August 27, 2006 - In America, designer jeans, purses and various apparel is our stock in trade. Name brands can be found on the back of shirts (Tommy Bahama) and just about anywhere. But are we living by design spiritually? Are we living as to the plan and purpose that God had in mind when He created us? To live according to our desires violates Psalm 37:4 and is a sure road to a miserable life. What’s God’s design for your life?
Monthly Archive for August, 2006
This post is a sidebar to the lrchouston.com (click here) comment from Saturday, the 26th. Hey, it’s not just attorney’s who can have a sidebar! Let me say upfront that I am not herein trying to debunk the virgin birth of Jesus. I do have serious doubts about the story; however, I’ve not arrived at a permanent conclusion. Bottom line, virgin birth or not, it doesn’t change Jesus’ sinless life for me and here is why. Continue reading ‘Without Sin - A Virgin Birth?’
As I was reviewing some tapes of a Christian political gathering from a couple of months ago, I felt this pain about how each party (particularly the Republican party) uses RELIGION as a means to get the faithful to vote for them. The Democrats found out in ‘04 how important the religious vote was, and is. And they have a public and avowed strategy to “go after” the religious minded with more zeal and enthusiasm this year, and particularly in ‘08. Hillary Clinton is one of the main politicians to recognize this strategy.
Generally, I think it best to not wed politics with religion lest one gets a wrong image of God than they should. Unfortunately politicians of all flavors like to traffic in guilt and fear: not that a many Christians have had a shot to immunize them from the same malady.
Continue reading ‘Politics and Religion’
I have faith that eventually the church, particularly the church in America, will one day BE the church that Jesus called us to BE! We’re getting there but ever so slowly. I don’t know if it will happen in my time. I do know though that I’m called, as we all are, to do whatever we can to move that cause a little further down the road. Remember, faith without works is dead! My faith is based on an historical perspective of the progression of the church as follows. Continue reading ‘Faith In The Future!’
How about a controversial free commentary to kick off the new week?
I am asked by new Christians what book should they read first? Should they start at the beginning and read all the way through the Bible? “I hear that James is a good, practical book. What say thou”? My answer is MARK!
First of all, if you are a Christian, then you’re a follower of Jesus Christ. Right? So, it stands to reason for me, that we’ve narrowed down the 27 books of the New Testament to just four books: one of the four gospels. And therein Mark is hands down the book to read.
Continue reading ‘A Controversial Week’
Unlike a Fox News Alerts, this is really old stuff, so don’t hyperventilate on me right now. I have no problem with Biblical stories, in fact I love to hear them. But when one assumes them to ALL be literally true. Well, what’s the point of that? And then there’s all this STUFF that we add, make believe, or have heard from some song, that we throw into a story like a pinch of salt where the recipe doesn’t call for it. Where’s we get the THREE wise men? Probably the same place we got the CAMELS in the infancy narratives- out of thin air! Continue reading ‘RAPTURE ALERT!’
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray thee Lord my soul to take. There are so many things that we did and were taught as kids, that drive our lives today, even if just subconsciously, the impact is still the same. For so many years I was driven by the echoes in my head, from my Sunday School teacher, “Be a good boy and God will love you”. Continue reading ‘Gods Love!’
Bart Ehrman wrote in his book, , Misquoting Jesus, “Texts are interpreted (as they are written) by living, breathing human beings,who can make sense of the texts only by explaining them in light of their other knowledge, explicating their meaning, putting the words of the texts “in other words”. Say what?
Simply reading a text involves interpreting a text!
Continue reading ‘The Translation’
I hadn’t planned on bringing up one of the final ways that’s critical to understanding the Bible, but on second thought, why not? Put in the negative, one of the most subtle hindrances to Biblical interpretation is anti-semitism. Say what? Yes, ut’s there and it’s been there since the get-go. In a word, Jesus was a JEW! You cannot understand or properly interpret the Bible outside of some knowledge of the Jewish religion. Continue reading ‘Understanding The Bible :Part #2′
Revelation
I was reminded once again today how damaging it is to have been trained to interpret the Scriptures ALL LITERALLY. It’s even worse when you apply such an approach to the book of Revelation. Worse yet is to think somehow that the literal interpretation of Revelation is also prophetic. An email from the Dallas area had a question about the “lake of fire”.
When I informed my questioner that Revelation was allegorical, not prophetic, we were done.
I think of myself as tolerant and open to suggestions. There is so much I don’t know. And I usually only “seem harsh” when I am attempting to be humorous: which doesn’t always work. However, I simply can’t hold back my “are you crazy attitude” when people try and convince me that The beast is the European Union, the Anti-christ is a coming dictator, and that Armageddon will be fought against Russia, China, and an Arab League.
Right! And don’t forget that those scorpions are really helicopters!
Continue reading ‘Revelation’