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Continue reading →: How non-Christian was Christ?I consider it healthy for Christians to recognise that Jesus was a Jew. Given the origins of Christianity, I can only view the anti-Semitism of the past as a kind of religious schizophrenia. Nevertheless, I think the pendulum has swung too far when I hear people denying Christ was Christian…
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Continue reading →: Ethics from a Zen Buddhist PerspectiveIn seeking to express Christian teaching in a pluralistic world, I think it is imperative that we come to an understanding of, not only atheist ethics, but alternative ethics as well. For this reason I would recommend reading “Zen as a Social Ethics of Responsiveness” by T. P. Kasulis. I find…
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Continue reading →: Law: Is It What We’re Here For?Why are so many evangelical Christians so concerned with legislation? Why, when Christian ethics begins with the obedience that comes through faith (Romans 1:5), not law? Is the living God satisfied if behaviour changes, but the heart does not? Are we? Is this legislative focus not the way of the…
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Continue reading →: Jesus and the Resurrection in the Gospel of MarkIt is unfortunate, I think, that Western Christianity has emphasized the crucifixion to such a degree that the resurrection, the good news, is often eclipsed. Consider the three prophecies Jesus made of himself in the second half of the Gospel according to Mark. He then began to teach them that…
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Continue reading →: Australians and ReligionWell the Christmas season is over again and I find myself reflecting on what Christianity means for most Australians. I think it would be fair to say that most Australians have a place for God in their lives, a place for religion is their lives, as long as it demands…
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Continue reading →: Ben Witherington on Theologizing TodayThe following extract from “The Problem with Evangelical Theology” is Ben Witherington’s prosciption for some of the weaknesses he sees in many streams of Evangelicalism: But hear the good news: the NT writers largely do theology out of a paradigm that appeals to the imagination, including the visual imagination, and so in various…
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Continue reading →: He Was Born A Holy Child: The Nativity In Japanese Style By A French EngineerThis painting of the nativity in the Japanese sumi-e style is by Karine, a young engineer in BioInformatics living in the south of France. It is entitled, “Il est ne le divin enfant” or “He was born the holy child” after a French Christmas song.
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Continue reading →: Ben Witherington on Dispensationalist DeviationsHaving critiqued the Calvinists in “The Problem with Evangelical Theology”, Ben Witherington III moves on to another popular Evangelical stream, Dispensationalism. This extract represents what he sees as the most problematic features of Dispensationalist Theology, which I have further highlighted in some areas for emphasis: What may we learn from this lengthy…
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Continue reading →: Touching the UntouchablesJohn called the “clean” unclean and gave them a ritual bath. Jesus called the “unclean” clean and gave them a ritual touch. Both rituals turned the popular understanding of “clean” and “unclean” upside down, breaking down boundaries. How would you ritually break boundaries in our culture if you were so…
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Continue reading →: Leading like JesusThe strong leader strengthens others, holding them up The weak leader weakens others, holding them down
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