Previous posts about biblical teaching on family ( What is a family? and Does the Bible present a preferred pattern of family) led to lively discussion. How do we use the Bible rightly to establish teaching on family? This post addresses two aspects. The Bible uses different sorts of text to teach different ways. We [...]
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The Southern Baptist Convention is apparently considering a name change. Jim West is upset (about this, as he is about so many other things). He’s thinking himself that he’d “like to follow suit and consider a name-change for myself “. I have a great suggestion: How about changing your name to “Southern Baptist Convention” the [...]
This is a follow-up to the article “What is a Family?” This follow-up asks whether the Bible presents a preferred pattern of family. Discussing Mat 19:3ff; Mk 10:2ff; Gen 1:27,28; 2:18-24; Colossians 3:18-21; Ephesians 5:21-6:4 and 1 Timothy 3:1-4 (cf Titus 1:6) as possible biblical bases for a model of “family”. Part of the discussion [...]
Family in the Bible Social change (high rates of separation and divorce, legislation like the Civil Unions Act last year, some impacts of the much older Privacy Act…) together with the strong Christian tradition of “defending family values” combine to make it really important that as Christians we think through what we mean by “family”. [...]
Five years ago I posted Family: towards a biblical view. It was really just a link to a short article I wrote for the Vision Network site. The article’s URL there has changed, and the two even shorter follow-up pieces I wrote are even more difficult to find, so since I am still (and even [...]
In response to my post Fairtrade: Coffee, Chocolate & Bananas Heather commented: …it will do nothing to convince the group that I most often encounter: those who don’t believe that what they do could possibly change ‘the system’. That’s the main point I find myself trying to argue with people. Oh, you silly people! I’ve [...]
I have just posted another short section to my online discussable book on motherly talk of God Not Only a Father which addresses the question of how The Nature of Christ as a Man interacts with my ideas of the (non)gendering of God. Not Only a Father is an attempt at a new way of [...]
Some of you, I hope many, do not need to read this post. Sadly those who flick past will probably be mainly those who DO need to read it :( When I posted a recipe for some nice Chocolate Muffins (which are actually a sort of moist and juicy cross between muffins and brownies, but [...]
Many teachers argue Proverbs is not merely a collection of ethical or moral rules. We stress the role of this teaching in forming the person. We notice how often the real wisdom consists not in knowing the words but in recognising when they are applicable. Thus, “contradictory” proverbs may both be true, and both collected, [...]
Jonathan’s doing again what he does best. Stirring! This time he tackles the myth that preaching in NZ is bad. Suggesting sensibly that Kiwi preachers are probably on average no worse that any other nationality. Which is doubtless a huge comfort to all you Kiwi preachers, but must be a real worry to the rest [...]
