John Stott writes:-
‘Perhaps the most scornful rejection of the cross has come from the pen of the German philosopher and philologist, Friedrich Nietzsche (died 1900). Near the beginning of The Anti-Christ (1895) he defined the good as “the will to power”, the bad as “as that proceeds from weakness”, and happiness as “the feeling that power increases…”, while “what is more harmful than any vice” is “active sympathy for the ill-constituted and weak – Christianity”. …
John Stott has written about the Muslim attitude towards the cross of Christ:-
‘One of the saddest features of Islam is that it rejects the cross, declaring it inappropriate that a major prophet of God should come to such an ignominious end. The Koran sees no need for the sin-bearing of a Saviour. At least five times it declares categorically that “no soul shall bear another’s burden’. Indeed, “if a laden soul cries out for help, not even a near relation shall share its burden”. …
Because it is:-
1. The measure of man’s guilt, Acts 3:13-15.
2. The manifestation of God’s love, Rom 5:6-8.
3. The means of salvation, Jn 3:14-15.
4. The mark of separation, Gal 6:14.
5. The motive of service, 2 Cor 5:14f.
6. The melody of heaven, Rev 5:8-10.
(Source unknown)…
Fear comes in so many shapes and sizes that it has a vocabulary all of its own:-
Hydrophobia – fear of water
Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
Acrophobia – fear of heights
Xenophobia – fear of strangers
Taxophobia – fear of being buried alive
Triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13
Arachibutyrophobia – fear of Peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
Brontothalassophobia – fear of storms at sea
What kinds of things put you into a cold sweat?…
As you know, we have in the Bible four Gospels, four accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus the Messiah. The first three take a broadly similar approach, and we call them the Synoptic Gospels. The Fourth Gospel, John’s Gospel, however, is rather different. It was written after many years of prayerful reflection by the disciple who had been closest to Jesus’ heart. We believe that it was the last of the Gospels to be penned, and that John took for granted, and avoided repeating, what the others had recorded.…
This is based on an article by Prof Donald MacLeod in The Monthly Record, Jan 1981.
Christmas is ‘that curious amalgam of paganism, commercialism and Christianity which Western civilisation has invented to tide it over the darkest days of winter.’
‘The church…appears content to leave the supreme mystery of its faith only vaguely hinted at in the glitter and gaity of what it calls its greatest festival. Christmas is a lost opportunity, a time when the world invites the Church to speak and she blushes, smiles and mutters a few banalities with which the world is already familiar from its own stock of cliches and nursery rhymes.’…
The time is 735 BC or thereabouts. The southern kingdom of Judah is under threat from its northern neighbours, Israel and Syria. King Ahaz and his people are beside themselves with fear. The prophet Isaiah steps forward and announces, “Though your enemies have been plotting your downfall, it is they themselves who will be ruined. Stand firm in your faith (v9).” Then, v10f, the Lord makes Ahaz an offer: “Ask the Lord for a sign that this is true – anything you like.” …
Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child,
Pity my simplicity,
Suffer me to come to Thee.
Of all the images of Jesus that are on offer, that of ‘Gentle Jesus, meek and mild’ is perhaps the most embarrassing for Christians, and the most offensive to non-believers.
What self-respecting person would want to follow, serve, die for, a saviour who was merely ‘gentle, meek and mild’?
Of course, we could just say that the writer of the hymn, Charles Wesley, had an off-day when he penned that number and quietly forget about it.…
I’ve mentioned before that this blog is nothing if not up-to-date. So I’d like to turn the clock back a year to a widely-reported interview with The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. The interview itself was broadcast on the BBC’s Radio Five on 19th December 2007. By the time the Daily Mail got hold of it the following day, the headline was
Three Wise Men are just a legend, says Archbishop of Canterbury
And that paragon of faithful reporting adds with horror:-
Dr Rowan Williams says there is no evidence for the Magi
Dr Williams is also said to deny that Jesus was born in December, in a snow-covered stable, where he was visited by three wise men bearing gifts. …
In chapter 3 of Why we’re not emergent (by two guys who should be), Kevin DeYoung explains why he loves ‘the person and propositions of Jesus’. What follows is based on part of that chapter.
All Christians claim to have a high regard for the Bible, and emerging Christians are no different.
Brian MacLaren says:
…‘I believe [the Bible] is a gift from God, inspired by God, to benefit us in the most important way possible: equipping us so that we can benefit others, so that we can play our part in the ongoing mission of God.
