On the Gospel in preaching and practice

On a blog called Internetmonk, I am part of a group called the Liturgical Gangstas. The idea is that periodically the moderator of the blog asks a question of people from different Christian backgrounds who have an interest in liturgy to see how they would respond. Most of us are pastors, but not all. Today is one of the days when our “feature” is posted. Below is the question that we were... [Read more]

Follow up thoughts on it isn’t true just because someone told you so

One person who commented on my post, Something is not true simply because someone said so, wondered about the place of the Holy Spirit in my description of the Early Church Fathers: Would you not say that they relied on the Holy Spirit then, as He did His work in that era, but they did so in humility and through their everyday dealings and practices (“Scripture, prayer, reflection, fasting, consultation... [Read more]

Something is not true simply because someone said so

Sometimes one reads two totally unrelated posts and it sparks some thinking in one’s mind. This happened to me today. Above is the latest Pithless Thought cartoon. And from another totally unrelated blog and blog post comes the following commentary: The longer I have been a believer in and follower of Jesus, the less I have been attracted to “movements” (“fads?”) in the church. I realize... [Read more]

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So, maybe the Apostle John did come from a rich family!

Actually there is some good evidence in Scripture, besides the one Scripture that I quoted in the other post that James and John bar Zebedee came from a rich family. In fact, it has been pointed out to me that there are some very good Scriptures that point to Zebedee’s family having some money and influence. Let’s take a look at some of those Scriptures. Mark 1:19-20 — When He had... [Read more]

Our pious ideas about the Apostles

One of the bloggers on yesterday’s post said: At the same time, I am reminded of the statement of Jesus to the effect that he was homeless, that he had no place to lay his head. Perhaps there is “voluntary poverty” involved? The statement to which he is referring is: And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His... [Read more]

Poor and illiterate apostles and New Testament people?

After yesterday’s post, another blogger commented: What was their own standing in their own community? We can’t know, I think. But from the texts alone, it seems evident that they had their own business and one of them, at least, owned a boat. Several of them had houses (one passage in the Gospel says something to the effect that Jesus, too, owned a home). The passage you cited indicates some... [Read more]

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Were the apostles poor and illiterate?

Were the twelve apostles poor and illiterate? I was leading a Bible Study tonight when one of the people involved made the statement that the Twelve Apostles were probably mostly poor and illiterate. After all, they were fishermen and salt of the earth, and many people did not know how to read or write back then. But, is this an accurate statement of the probable situation of the Twelve Apostles?... [Read more]

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JetBlue folk hero flight attendant — but why?

From the JetBlue blog site: It wouldn’t be fair for us to point out absurdities in other corners of the industry without acknowledging when it’s about us. Well, this week’s news certainly falls into that category. Perhaps you heard a little story about one of our flight attendants? While we can’t discuss the details of what is an ongoing investigation, plenty of others have already... [Read more]

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Rulers are God’s ministers

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because... [Read more]

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Jesus’ childhood

The Gospels are silent about Jesus’ childhood. I agree with those who say that the emphasis by the Gospel writers was on the Incarnation, the Ministry, and the Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ. With the exception of the Lukan story of a 12 year old Jesus at the Temple, no stories are told after infancy and before ministry. Even the Lukan story serves to point out that... [Read more]