paul – Curious Christian

The problem with Paul

The 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 the character of Jesus andContinue reading “The problem with Paul”

Why did Paul say women should be silent in gatherings?

1 Corinthians 14 is often used as a prooftext against women in Christian leadership, but consider this: Paul does not accuse the women of TEACHING PRESUMPTIVELY, rather, he accuses the women of ENQUIRING DISRUPTIVELY. His desire seems to be for speakers to be able to speak without unnecessary interruption. This is the same concern heContinue reading “Why did Paul say women should be silent in gatherings?”

What do Aleister Crowley and the Apostle Paul have in common? Thelema!

Thelema is the name of the magical system established by ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley in Liber AL vel Legis (The Book of the Law). The Law of Thelema is summed up in two phrases from the book: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” and “Love is the law, love underContinue reading “What do Aleister Crowley and the Apostle Paul have in common? Thelema!”

Priesthood as an outward orientation

What is your understanding of priesthood? The other day I was reading “Did the First Christians Worship Jesus?” by James D.G. Dunn when I was stuck by this simple yet profound statement: “Paul describes his own ministry in characteristically priestly terms (Rom. 15.16), but by doing so he probably was not thinking of himself as partContinue reading “Priesthood as an outward orientation”

The bones of Paul the Apostle?

From the New York Times: “The first scientific tests on what are believed to be the remains of the Apostle Paul, the Roman Catholic saint, ‘seem to conclude’ that they belong to him, Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday”. Not sure of the archaeological value of this. Comments?

The Yoga Sutras of Sri Paul

What would C4 contextualisation look like in a Western context? Hamo raised this question in an article some time ago and I thrashed out a few issues with him on his blog at the time, but I’d like to raise the specter of it again given recent discussions on chi, ki, prana, pneuma, etc, etc,Continue reading “The Yoga Sutras of Sri Paul”