Bart Ehrman is the US author of the bestselling book “Misquoting Jesus” (In the UK “Whose word is it?”). He calls into question the authority of the New Testament as scribal changes over time have changed the documents. So can we trust the scripture? Bible scholar Peter Williams believes in the reliability of the New Testament and that Bart’s prognosis is […]
Plankeye (follow up)
There’s been some contention as to my post on “plankeye”. I will concede that we are indeed to “make judgement” — even about people and what they are up to. But the context of the verse you pulled out shows the difference between what Jesus was referring to in John 7 and what he is […]
test everything, hold fast to what is good
i have been asked to post on my practice of exposing this board to beliefs or lines of thinking that i myself do not hold to. this thread is meant to be an answer to that request. in the interest of keeping it clear for those who won’t read more than a few sentences, i’ll […]
who is worthy of compassion?
christianitytoday.com wrote: As Americans set new records for charitable giving in response to Hurricane Katrina, some fundraisers are seeing a principle confirmed: when the suffers are perceived as innocent victims, donors respond generously. On the other hand, giving patterns suggest donors are losing patience with chronic problems such as poverty, in which suffering is arguably […]
romans 2 is interesting
i got the idea from another website, but decided to try the idea, and found the results startling. i would love to hear some of the questions raised by the text below, but first an explanation of what i’ve done: a) substituted “Christian” for “Jew” b) substituted “Muslims or Buddhists” for “Gentiles” c) substituted “Baptism” […]
all truth is god’s truth
all truth is god’s truth. i love this part of acts: 17:22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this […]
on hurting a burgler
assume you live alone, and are home alone, in your apartment, asleep in bed, when you realize that your apartment is being broken into, downstairs. what is the proper course of action for a follower of christ? don’t assume you have, or don’t have, a gun, a bat, a tazer, or any other weapon: all […]
Plankeye
A friend of mine recently wrote: This is the very reason I stopped attending my youth group. It was so unwelcoming. And, there’s something else, too. It seems to me, that rejection from the church crowd holds a bigger emotional consequence than rejection from other crowds. These are, after all, the people with whom you […]
the foreskin to feet trick
does anyone have a theory about this strange passage: any at all? exodus 4 Moses Returns to Egypt 18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.†And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.†[…]
the law
when i was a baby, and brand new to the universe, i had specific things i could and couldn’t do. i couldn’t walk, or run, or feed myself, or even not pee myself. i didn’t need rules, i wasn’t aware enough to understand them. this is sorta like adam and eve. eventually, i grew up […]
noah’s flood
many of you have probably heard that there are other people groups, besides the ancient hebrews that have flood stories. i went looking and found a web page that lists everyone the editor could find some of them are amazing: Inca: Pictorial records of ancient Incan rulers show that a flood rose above the highest […]
“once saved, always saved” ?
let us supposed we have 2 people: billy and franklin (i just pulled those names out of thin air ) i’ll give away the ending of this story first: franklin goes to heaven, and billy goes to hell. now, let us also suppose that billy and franklin are twin brothers: born within minutes of one […]
how i left a young earth theory behind
position: the whole bible is the “why” and genesis is a very short answer to man’s age-old question of “where did all of this come from?” when god revealed the HOW (as he probably did to the first people, who took the story and ran with it, until moses got the “written” version), he did […]
on arguing with god
Genesis 18:20 – 19:38 (English Standard Version) Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.†Abraham Intercedes for […]