A Place To Candidly Discuss Issues That Relate To Christianity

Archive for February, 2009

Which Gospel?

In God, Gospel, Jesus, Theology on February 28, 2009 at 9:36 am

By Marc

Consider the following two candidates for the title of “The Gospel”:

  1. Jesus died to pay for your sins so that you can go to heaven and escape hell apart from moral attainment.
  2. Jesus is the Messiah, God’s anointed King. Through Him God is restoring and renewing all creation.

As Christians we believe both these statements but which is the “Gospel” Jesus and the apostles proclaimed? Both these messages are, in different senses, good news. Let us consider both messages from a Christian (believing) perspective. Read the rest of this entry »

The Bible and Homosexuality

In Bible, People on February 24, 2009 at 8:33 pm

Article contributions to Unravel do not necessarily or entirely represent the views of its founders.  A diversity of perspectives, opinions and beliefs are requested or welcomed with the purpose of cultivating vivid, informed and well-rounded discussions on this site.

The Bible and Homosexuality: a Pastor’s Argument for Acceptance.

By Ben Daniel

On Saturday, August 19, 2006 I delivered the homily at a wedding in Leeds, Maine. It was a happy event: the service was sweet, the food was wonderful, and we danced into the night. The brides were radiant, both dressed in white, both in full possession of the particular beauty common to those in their early thirties, when the loveliness of lingering youth meets the gathering wisdom of mature adulthood. The wedding was memorable, and I’m proud to have played a part in it.

When I returned to California, with the permission of the brides, I wrote about the Maine wedding, first on my blog, and later as a commentary for KQED FM in San Francisco, the nation’s largest NPR affiliate. The response to both bits of writing was the same: sincere appreciation from most of my readers and listeners, and absolute outrage from others. I am, after all, a Christian pastor who has placed himself under the authority of scripture. So how could I possibly take part in a lesbian wedding? Read the rest of this entry »

The Emerging Church – Led By God and/or Problematic?

In Church on February 21, 2009 at 12:08 am

by Elizabeth K

I was thinking about reading Timothy Stoner’s new book The God Who Smokes:  Scandalous Meditation On Faith, so I did some research.  I have to say that the title is certainly catchy, especially when paired with the author’s last name.  Initially, I only wanted to know the subject of the book and was happily surprised that it concerned the emerging church since this movement has been plaguing my thoughts recently (among many, many other issues of course).

Tim Stoner chose the book’s title because he believes it represents both the goodness and severity, or anger, of God.  “The column of smoke was grace in the wilderness—shade and direction. The smoke on Mt. Sinai was a mercy that protected the Israelites from the blinding brilliance of God’s glory.”

While the author appreciates certain aspects of the emerging church movement, he has also distanced himself from emergent theology for certain reasons.  He provides valuable critique in the book as well as in an interview with Trevin Wax where he states examples of false choices made within the movement. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s See, What Can We Argue About Now? How About Church Membership?

In Church on February 19, 2009 at 7:27 am

by Elizabeth K

During a six hour carpool ride for a ski/snowboard trip last weekend, I couldn’t help but bring up controversial issues for the makings of a lively conversation.  This not only caused me to forget the long hours in a car, but I could happily express my love for a debate, and I learned some things as well.  We covered such topics as:  Should homosexuals be welcomed to regularly attend church?  Can church programs distract us from real Christianity?  And, what about church membership?

When speaking about church membership, I am alluding to the formal process of a public commitment of affiliation to a certain church in a manner that varies according to the custom of that particular congregation.  Although there are no Scriptures that pertain to church membership (as we know it today), many Christians believe that it allows biblical principles such as submission to ordained leadership, fellowship, ministry, accountability, church discipline and participation in church ordinances to take place. Read the rest of this entry »

What Annoys You the Most About Christians? How Can We Improve?

In Life, People on February 11, 2009 at 8:47 pm

by Elizabeth K

Notice that this is not a come one, come all bashing of Christianity.  That might be irreverent toward Christianity’s founder, Jesus Christ.  If we’re talking about His followers however, that is a different story (although not entirely).

Okay, I’ll start.  If you know me at all, you have already guessed that my greatest vexation comes from legalistic Christians.  In all fairness I have to wonder why it irritates me so much.  Maybe it is because legalism marked my own character at one time for too many years.  Or perhaps it is because the Apostle Paul was not too hip on it himself.  Either way, that cold, rigid, judgmental attitude is still an issue for many Christians.

