Nearly everyone who’s dared plunge into the mysteries of the book of Revelation has been captivated by the number of the beast – 666. Of course there are numbers everywhere – the 144,000 sealed, the 1,000-year reign, the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, and many multiples of 7: seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, seven […]
The Infamous Number of the Beast – 666 Read More »
Does God really know everything? ‘Of course’, we think, ‘he’s God. He must know everything’. Yet absolute knowledge is actually a deeply problematic concept philosophically and theologically. Just like omnipotence. We like to think God can do anything… but even God can’t make a square circle, or a married bachelor, or create a point north
Everything That Can Be Known Read More »
I was shocked to chance upon a major US financial news network happily using a market indicator called the ‘Greed and Fear’ index – with the commentator cheerfully explaining why the needle was shifting from greed to fear, and had just crossed over into ‘extreme fear’. Greed and Fear are dominant actors on our world
We tend to associate Advent with Christmas. The word literally means ‘coming’ – so we think, ‘of course, Christmas is coming!’ The Advent calendar gives the countdown, with chocolates behind each window to sweeten the way. But Advent is a Latin word translated from the biblical word parousia – which pointed to something (or someone)
Advent – He is Coming! Read More »
In AD 325 a meeting took place in the small town of Nicaea, in the Eastern Roman Empire, the Asian side of modern-day Turkey. This was no ordinary meeting. It was the first council of the whole Christian church, bringing together bishops from across the Roman empire – even as far as India. But it
The Nicene Creed at 1700 Read More »
When Paul urges Christians to, ‘Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’ (Eph 5:19) we might wonder what he’s getting at. Are these all the same, or is there a distinction? We know the early church composed hymns – and surely people made up beautiful songs – why continue with ancient Psalms?
Psalms II – Every Emotion for Every Occasion Read More »
Psalms easily tops the rankings of ‘favourite books of the Bible’. But why? Many turn to the Psalms for comfort, encouragement, to fuel-up on joy and wonder, re-connect with God, get a spiritual refresher, or even to find solace in misery, despair, uncertainty. It’s all there – an emotionally rich smorgasbord of food for the
Psalms – Make a Joyful Noise Read More »
You’ve all heard the old adage, ‘the only two certainties in life are death and taxes’ (Ben Franklin, 1789). Taxes, we agree. But death? Not so sure. As Christians, we think differently about death. Of course, we agree that we’re all destined to die, but that’s merely physical death. Surely, a major premise of our
The Continuity of Creaturely Death in the New Creation Read More »
What are we made of? Skin, bones and innards? You’ve probably heard that human beings are over 60% water – a solid majority. A more scientific approach might suggest ‘chemicals’. To delve even deeper, atoms and molecules. But apart from the infinitesimal particles of nuclei, the vast majority of atoms are empty space. For that
Is there a theology of conflict? Tough one. If theology is the consideration of anything and everything in relation to God, then there must be. Conflict exists. But what would such a theology look like? I have no answer to that question, but it’s nevertheless worth reflecting on – not only because of the horrific,
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