Similar Posts
And Yet Christians Speak of Persecution
I am continually annoyed when Christians claim to be persecuted in this country. I know that we are, from time to time, inconvenienced and troubled, but it seems to me that calling ourselves persecuted simply devalues the term. I’ve lived where persecution was a reality, as in fleeing ahead of someone intent on killing you…
Community vs Supporting the Organization
Miguel Angel Nuñez, in a post on Facebook, discusses what he would like to see in a church. Here’s an extract: Deseo formar parte de una comunidad cristiana que base su relación en la igualdad y no en la jerarquía, en la sinceridad y no en medias verdades, en la intimidad y no en un…
Experience, Authority, and Paul (Galatians 1:1-2:14)
Last night for my perspectives on Paul series I reviewed what we’ve discussed so far and wrapped up my discussion of Paul’s claim to authority as an apostle. I can summarize this as follows: The Bible records religious experience, i.e., people’s experience of God in one way or another. (Even revelation, such as a vision,…
1st Century Church?
My wife Jody is again writing about the first century church. She wonders if we want to just visit it for one hour per week. We have both previously written on this topic. To be honest, I don’t think that many people are really interested in a church like the first century church. I suspect…
Isaiah 24-27 – Overview
Many of the issues of Biblical criticism are illustrated in these four chapters from the book of Isaiah. The book of Isaiah as a whole is fertile ground for such study, but one has to take a reasonable sized bite for an illustration. What I want to do with these chapters is discuss how various…
Sunday School: Thinking about Sacrifices
I’m preparing to teach tomorrow, and the main text is Hebrews 4:14-5:10. The quarterly is kind enough to stop just before the author tells his readers/hearers that the topic is difficult and they’re not very bright! Nonetheless, the idea of priesthood brings up the idea of “sacrifice” and “sacrifices,” and these are two concepts that…