Read the rest of this entry »

No Salvation Apart From Works

In Bible, Church, Gospel, Jesus, Theology on February 11, 2009 at 8:13 pm

by Marc

We often hear that salvation, Christian-style, is apart from works. This is however a muddling of terms. The Bible, in particular, Paul’s writings actually teaches that justification is by faith apart from works of Torah [1].

For Paul, justification is God declaring a person a covenant member wile salvation is the ultimate rescue from evil. They are not the same thing and Paul does not interchange the terms (see e.g. Rom 10:10).

I think it’s equally clear that works of Torah (circumcision, food laws etc.) were marginalised if not done away with in the New Testament because the gentiles were coming in and ethnic markers were dissolving. But surely good works were raised higher than ever by Jesus and his successors! Why then do we still equate the two and assume salvation is apart from good works?
Read the rest of this entry »

The World’s Top Ten Problems

In Life, People on February 10, 2009 at 2:57 am

by Elizabeth K

According to Copenhagen Consensus 2008, the top ten world challenges are:

Air pollution:  “Air pollution causes 2.5 million deaths each year, the vast majority in the developing world.”

Conflicts:  “The number of civil wars has recently reduced, but the study says the risk of more violence is increasing, partly as a result of the commodity boom and partly because the spread of democracy increases the risk of coups.”

Diseases: “Developing countries not only suffer much more than the industrialized world from diseases such as malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS, but also have to face an increasing burden of heart disease, cancer and other non-communicable diseases.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Is There A One True Visible Church?

In Church on February 9, 2009 at 11:59 pm

by Elizabeth K

Have you ever studied a subject so much that you became more confused and frustrated at the end of your research than you were at the beginning? This was the result of my ongoing questioning concerning which church or denomination is the one that was founded by Christ, the God-man that I profess to follow.

But I really like the way this guy right here, named John Halton answers the question of the one true church. The Bible is unmistakable when it explains the body of Christ as an invisible entity, and yet Ecclesia is a visible church. The book of Acts describes the first church and it was certainly observable with the human eye. The author of Hebrew’s command to not forsake the “assembling” of ourselves together is also overtly a literal gathering. Read the rest of this entry »

The God Who Came in Disguise

In Gospel, Jesus, People, Theology on February 7, 2009 at 1:43 pm

By Marc

Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
 - Mark 1:34

Such passages puzzle us: did Jesus not want the world to know who he was? How often did he command people not to tell of their healing? Sometimes he advertised (Lk 8) but sometimes he acted in secret (Jairus’ daughter). Why did he not present himself to the chief priests, perform a miracle or two and get their PR-engine on his side?

Read the rest of this entry »

Suicide And The Christian

In Life, People on February 6, 2009 at 11:50 pm

by Elizabeth K

While suicide is a breaking of the sixth commandment “Thou shalt not murder,” it is not the unpardonable sin.  Some of us Christians have adopted a warped view of certain sins, such as divorce and killing, which are not always wrong.  Yet, even the gravest, most abominable sin, past, present and future, can be forgiven by God.  It is possible for any sinner to be released and restored from any sin.  The only unforgivable sin is the rejection of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:16) and discussing that great folly is for another time.

Read the rest of this entry »

Is The Evangelical Church Losing Its Influence?

In Church on February 5, 2009 at 5:52 pm

by Elizabeth K

Christine Wicker thinks so, according to  her book, The Fall of the Evangelical Nation:  The Surprising Crisis Inside The Church, and she uses solid statistics to prove it.  Through media coverage, American evangelicals which make up at best 3.7% of the population appear to be much stronger than they are because they seem to fully represent American Christian ideals. Read the rest of this entry »

25 Things About God

In God on February 4, 2009 at 6:27 pm

There’s a motion on Facebook to write 25 things about yourself. I found it quite tough but with God it’s fairly easy to go on all day about what He is and what He has done. Why aren’t more of our conversations about Him and His wonders?
Read the rest of this entry »

John’s Deep Simplicity

In Bible on February 3, 2009 at 10:19 pm

Prompted by Ken Boa’s free mp3 teaching series on John, I started reading the Bible for the first time since conversion seven years earlier. I grew to cherish John’s account of Jesus because of it’s simplicity and depth which I prize to this day, keeping a copy within reach everywhere I go. Read the rest of this entry »