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 […]
what is holiness?
i have been studying the sermon on the mount for several months now, and i’d like to explore here some insight i have had on what, exactly, holiness is: Matt 5 (ESV) 43 – 48 Love Your Enemies You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But […]
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 […]
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.†[…]
dealing with “weaker brothers”
first off: i like the ESV. bad NIV translation has spawned the phrase “weaker brother”, which implies that the person must be somehow “under” you, by the -er suffix. the phrase, though, is simply “one who is weak in faith” — regardless of how they’re faith “stacks up” to yours. anyway, on with the scripture: […]
“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 […]
on “course joking”
where’s the line? what defines “course joking” ? is it simply using a (gasp!) curse-word? is it lewdness? is it always only in the ear of the beholder? are there simply some things a christian should never say, under any circumstances? (and if so, can you tell us without sinning???) is what you ought not […]
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 […]
“not acting like jesus would”
Matthew 11:19 (Contemporary English Version) 19 But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, “That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does. jesus was, as we see here, accused of […]
love
john said that “they” will know us by our love. jesus said the entire law and the prophets comes down to love. the “odds” (if you will) of you going door-to-door and finding the right person who’s all ready to “give thier life to christ” and you “leading them to the lord” are amazingly small. […]
thinking on the virgin mary
Matthew 1:18-25 from the CEV: This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David’s family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God’s Holy Spirit. Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass […]