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Continue reading →: The Prayer of Saint PatrickI arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through a belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation. I arise today Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism, Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial, Through…
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Continue reading →: What is Paul’s primary concern in Romans 1?I get the impression that many preachers consider the primary sin being highlighted in Romans 1 is homosexual sex. However, when I look at the way Paul structures his argument it would seem things are otherwise, that the primary sin being highlighted is actually idolatry. This is why the “therefore”…
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Continue reading →: Falling short in how we explain how we fall short.I think we often make the doctrine of sin unnecessarily offensive by failing to make clear that any imagined dualism between “good people” and “bad people” is thoroughly rejected by Jesus and the apostles. Jesus insisted that all have sinned, that all have fallen short, so none of us is…
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Continue reading →: The problem with PaulThe problem with reading Paul in isolation from the rest of the New Testament is that we end up with an imbalanced view of apostolic practice and teaching. The letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude, and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all offer important insights into…
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Continue reading →: The Confession of Dirk WillemsThe Confession of Dirk Willems Source: https://carolpenner.typepad.com What I remember mostis the joy of God’s words on our lips,in our hearts.That good news bubbling out,freely shared with any person we met,old categories of friend and foe forgotten.I remember the power of God changing us,from empty Christiansto disciples full of fire.I…
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Continue reading →: Meditation and the BibleThe first mention of meditation in the Bible comes from the story of Isaac and Rebecca, in the book of Genesis. It reads, “He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.” Now of course this particular text is only…
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Continue reading →: Anabaptism and MysticismI find Anabaptism and Mysticism overlap in a number of interesting ways. Both emphasise the limitations of theological pontification, the Anabaptist tradition through an emphasis on everyday discipleship, the Mystical tradition through negative theology and an emphasis on direct experience. Both also emphasise the goal of unity and the process…
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Continue reading →: The Bible ain’t always prettyTo say I find the Bible inspiring is not to say I find everything in it attractive. On the contrary, there’s a lot that I find repulsive. The Bible doesn’t shy away from bearing witness to the ugly side of humanity, and indeed, the ugly side of religion. And we…
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Continue reading →: Are We Marxist Just Because We’re Anti-Racist?You won’t find “racism” mentioned in the Bible. Such language arose far more recently. What you will find though is plenty of mention of “foreigners” and “gentiles” who dwell amongst you and how you should treat them. For example, in the book of Exodus we are told: “Do not oppress…
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Continue reading →: Unjust Laws: When Sin is InstitutionalisedI’ve been told by many so-called conservatives on many occasions that the Bible has nothing to say on social justice and institutionalised sin – that it’s only concerned only with the actions of individuals and Christians with social justice concerns are just following the culture. I would suggest such individualism…
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