite, which is falsehood. It is false piety to preserve peace at the expense of truth; it is false zeal to preserve … Continue reading Idolizing truth
I’m back
I have been missing in action for almost a week now. It was all because of a nasty little culprit called a rotavirus, or one of his kinfolk, that is undetectable by the layperson before the nasty, explosive bodily reactions kick in. Last Sunday a group of 25 got together for dinner, 12 adults and … Continue reading I’m back
Belief and unbelief, according to Blaise Pascal
I marvel at the audacity with which some people presume to speak of God. In giving their evidence to unbelievers, usually their first chapter is to prove the existence of God from the works of nature. I would not be surprised about this project if they were addressing their arguments to believers, for those with … Continue reading Belief and unbelief, according to Blaise Pascal
Does stupidity make you more responsible?
This is the antithesis of the question asked by the headline of my last post, and it is an even dumber question than the last one. Nevertheless, I have heard sincere Christians advance arguments that sound an awful lot like this question. “We’re just humble people, we know what we believe and don’t need to … Continue reading Does stupidity make you more responsible?
Do Intelligence and Irresponsibility go together?
I was reading several years before I started school, I always did well in school and through reading I began to accumulate a very eclectic storehouse of information. I began to develop confidence that I could figure things out on my own. It happened one day that a counsellor presented me with an aptitude test, … Continue reading Do Intelligence and Irresponsibility go together?
Public Schools: mediocrity is the goal
There was a time, about 120 years ago, when almost everyone in Canada could read and write well, could do the math calculations needed in their daily life and work, often without pencil and paper, knew a good bit about world history and understood how governments worked. It is not that way today. It is … Continue reading Public Schools: mediocrity is the goal
Anabaptism is not a warm fuzzy experience
Anabaptism is about having a relationship with Jesus: a relationship that has a beginning but no end. We cannot simply grow into this relationship, not knowing just how or when it began. We may have had warm, fuzzy feelings about Jesus when we were little children, but we lacked the maturity then to make a … Continue reading Anabaptism is not a warm fuzzy experience
Anabaptism is not a lifestyle
The bishop got up to preach one Sunday morning and proclaimed to us that when a person wore plain clothes, that was proof that he or she was born again. An unconverted person could not get himself to wear such clothes. By “plain clothes” he meant the form of clothes that was mandated in his … Continue reading Anabaptism is not a lifestyle
Flatlander Faith 