Optimism
I've decided to try to be more optimistic, because I think it's actually a lot more enjoyable than being pessimistic.Some people think life is mostly bad. Others, mostly good. I think, philosophically,...
View Article"Christian" vs "Christ follower" Mac/PC ad parady video
I think this short video parodying the Mac/PC ad series captures some truth. Check it out.
View ArticleDid Jesus NEED to die on the cross?
There is a tacit assumption made by many Christians that Jesus had to die on the cross. This kind of death was needed - no one even questions the idea even though the gospels never say that.The need...
View ArticleAssuming we're "in"
It's amazing how many people who call themselves "Christian" assume that they are following Jesus in the same way as the apostolic church and that they can be included in that group. People can read...
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Will my iPod make me happy?
Let me break the silence of my blog once more... to say something that will probably get lost amidst the loud hubbub of our busy lives.I recently was given an iPod for my birthday. It's great. But the...
View ArticleWhat "faith" really means
I have recently completed a detailed study regarding the New Testament meaning of “faith”. I studied all occurrences of the pistis-group words in the New Testament, their usage in extra-biblical works,...
View ArticlePierced for our Transgressions: a critique - Part 1
Pierced for our Transgressions: a critiqueThe authors summarise the purpose of their book as being to “argue that penal substitution is clearly taught in Scripture, that it has a central place in...
View ArticlePierced for our Transgressions: a critique - Part 2
Read the first part of this review here.Part II – “Answering the Critics”Chapter 6: “Introduction”The authors are to be applauded for their intention here to interact with objections commonly raised to...
View ArticleThe guise of authority, arrogance, and ambiguity
Here's what I've been thinking lately... distilled as a rant.There is a cacophony of stupid doctrines resounding around the Christian community because people often don't seem to realize that teachers...
View ArticleSolid faith despite uncertainty and doubts
So what do you do as a Christian when you're confronted with skepticism, doubts, and uncertainty not from other people, but from your own mind? The postmodern perspective has let people see that the...
View ArticleFocussing on wants rather than opportunities
I’m sick of wanting things. I want more free time. I want to be successful, liked, and funny. I want to fit in but somehow be respected and esteemed because I’m unique. I want to know more but not grow...
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Getting information vs learning wisdom
I'm not very good at teaching. I fail, I think, precisely because I try to be too accurate in what I say. There's an example. As a consequence, I fear that what I write does little to help people but...
View ArticleWhy people are more than biological machines
Imagine a program which reprogrammed and developed its own programming based on inputted information. The original program could be quite simple – as simple as that first sentence, in fact. Yet very...
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Important factors for Scriptural interpretation
It's amazing just how few Christians realise how small their set of particular scriptural and theological ideas are compared with the vast number of ideas that have been and are held by other...
View ArticleThings we can and cannot change
There is a wise proverb: "We must accept what we cannot change." The hard thing is to figure out what we can change, how we can change it, and the way we should change it.
View ArticleHeretosis - dissent from "religion"
In the churches I've attended all my life, I've often heard Christians claim that while Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and so on are "religions", Christianity is not. While many in the church often seem to...
View ArticleConfidence and credibility of biblical interpretations
What gives people confidence in how they understand the New Testament? Here are some approaches I've seen people use to gain confidence that their interpretations of Scripture are valid (and by...
View ArticleGod™
It seems to me that a Relationship with God™ has for many Christians come to serve as a convenient psychological panacea for all of the deep issues people struggle with, which promotes not a healthy...
View ArticleStones
Oh curse this heart of a thousand stonesAnd find a home to grow aloneA heart of more than flesh and bonesAnd things I can’t imagine.For every smile upon my faceIs laced with bitterness and hateOf...
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