Just keep reading

What would you think if someone got a letter in the post, and after opening it just dived into random sections of it, pulling out sentences with no regard to the context in which they were written.  Would you think that would be a sensible way to go about establishing the intent of the writer and the meaning of his correspondence?  I would guess your answer is no, but then why do so many people adopt that approach when dealing with Scripture?

Tomaytoes, tomatoes?

"Why all this petty bickering?  We all worship the same God, we just differ on the details.  Does it really matter?  Stop arguing, and unite!"  Does that sound familiar?

True for you, not for me!

It was a weird conversation - this gentleman maintained that there was no objective truth, I asked him if his statement was true...

Why didn't He just say it?

I have heard Jews, Muslims and "Jehovah's Witnesses" ask this question - "If Jesus really is God then why didn't He just say, 'I am God'?"  There's a good reason, if you think about it...

We already knew that!!!

"Are we to suppose that no one knew that murder was wrong until the Israelites got to Sinai and got the Ten Commandments?  Of course they knew it was wrong, and what that shows is that you don't get your morality from the Bible."  That's the assertion I have heard, but what is the answer?  Well, to a large extent, I agree!

Last of the Sullivan questions

It's been four weeks I think since I got buried beneath the avalanche of questions from Sullivan Upper SU, and I am just now emerging - to the students at Sullivan, thanks for your questions and thanks for your patience.  If you have any follow ups then let me know: mailto:greatnews4all@googlemail.com

The strawman takes another beating from Dawkins

Tip to winning an argument - define your opponent's views to suit yourself, then tear them apart.  That seems to be the tactic Richard Dawkins takes.

Double standards?

Why does God not go by the rules He gives us?  Some have accused God of having double standards...

What's the big deal about miracles?

I indicated in a previous post that I would look at why Christ's miracles showed Him to be the Son of God.  The reason for posting on this is because Christopher Hitchens has stated, in his usual dogmatic way, that even if the miracles and the resurrection did happen it would prove nothing about Jesus being the Son of God because others in the Bible performed miracles and were raised from the dead. 

It's a miracle!

Getting a handy parking space or having just the right amount of money for your shopping - miraculous?  Hardly, but there are some who are desperate to see miracles on a daily basis - it's not the way it works.