“They tell me to burn in hell and good riddance,” said Sir David in a recent interview in Radio Times. And the hate mail bit of the interview was headlined in The Telegraph, The Guardian, and many other newspapers and news sources.
I don’t disbelieve the story for a moment. There are hateful, lunatic minorities in all movements, from the animal rights lobby to the anti-abortion lobby.
But it’s not very scientific, is it? …
For emerging church people, Jesus’ message of kingdom tends to be all about what God is doing here and now. It is about peace, justice, and compassion. The gospel is an invitation to participate with God in this mission.
Participating in God’s kingdom is not about change in status (unsaved to saved), or about affirming certain doctrines. It is about following the example of Jesus as the best way to live.
The problem with this understanding of the kingdom is not in what in affirms but in what it denies or marginalises. …
John Blanchard discusses this in his book Does God Believe in Atheists? The argument against the existence of an all-loving, all-powerful God may be summarised as follows:-
1. Evil and suffering exist
2. If God were all-loving, he would wish to prevent evil and suffering
3. If God were omnipotent, he would be able to prevent evil and suffering
4. Evil and suffering are not prevented. Therefore, there is no such thing as an all-loving, all-powerful God
It is not incumbent on the apologist to demonstrate why or how such a God allows evil and suffering to exist.…
I often find that Donald McLeod illuminates a tricky theological question with uncommon clarity and insight.
Here’s what the Professor has to say about what we call ‘chance’ or ‘accident’ in the light of God’s fore-ordination:-
…God’s fore-ordination does not eliminate contingency. It does not rule out what we call chance or accident. Very often we hear good and pious people saying there is no such thing as chance or accident. Our Confessions do not agree with that.
“…now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
According to BBC news, bendy-buses with this slogan could soon be running on the streets of London.
‘The atheist posters are the idea of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and have been supported by prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins.’ In Dawkins’ (humble) opinion, ‘this campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think – and thinking is anathema to religion.’
On the same day, (Tuesday 21st October 2008), two rather more sobering stories were also in the news:-
In the first story, the charity Serve Afghanistan has suspended operations in Afghanistan after a British volunteer, Gayle Williams, was shot dead in the capital Kabul.…
Evangelical theologians have rarely proposed any significant revisions to the doctrine of God as understood to be taught in Scripture and handed down by Protestant thinkers. There have been some differences concerning God’s eternity (with some seeing this as timelessness and others as everlastingness), and God’s love (interpreted differently by Calvinists and Arminians). But, despite such occasional differences, evangelical scholars have in the past agreed that God’s omniscience includes infallible and exhaustive knowledge of the past, present and future. …
Arminian theology teaches that God’s election of individuals to salvation is based on his foreknowledge of their faith. God knows beforehand that they will believe, and on that basis elects, or predestines them, to eternal life. This approach has the apparent advantage of relieving the tension between divine election and human freedom. A key text here is Rom 8:29 –
Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.…
“Wake up, Master, wake up!” Poor Gehazi had never been so frightened in his life.
“What’s the matter, my servant?” said the man of God sleepily.
“We’re surrounded! The Arameans have come to kill us!”
“Yes, I know.”
You see, the Arameans kept trying to ambush Israel. The trouble for them was, Elisha always knew where where they were, and so the Israelites could avoid them. The Arameans got fed up with this in the end, and that is why a whole army of them had surrounded Dothan, where Elisha and his servant were staying.…
‘Off with our shoes, please, for the Holy Trinity is holy ground. Away with figured syllogisms and ordinary arithmetic: here, logic and mathematics do not suffice. The need is rather for a listening ear, an obedient heart (Jn 7:17), rapt adoration, a careful engagement with the Holy Scriptures.’ (Prof Kenneth Grider, Christianity Today).
The doctrine of the Trinity has exercised the greatest Christian minds. Augustine was once walking along the seashore, deep in meditation on the Trinity, when he came across a small boy digging a trench in the sand.…
The idea of divine wrath has pretty much become taboo in modern preaching and evangelism. It is not considered polite to mention it in public. But here I would like to give it an airing, and consider it in relation to the teaching of the Bible, in relation to God’s character as revealed in Scripture, and in relation to his mercy.
Here goes.
The Bible throughout teaches that there can be no truce between God and sin.…
