Bridge of Reason

One of the arresting but often overlooked aspects of the Christmas story is that not Herod, nor the priests with whom he consulted, had any doubt, or were in any way confused about the fact that the well known reference in Micah 5:2 (c.f. Mt.2:5-6) alluded to a person, that he would come from Bethlehem, and be the Messiah. “ But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel” The final line in this verse finds its parallel in 2 Sam.5:1/2: ‘ Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and s aid, ‘Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’’ “ A ll the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron” to make him their king. It was there this son of Bethlehem was crowned, and the parallels with the life of Jesus are so striking as to be prophetic. The Sanhedrin, o

  Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,  “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”   And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”   He said to them,  “But who do you say that I am?”   Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”   And Jesus answered him,  “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-17   “England and America are two countries separated by the same language!” [1]   This quote, attributed to George Bernard Shaw, is not only humorous but also true. Numerous examples could be shown, but one will suffice. Let us consider the word ‘jumper’. An American hearing the word ‘jumper’, would bring about a certain amount of panic and perhaps an emergency call to 9-1-1. You see in America, a jumper is someone who is about to leap from a building, probably in an atte

I don’t want to spoil anyone’s Christmas and, certainly, I do wish everyone a very blessed and peaceful season but...well, it was never going to be easy bringing peace to the earth. I recently heard an  excellent sermon reminding us that the babe in the manger was destined to die a brutal and ignominious death on the Cross; you can’t have Christmas without the Cross. Of course, we often get so sentimental about Christmas – “it’s all about the children isn’t it”; or cynical about it all – “I don’t see much peace on earth.” But the Christ who made the sacrifice that might bring peace also challenges us to choose peace. It has always been this way since the beginning. Adam and Eve could choose obedience or rebellion (Gen.2:16); Israel was challenged before entering the Promised Land to choose between the gods of Egypt or the Living God who saved them (Josh.24:15); when Paul preached in Athens he declared: “ The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere

  My wife was brought up in The Salvation Army and from a young age she heard about the dangers of alcohol, gambling, and drugs. She was told that these were things used by the Devil to rob people of life. A trip to The Salvation Army hostel proved the point. Many there had turned to alcohol, gambling, or drugs and in doing so, they have had their lives devastated by a destructive habit. It is true that the Devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. My wife is no longer a member of The Salvation Army, but that which she was taught has remained with her. She has never drunk alcohol, gambled or taken non-prescriptive drugs. Now let me explain a little. Though at one time my wife would have advocated that all Christians should be teetotal (and I would agree that this is not a bad thing), she would now say that the odd drink in moderation can be okay. Though at one time she would have said that all gambling is wrong for the Christian (and I would agree that this is not a bad thing), sh

Transubstantiation is the Catholic dogma that the substance of the Eucharistic elements turn into the body and blood of Christ at consecration, only the appearances of bread and wine still remaining. They base this mainly on Jesus’ teaching in John 6, where Jesus taught, ‘ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.’ John 6:54 The 16 th century Council of Trent declared anathema (a curse) on anyone who denied the dogma. Does the bread and wine turn into the body and blood of Christ? Did Jesus intend us to take his words literally, or is there another meaning here? John 6 begins with the account of Jesus’ feeding of the five-thousand. We remember the story of the boy with the loaves and fishes, how Jesus multiplied them, gave thanks ( eucharisteō ‘to thank’ ) and distributed this generous bounty. So generous, indeed, there were 12 baskets of food left over. John tells us the people would take Jesus by force and make

  In his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes about false teachers (2:14-3:9), calling them irreverent babblers, ungodly, comparing their influence to gangrene (2:16-17). 2 Timothy 3:1-9 is especially excoriating of such people and those who follow them. It stands as a sober warning to us as we see false teachers influencing believers today. Paul’s counsel to Timothy will stand us in good stead as we face the challenge of false prophets, and those who ‘swerve from the truth’: ‘ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.’ 2 Timothy 2:15 Let Me Entertain You What standard are you using to judge the trustworthiness of what you are hearing, seeing, being taught? For many today entertainment is the measure of a good church service. Comfortable chairs, sometimes theatre seating, have turned congregations into audiences. Stages have replaced pulpits, turning pastors into turns; a song, a dance, an

  In the last post we asked if there is a particular type of person who joins a cult; we also considered how cults recruit. In this article we are going to reflect upon why people stay in cults and the consequences of leaving a cult. NO ESCAPE We mentioned previously that no one joins a cult, but rather people are recruited into such groups. Once a person has been recruited into a cult, various techniques may be employed to ensure the person will remain. The severity of these techniques is dependent upon the group. Some of the most damaging cults will completely remove an individual from their family and the wider society. These groups may then use methods that will break a person mentally, physically, and emotionally. This may include depriving the individual of sleep and food, removing items such as mobile phones, clocks, computers, and anything that will connect the individual with the outside world. This will leave a person confused, disorientated and susceptible to suggestion