Imagine a world without suffering

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Readers of this blog will not expect to find much here by, or about, John Hick.  However, his writings on the philosophy of religion are not without interest or value.

Hick has thought deeply about the problem of suffering.  He asks us to imagine what the world would be like if there were no possibility of pain or suffering.  I have always been struck by what he says about this:-

Suppose…that this world were a paradise from which all possibility of pain and suffering were excluded. …

Redemption

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Whereas the imagery of propitiation is that of the temple court, the imagery of redemption is that of the market-place. The basic meaning of ‘to redeem’ is to buy or buy back, whether as a purchase or as a ransom. Strongly implied is the plight from which we needed to be ransomed.…

The London Men’s Convention, 18th April 2009

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Last Saturday I attended, for the first time, the London Men’s Convention.  Ten of us drove down from Norwich to an aircraft hangar in London’s Docklands that goes by the name of ExCeL  Royal Albert Hall it certainly isn’t, but you can’t keep nearly 4,000 men down, especially when stirred by the preaching of Tim Keller and others, and by the music of Stuart Townend.

The theme of the day was ‘The Man for all Men: Be Men of Jesus’, and the four main talks covered,

  1. He came as King (Matthew 14:22-33) – Wes McNabb
  2. He died for sins (John 19:23-37) – Tim Keller
  3. He rose to rule (John 20:1-3, 10-18 – Tim Keller
  4. He will return in glory (2 Thessalonians 1:1-12) – Mike Cain
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Propitiation

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How did the cross of Christ achieve its purpose?  In what ways did his death and resurrection usher in ‘the day of salvation’ (2 Cor 6:2)?

Just as several pictures, or metaphors, are needed to fill out the meaning of ‘church’ (bride, temple, household, and so on), so several are required to illustrate the salvation that Christ achieved.  Chief among these are the terms ‘propitiation’, ‘redemption’, ‘justification’, and ‘reconciliation’.  It is important to realise that these images are complementary to one another, for underlying them all is ‘the truth that God in Christ has borne our sin and died our death to set us free from sin’. …

Sir Marcus Loane, 14th October 1911 – 14th April 2009

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Sir Marcus Loane died a few days ago at the age of 97.

He was vice-principal and then principal of Moore Theological College.  In 1966 he became Australia’s first native-born Archbishop and in 1978 became Primate of Australia.

I have a high regard for Marcus Loane’s writings, particularly the sets of short biographies that were first published up to 60 years ago.  He was writing winningly about the English Reformers, Puritans and evangelical leaders at a time when few others seemed aware of their importance and value.…

Preachers and their preaching – D.M. Lloyd-Jones

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Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was one of the most influential British preachers of the 20th century.  His impact on the revival of reformed evangelicalism was incalculable.  He stood firmly within the Puritan tradition: he modelled in his preaching both their painstaking analytical expository method and also shared their commitment to what might be called ‘experientialism’ – a passionate desire that through preaching men and women might be brought into vital contact with the living God.

The centrality of preaching

At the beginning of Preachers and Preaching Lloyd-Jones stated his conviction that preaching was the greatest need both of the church and the world:

‘To me the work of preaching is the highest and the greatest and the most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called.

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Creationism in Britain

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We tend to associate Creationism (that is to say, Young Earth Creationism) with American fundamentalism.  However, it is alive and kicking in Britain too.  According to a recent survey carried out on behalf of Theos think-tank, 17% of Britons take the Young Earth position (compared with 11% for Intelligent Design, 28% for Theistic Evolution, and 37% for Atheistic Evolution).

Not long ago, The BBC website carried this article about British creationists.  It discusses, among other things, the Genesis Expo museum, set up in Plymouth by the Creation Science Movement.…

The Emerging Church in its own words 4

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Chapter 5 of Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures (Gibbs and Bolger) is entitled ‘Living as Community’.

On one occasion, after spending hours with her at the Living Room, the church’s cafe, a guest asked Karen Ward, When is your church service?”

“You just had it,” replied Ward.

Challenging Individualism

Looking back to the outset of modernity…humans were on their own, and they needed to protect what was theirs.  Personal property rights ensued and created the modern individual. 

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Quotes on resurrection

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A lawyer’s testimony: ‘As a lawyer I have made a prolonged study of the evidences for the events of the first Easter Day.  To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling…I accept [the Gospel evidence for the resurrection] unreservedly as the testimony of truthful men to facts they were able to substantiate.’  (Sir Edward Clarke KC)

A theologian’s testimony: ‘Taking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ. …

On spiritualising

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To ‘spiritualise’ is to assign a unwarranted spiritual meaning to a biblical text.

Graeme Goldsworthy gives, as one example, the following anecdote, in which a Christian teacher was attempting to expound 1 Samuel 17:40-51 (the story of David and Goliath):-

‘The fellow dressed up as Goliath had progressively revealed a list of childhood sins by peeling card-board strips off his breastplate one by one, as the speaker explained the kind of ‘Goliaths’ we all have to meet. 

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