Theology of Prayer 9 – Objections to Prayer (v)

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B.M Palmer, Theology of Prayer, ch 9

The fifth objection is that prayer leads to fanaticism and mysticism.

This objection states, ‘that the claim to such personal and intimate communion with the Divine #Being open the door to the dreamiest mysticism or the wildest fanaticism.’

The objection is shallow, in that it overlooks the important checks thrown around prayer, guarding against such a result.

1.  ‘All true prayer is bounded within the limits of God’s sovereign will.’ …

Suffering and the existence of a God of love

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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.…

Isa 7 – Immanuel, God with us – sermon notes

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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.” …

Derek Kidner, 1913 – 2008

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Derek Kidner, the Old Testament scholar and teacher, has died recently, at the grand age of 95.

I only heard him preach once – a number of years ago, at Holy Trinity Norwich.  But I have acquired most of his commentaries on various parts of the Old Testament and they are all gems.

Kidner’s contributions to the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series (Genesis, Ezra/Nehemiah, Psalms and Proverbs) and to the Bible Speaks Today series (Hosea, Ecclesiastes, Jeremiah) are models of their kind. …

Doctrine, anyone?

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In chapter 5 of Why we’re not emergent (by two guys who should be) Kevin DeYoung discusses the emergent attitude towards doctrine.   Quoting Doug Pagitt, DeYoung notes,

Instead of saying, “Here is truth; take it or leave it,” the emergent crowd calls Christians to declare, “Come and experience the story of God in the life of this community.”

And a member of Pagitt’s church, Solomon’s Porch, speaks for many when she says, ‘I feel like dogma never works, like people are hungry to see a better life.’…

‘Gentle Jesus, meek and mild’

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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.…

‘Most of the Christmas story is legend’

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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. …

On loving the person and propositions of Jesus

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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. 

…

Lk 2:12 – ‘This will be a sign to you’ – sermon notes

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There is something surprising about this: the humble circumstances of the Christ-child in the manger confirmed the angel’s announcement of a Saviour. We would expect it to be the other way round!

1. The angels who gave the sign

Angels appear from time to time within the pages of Scripture. We read of their activities in connection with creation, the giving of the Law, the birth of the Saviour, the temptation in the wilderness, the agony in Gethsemane, the resurrection, ascension and final judgement.…

Wise thoughts on sermon preparation

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The following wise advice comes from Leith Samuel, courtesy of Derek Prime and Alistair Begg in their book On Being a Pastor, and quoted by the Unashamed Workman:-

1. Think yourself empty. As strange as it may sound, we must be careful to ensure that we do not avoid sound thinking. The temptation to respond emotionally to a passage (this is how this makes me feel) is not unique to our listeners. If we are to have ‘thinking’ congregations it is incumbent upon us to be ‘thinking’ pastors’!…