Where baptism is practised without the command and word of Christ, as those do who not only baptize without faith, but also without reason and consciousness; where the power and representation of baptism, namely, dying unto sin, the new life, the circumcision of the heart, &c., are not only not upheld, but also quite hated … Continue reading Great boldness in the faith which is in Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
The importance of being weak
Maria Braun was arrested in 1966 for teaching a foreign ideology to young children in the Kirghiz Soviet Republic. She had organized classes for preschool and older children to teach about faith in Jesus Christ. Another lady was arrested with her and at their trial the judge sentenced the other lady to five years in … Continue reading The importance of being weak
No evidence for this hypothesis
The hypothesis that the Apostles were knaves is quite absurd. Follow it out to the end and imagine those twelve men meeting after Jesus's death and conspiring to say that he had risen from the dead. This means attacking all the powers that be. The human heart is singularly susceptible to fickleness, to change, to … Continue reading No evidence for this hypothesis
Spiritual starvtion and suicide
[This was written 33 years ago, as you will note by the reference to the IRA hunger strikers.] "But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat" (Matt. 14:16). Jesus was out in the hills of Galilee, and the multitudes came there to him to be healed and to learn … Continue reading Spiritual starvtion and suicide
Salt of the earth
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13).“Not only did the Hebrews make general use of salt in the food of both … Continue reading Salt of the earth
Doctrines of the humanist religion – conclusion
Almost everything that a man does is governed by his religious beliefs, even when he professes to have no religion at all! There is within each human a hunger that compels him to seek for answers about his existence. Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going? He needs to … Continue reading Doctrines of the humanist religion – conclusion
The way of peace
Forty-five years ago I was picking up my mail in a village post office when I heard two older men reminiscing about the war. Somehow the subject of Mennonites came up. “Mennonites!” one of them said angrily, “They should all be lined up against a wall and shot!” The other agreed. This was at a … Continue reading The way of peace
They’ll know we are Christians by our love
We are one in the Spirit We are one in the Lord . . . We will work with each other We will work side by side . . . And they’ll know we are Christians by our love. -Peter Scholtes, © 1966 F.E.L. Publications Ltd. For the young folk out there who might not … Continue reading They’ll know we are Christians by our love
All things to all men
Saul of Tarsus grew up in a box; a box labelled PHARISEE. His father was a Pharisee and no doubt taught Saul the rules of the box from infancy. In his youth, he studied under Gamaliel in Jerusalem. Saul was intimately acquainted with every corner of the Pharisee box and believed that God only loved … Continue reading All things to all men
The inconvenient Jesus
Jesus was the enemy of formalism and legalism, the one who castigated the religious leaders of His day for their hypocrisy. He was the friend of the poor, the oppressed, the outcasts and the sinners. We like to believe that no matter what others may think of us, Jesus is our unconditional friend. That isn’t … Continue reading The inconvenient Jesus
