Tag: gospel

political Christianity

Let me open with an if/then statement.  If Christianity is anything more than B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth), and I heartily believe it is, then it necessarily has to do with how the wholeness of life is played out in the here and now.  This means Christianity necessarily has a political component to it. … Continue reading political Christianity

‘media’ and liturgical formation

James K. A. Smith has written and spoken much about liturgical formation; that is, how humans are formed, shaped and influenced by ‘liturgical’ actions, rites or practices.  For Smith, all of life can be seen with a ‘liturgical’ lens, as the human species (‘homo-liturgicus’) engages in various patterns of repeated activity. One colourful example is… Continue reading ‘media’ and liturgical formation

gospel response

I’ve always had a soft spot for soteriological Inclusivism, the theory of Christian ultimate salvation (sometimes expressed in different ways) that holds that some can or may be saved apart from an explicit congnitive act of conscious belief in Jesus. Exclusivism insists on a personal response to the Gospel, but most forms of exclusivism make exception for those too young… Continue reading gospel response

human sin, then human death

I’m reading a recent interview with Jonathan Sarfati, a well-known anti-evolution Christian author.((Australia’s Reformed Evangelical Periodical, Autumn 2012, 3-6.)) I’m not going to critique the scientific statements he makes, I just wanted to pick up on a theological/biblical claim that he makes, which I hear very often.  He claims: The whole gospel of Jesus Christ… Continue reading human sin, then human death

diversity

Romans 16 contains Paul’s greetings to an amazingly diverse group of Roman Christians – the 35 individuals named are Jewish, Roman, Greek, Asian, African, male, female, single, married, of high and low social status.  Part of the purpose of the letter was to unite Jew with Gentile; ‘weak’ with ‘strong’ (14-15); high with low (12:3ff),… Continue reading diversity

old/new both/and

Two terms in the single verse of Romans 3:21 evidence both the continuity and the discontinuity of the newness of the righteousness-revealing gospel of Jesus with the oldness of the sin-revealing Law. But now, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from [χωρὶς|choris; in discontinuity with] the law , although the Law and the… Continue reading old/new both/and

ben on bart

“Holy rusted metal, BArT ehrMAN!”  (yes, I just typed that; many cheese-ness awards shall I win…) ;) Respected (and prolific! given the rate he publishes blogs and books!) New Testament Scholar Ben Witherington III is doing an astoundingly in-depth review of Bart Ehrman’s ‘Jesus Interrupted’ (parts 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 and 5)… Continue reading ben on bart

wineskins at laidlaw

Monday nights, 1, 8, 15, 22 September 2008 7:00 – 9:30pm, Laidlaw College – Auckland Campus, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, Waitakere Heaven and Earth: Where are we going? Does it matter? We are excited by the opportunity we have to introduce you to some of the new faces at College. This group includes Dr… Continue reading wineskins at laidlaw