comic books reveal how we as humans tend to really feel about god: The origin of the comic god goes like this: The arrogant Thor needs a lesson in humility, so his father Odin, the ruler of all gods, sends him to Earth in the form of a crippled mortal to teach him to be […]
adultery according to jesus
i am about to commit adultery, according to jesus: I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“that was then”
Barna polls conducted between 2004 and this year, sampling 440 non-Christians (and a similar number of Christians) aged 16 to 29, found that 38% had a ‘bad impression’ of present-day Christianity. ‘It’s not a pretty picture’ the authors write. Barna’s clientele is made up primarily of evangelical groups. Kinnaman says non-Christians’ biggest complaints about the […]
boiling it down II
this is a follow up to my boiling it down post of june 2006. recently i was asked what i believe and why, and i realized that it’s evolved a lot over the last year and half, so another post on this subject is warranted. i will try not to step on any toes in […]
marching monks
marching monks Originally uploaded by berbercarpet Saffron Revolution: Marching Monks (Monoscope)
what is justice?
at what point do we say we, or any being, has acted “justly” ? there is lots of chatter on this board — and particularly when my new favorite pet subject (hell’s lack of existence) comes up — about god’s justice. but what do we mean by that? at what point is justice fulfilled? when […]
wonderful podcast: mclaren interviewed about hell
this interview with brian mclaren fits in SO much with how i’ve come to view hell: So, but one of the questions I could raise that might be helpful for you and other people thinking about this, is to say, what is the problem with sin? What’s so bad about sin? Now, I can just […]
six months without any water?
A meditating teenage boy in south-central Nepal is drawing the attention of scientists after attracting huge crowds in the past six months and earning himself the name Buddha-reincarnate. They are mulling over how to examine him without disturbing his meditation. Ram Bahadur Bamjan’s friends, relatives and managers say he has been meditating without drinking water […]
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 […]
“good” news
news is always in the eye of the beholder. when a bible sits there, holding information about the gospel, the gospel that it contains information about lays dormant. perhaps in some sense we can say that’s the actual gospel, but it is a useless one. the news jesus taught only begins to be useful when […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
why do we have bodies?
i have a question that i’d like to discuss. i’m not looking for “the right” answer, as there isn’t one. you can use bible verses if you like — there are some that are very relevent to the discussion, but i don’t think we can come up with “this is what the bible says about […]