How did it come to be virtually taken for granted that there are many paths to God, and that for any one of these (including Christianity) to make any claim to exclusiveness is either ignorant or arrogant?
John Stott discusses the various arguments for religious pluralism that have evolved in recent decades:-
1. The new global consciousness. Stimulated by threats to the environments, fears of nuclear conflict, and the continued existence of North/South economic divide. …
Some very short notes on the first few sermons from a series preached by Robert Traill (1642-1716).
Text: Heb 4:16
Q. Where is God to be found (cf Job 23:3)? Ans. On a throne of grace: this the antitype of the mercy seat, Heb 4:4ff, which was characterised by (a) limited access; (b) solemn atonement, Lev 16:12ff; (c) communion with God, Ex 25:17ff.
Doctrine: God in the gospel sits on a throne of grace, and from it calls and invites sinners to come to him.…
In his book A Theology of Word and Spirit: Authority and Method in Theology, Donald Bloesch offers a typology of contemporary theology:-
1. A theology of restoration that attacks modernity without serious engagement with it (Warfield, Carl Henry, Tom Oden).
2. A theology of accommodation that seeks to forge a unity between secular and religious wisdom (Schleiermacher, David Tracy, John Hick).
3. A theology of correlation that seeks a new synthesis between Christian faith and modern claims (Tillich, Kung, Pannenberg).…
‘For seven years,’ (writes Tom Wright) ‘I was College Chaplain at Worcester College, Oxford. Each year I used to see the first year undergraduates individually for a few minutes, to welcome them to the college and make a first acquaintance. Most were happy to meet me; but many commented, often with slight embarrassment, “You won’t be seeing much of me; you see, I don’t believe in god.”
‘I developed a stock response: “Oh, that’s interesting; which god is it you don’t believe in?”…
‘Providence’ (writes J.I. Packer) ‘is normally defined in Christian theology as the unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill (Ps. 145:9 cf. Mt. 5:45-48), he upholds his creatures in ordered existence (Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3), guides and governs all events, circumstances and free acts of angels and men (cf. Ps. 107; Job. 1:12; 2:6; Gn. 45:5-8), and directs everything to its appointed goal, for his own glory (cf. Eph. 1:9-12).…
‘It is a perversion of Scripture to demand that humans suffering the consequences of the Fall are to somehow bear up under it with a resolute grin-turned-grimace. The books of the Bible, all of which deal frankly with human suffering, know of no such stoicism. Job was not ashamed or afraid to express his grief to God (Job 3:24) and complained bitterly about his perception of divine indifference (Job 23:2; 24:12). The psalms, which beautifully reflect the full range of human emotion, are full of references to sighing and groaning (cf.…
A social worker in Nigeria once visited a youth in one of the back streets of Lagos. On his bedside table he found the following books: the Bible, The Book of Common Prayer, the Qur’an, three copies of Watchtower, a biography of Karl Marx, a book of yoga exercises, and – what the poor fellow evidently needed most – a popular paperback entitled How to Stop Worrying.
Stott, The Contemporary Christian, 296…
For philosophers, pain is a problem of metaphysics; for stoics, it is an exercise; for mystics, it is an ecstasy; for the religious, a travail meekly to be borne; for clinicians a symptom to be understood and an ill to be relieved. (Charles F. W. Illingworth)
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world. (C. S. Lewis)
Mercy hath a heaven, and justice a hell, to display itself to eternity, but long-suffering hath only a short-lived earth. …
This is the story of Henry Gerecke, an American Lutheran chaplain who ministered to the Nazi war criminals as they awaited trial in Nuremburg after the close of the 2nd World War.
It is a truly remarkable story, and Don Stephens packs a lot into this 10-minute mini-biography.…
Using a huge galactic star cluster as a ‘lens’ to observe the behaviour of light from distant stars, Professor Eric Jullo and his associates of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California studied the mysterious ‘dark matter’ that makes up 75% of the universe.
The scientists have come to the conclusion that the universe will continue to expand for ever (rather than, say, collapsing back on itself or going into an endless cycle of expanding and collapsing). …
