(Lower profile right now having had open heart surgery – will return to the Apostle John and Revelation soon.) July 4 – Appreciate who we are as a people who live in liberty Religious wars swept across Europe and through the Orient (Eastern Mediterranean) and into the Near East (India-China) from the 1600s on. Many lasted over 100 years. It was mostly Christians fighting Christians. Some began to read the Bible, newly in print, and then fought off institutional and... Read more
In John’s writings to churches (1 and 2 John), he told of other perils. First was that there were many false prophets, he called them anti Christs, who deny the Father and the Son. From 1 John 2,3,4: “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.” “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus... Read more
New Era of Conscience and Change series Prophecy in the Bible generally offered a message of hope to its hearers about the eventual defeat of its enemies. It called people back to belief and obedience. A very limited amount of it talked about the end of all things. But generally “the end” being talked about is the end of a time of suffering or end of an era. Jesus and the Apostle John talked about the end of the age.... Read more
New Era of Conscience and Change series It was a time of change and a horrible time for Jews, apostles, and Christians. The first Christians were primarily Jews. Jews thought Christians should convert to Judaism, or some thought they should just die. The Christians didn’t know what to believe about anything so arguments were endless. The Romans grew more and more intolerant and drove them all out. The Apostle John walked through this era of change and brought us the... Read more
For me it’s like being asked, “Are you amber or violet?” Are you amber or violet? “Are you liberal or conservative?” is the question of the day, isn’t it? I was raised in a very conservative area and church. United Methodist, then I became a seeker, New Age, then Fundamentalist, then Baptist, …. Presbyterian, UCC, UMC, Love. I agree and disagree. The area I was raised in would not let those of other races spend the night. White and Christian,... Read more
Doers and hearers “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness,... Read more
None of us are smart enough to challenge God. We don’t even know what God is. Nearly every religion believes in a “Creator God,” the God above all and everything. Yet many people think they are the only ones in God’s Kingdom. While I practice Christianity, I understand it doesn’t exclude other people, and Jesus himself indicated as much. One of my favorite and frequent statements to my wife is, “I know nothing. How could I have been so wrong!”... Read more
It’s okay not to be liked “It ain’t easy being green.” – Kermit the Frog on Sesame Street about being different. “If you are a communicator, no one really likes much of what you say, therefore they don’t like you. So you never worry about it, just tell the truth.” – Dorian S. Cole Jesus: “… you will be hated for my name sake” (Matthew 10:22) There is no law more important than that of our own conscience. If we... Read more
The idea of same sex relationships wasn’t well recognized in the region in Paul’s time. What was recognized was same sex activity. Paul had not yet gained that understanding of relationships, nor did the later church. Some things gain understanding slowly before change occurs. Things that are dehumanizing often taken time for us to recognize. F or the Middle Eastern and Western World it took until the 1800s to understand that slavery wasn’t love, but was dehumanizing. In the 1900s... Read more
Religion is locally and culturally situated. For example, the Law of Moses developed over time and some of it was likely a reaction to Egyptian and Canaanite religion which would have been well known to the Hebrews as they went out of Egypt and through Canaan. Moses used them as a bad example of the way not to live, worship, or adopt their religious practices, such as the bull used as a symbol by both Egyptian and Canaanite religion. Moses... Read more
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