It appears that too many Christians read the Bible as the story of men and women bumbling around because they couldn’t quite figure out what God wanted them to do. They conceive of life as a giant stage, with no script, no director, just a mysterious set of Very Important Rules. Some people call this … Continue reading What was God doing?
God
Peaceable people of God
I debated with myself about whether I should use peaceful or peaceable in the title. I feel that there is a small nuance of difference in meaning and peaceable is better for describing the essential nature of followers of Jesus Christ. Of course, I wouldn’t have this trouble if I were writing in French, which … Continue reading Peaceable people of God
In the Beginning
The Bible begins with the earth in total darkness and covered with water and ends with a new earth which has no sea and no night. (Genesis 1:2; Revelation 21:1 and 22:5) Everything that comes between is there to tell us how to get from the first place to the last. Darkness is where the … Continue reading In the Beginning
Seek the peace of the city
When God’s people were led into captivity in Babylon, He instructed them, by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: “Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace” (Jeremiah 29:7). Do we … Continue reading Seek the peace of the city
Danger in the Shallows
I have often heard preachers take Ezekiel 47:1-12 as their text and deliver stirring messages about the need to plunge into the River of Life. Here is the living water, flowing from the temple of God, turning the desert into a paradise, giving life to everything it touches. This is an allegory for the grace … Continue reading Danger in the Shallows
Loving God
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) This short passage is considered the central and most important statement of the Jewish faith and is commonly referred to as … Continue reading Loving God
Questions
Questions If I outsource my thinking to an algorithm - a robot - does my ability to think begin to atrophy? What about my conscience? If I let the algorithm decide right and wrong for me, does my conscience atrophy? Maybe even my humanity? What does it mean to be human? Why do I have … Continue reading Questions
Why thee and thou matter for understanding the Bible
These old-fashioned words have disappeared from the English we speak today, so why shouldn’t they disappear from the Bible? Evidently modern translators of the Bible agree that they should go. Have we lost anything by that? I believe we have. But first we lost the ability to understand thee and thou, so we’re not aware … Continue reading Why thee and thou matter for understanding the Bible
Afraid to talk about Christian faith?
“Most people are not scholars. Most people are not academics and researchers who have dedicated their life to a single idea. Furthermore, most people’s objections to God are not intellectual; they are either emotional or volitional. It is not so much their mind that rejects God, but their heart.” From the book Relational Apologetics, by … Continue reading Afraid to talk about Christian faith?
Henny Penny as allegory
The following is a version of an ancient folk tale that I read in French on the internet several years ago. The main character is called Chicken Little in the USA and Petit Poulet in France. I have used the name that is more familiar in Canada and the UK. Henny Penny made her breakfast … Continue reading Henny Penny as allegory
Flatlander Faith 