There are real oxymorons – "Unitarian Christians" and "Arian Christians" – and there are what ought to be oxymorons but are only too real – flawed Christians and sinful Christians. Is it any surprise? Biblical students and students of human nature should not be surprised. So why is it a great surprise that there are …
Category: Personal religion
Every idle word that men shall speak…
The language battle is heating up. Redefining marriage is the most spectacular and far-reaching milestone on the secular journey to destroy Christian values in western society, but the language battle began a long time ago with tolerating swearing and blasphemy. Christian terms such as Jesus, Christ, God, Lord, heavens above, hell and damn are all …
Peer-group pressure is changing you
Cambridge Analytica, a company which specialises in behaviour change, is credited, along with Facebook, with Donald Trump’s victory in the US Presidential election victory on 8/11/2016. The homepage of Cambridge Analytica's website says “Data drives all that we do. Cambridge Analytica uses data to change audience behavior [sic].’ This is an acknowledgement that peer-group pressure …
Denial and post-truth – the real problem with faith
The film Denial has been recently released in British cinemas after its premier at the Toronto film festival on '9/11' last year and its UK premier on International Holocaust Memorial Day 27th January 2017. It gives the outline of the libel trial brought by notorious Holocaust denier David Irving against the American historian Deborah Lipstadt …
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What do we do about confusion in congregational preaching?
Intelligent listeners will notice differences in teaching between preachers even in the same denomination, as well as between denominations. The right of private judgment is permitted to Christians, but the continuous and unchallenged preaching of different doctrines only leads to confusion in congregations - and God is not the author of confusion 1Cor 14:33. So …
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When did the Bible last change your thinking or behaviour?
Christians claim to be submissive to the Word of God. They acknowledge that they are not 'the finished article'. So when did the Bible last change your thinking or behaviour? The development of one's Christian character is effected by the Holy Spirit applying the Word of God to one's thinking, speech and behaviour. It is …
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The maturing Paul
At a conference of Christian political party leaders in Leissigen, Switzerland, in 2013, I heard the following observations made by Valeriu Ghiletchi, a member of the Parliament of Moldova and a former President of the European Baptist Federation. He drew attention to four stages of the apostle Paul's life and ministry, to show his changing …
Sermon preparation
Some bullet points on sermon preparation. 1. Have an interesting introduction. In Lectures to My Students, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, 'the prince of 19th-century preachers', says that every notice should have the word “Attention!” at the top; and so every sermon should call attention to the topic of the sermon. It should be composed last, when …
Questions and answers in church and congregational life
In his first epistle to the Corinthians Paul deals with some congregational issues and in 1Cor 14:35 he says about wives: "if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home, because it is a shame for women to speak in the church." This strongly suggests that husbands were asking questions in congregations …
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Faith and Assurance
Faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour is not the same as faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour, nor are these the same as believing that I am saved. The latter is assurance of salvation. Saving faith says: "I believe in Jesus Christ for the salvation of my soul." Assurance of salvation says: "I believe …
Donald's Thoughts 