A prayer for living the gospel

From the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council God of yesterday, today and tomorrow, we call to mind your presence within us and around us. Open our ears that we may hear your Word.Open our hearts that we may understand your Word.Open our mouths that we may speak your World. Inspire us with the Gospel message,thatContinueContinue reading “A prayer for living the gospel”

Christians need to hear the gospel

Christians need to hear the gospel as much as non-Christians. Why? 1/ Because there are plenty of people who identify as Christians who aren’t living by faith; who are Christian in name only. They need to hear the gospel. 2/ Because there are plenty of Christians whose faith is immature; who haven’t integrated the gospelContinueContinue reading “Christians need to hear the gospel”

The gospel has many layers

One of the things I find fascinating about the gospel is how it operates on a number of different levels simultaneously. The Christ. The gospel is first and foremost the story of the Christ promised by God,  who entered history as Jesus of Nazareth. It tells of his life, death, resurrection, and promised return. We mightContinueContinue reading “The gospel has many layers”

What did Jesus achieve?

What did Jesus achieve? Jews at the time of Jesus expected the messiah to achieve a number to things: to defeat the enemies of Israel; to restore the Temple; to gather the exiles of Israel; and to teach the Torah to the nations. The earliest Christians, who were Jewish by and large, saw Jesus asContinueContinue reading “What did Jesus achieve?”

Beautiful feet

The prophet Isaiah once wrote: How beautiful upon the mountains     are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,     who publishes salvation,     who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” I find it worth observing that the beauty of the messenger, and the goodness of the news, areContinueContinue reading “Beautiful feet”

The book of Deer

This illustration of the four gospel writers comes from the Book of Deer, the earliest surviving example of Gaelic literature from Scotland. The Book of Deer is an illuminated Christian text, similar to the Book of Kells. It is named after the monastery of Deer and contains portions of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark andContinueContinue reading “The book of Deer”

Preaching the gospel apophatically

“The limitation of theology and language, let alone of speaking about God, indicates that preaching is not just the verbal proclamation of the gospel in the pulpit but also the need for ritual, living and solidarity. It incorporates these significant elements not in a compartmentalized but in an integrative and holistic whole.” Preaching The GospelContinueContinue reading “Preaching the gospel apophatically”

A Statement on the Prosperity Gospel

If you equate evangelical Christianity with the prosperity gospel then I highly recommend reading A Statement on the Prosperity Gospel by the Lausanne Theology Working Group. Lausanne is one of the peak bodies for the evangelical movement worldwide. It may surprise you how hard they come down on prosperity preaching.

What do Muslims find most difficult about Christianity?

I recently asked some Muslim friends, “What is the one thing you find most difficult or offensive about Christianity?” and whether this related to belief or behaviour. The overwealming majority answered that it was the Christian affirmation of the divinity of Jesus that they found most difficult, with many expressing their objections to trinitarian andContinueContinue reading “What do Muslims find most difficult about Christianity?”