I basically began to get an interested in the Bible twenty give years after I made a public confession of my desire to follow Jesus. So, what was I doing for those first twenty five years? I was being indoctrinated into my Baptist christian denomination. I was learning about the rapture, how to be rapture ready, what pleased God, what made God mad, and a lot of training in church rules of course. Oh yes, I also learned who was IN and who was OUT; who I should stay away from so I wouldn’t be tainted. Continue reading ‘Understanding The Bible’
Monthly Archive for August, 2006
August 20, 2006 - When we survey church history, it’s obvious that the church has made many mistakes. To not engage in honest dialogue and reflections as to what our faith is about is to continue walking in deception. Untested faith is no faith. But, in the examination as to what our beliefs are, we need to be careful that we’re replacing what’s being torn down with the truth in love; which is not always possible.
In a JOURNEY, it’s the DIRECTION that determines ones DESTINATION! A small example of one way that I’ve changed is in what I used to believe. I used to say DOCTRINE determines DESTINY. That is still true but for me it’s more of where one begins, whereas the first statement is where you travel later in life.
My doctrine used to be all about the rapture! I still believe in it happening one day, but not in my life, or as a life strategy. When I began to see the Kingdom message that Jesus taught, when my doctrine changed, my life took on an entirely new flavor. But even the Kingdom message took on a private, personalized, me lifestyle. I loved the mighty warrior approach over the “wimpy, please come and save me mentality”.
Continue reading ‘The Direction of Your Journey’
What does Romans 5:20 mean? What’s it say to you?
Is this a license to just do what you want? Hardly! Is it an encouragement to love God? It is for me. No president of a university would greet incoming freshman at an orientation and say to them, “I want you to all enjoy youself and do whatever you want because you are ALL going to graduate, no matter what you do”. Wow! Now that would be PAR-TEE time!
Continue reading ‘The Good News’
I want to finish up a little unfinished business that I wrote on August 16th about the Biblical put down of women on another site: www.lrchouston.com. Unfortunately that which came out of a culture that looked down on women could do nothing but attribute their philosophy to God, Jesus, and others when that wasn’t the case. So, let’s run through some examples and hopefully give ALL women more hope in what the Kingdom of God is really like. Continue reading ‘Biblical Women & Women’s Rights’
I understand how hard it is to try and tell someone something that goes against what they have believed and embraced for years, if not decades. It can get you hurt! It can cause one to question their faith (isn’t that what you are to do with faith?). Hebrews 12 reminds us that whatever can be SHAKEN WILL BE! Many who have come to a faith in Jesus Christ barely have their toe in the water of faith, and that’s where they want to stay. God will let them.
I can’t.
I’m a romantic. I’m madly in love with Jesus and I want to know everything about Him!
Continue reading ‘We’re Not God’
For so much of my early religious life in one of America’s mainline denominations I wrestled with things that I was told that were literal, when to me it seemd that they were symbolic. I could even get some agreement when it came to the book of Revelation; maybe because no one knew what the heck it was talking about either. Clearly, one must add to their literal interpretation of the Bible, a metaphoric, simile, hyperbole, and allegorical glance as well. Continue reading ‘A Literal Leaning’
It’s a weekend and after a very lengthy commentary yesterday, I’ll try and be brief and light.
The current theme is our image of God (which is way less than seeing Him as love) based in part on our Hollywood image of God. And of course I’d be remiss to leave out Dante’s Inferno, otherwise known as the Divine Comedy. Get it? It’s not the reality of hell. It’s an imaginary journey that too many Christians have made a literal one that he birthed from his mind around 1314. Instead of Seven Steps to Heaven, Dante added the Nine Steps To Hell.
Both are too simplistic and totally off base from what Jesus taught.
Continue reading ‘An Everyday Relationship’
Unfortunately Christians like to use the “Word of God” to beat people over the head, to win arguments, to prove doctrinal points, and basically to control whoever we are in front. The “word of God” is thus the Scripture- with which we like to conduct a bible quiz as though we know all the answers. I’m not going to address which translation- that’s an entirely separate issue. Yes, the Bible is the Word of God, however, there are three other “words of God”. Continue reading ‘Is The Bible The Word Of God?’
Translations and Women
I lament the fact that some of the things I say cause a few people difficulties. Yet I rejoice when they work through the barriers and come into greater light. That said, do not hear that I think I know it all: I know I don’t. On the same hand, I do not foolishly write or say something because it may sound good or is novel. And, I am always open to correction, which is not the same as embracing varied opinions, which we all do.
So, what bomb am I leading up to now, you ask? Let’s talk SEX!
Continue reading ‘Translations and Women’