Every Sunday Christians all over the world gather to sing, pray…listen to (a brilliant!) sermon… Styles may vary, but the pattern and basic content is stunningly consistent. The question for today is: Why? What are the origins of Christian worship? Why these particular elements? And how do we know if we are “worshipping correctly”? Can...
Tag: interpreting the new testament
Understanding the Bible 34: Saved by Works, Faith, or Adoption?
“Saved by works or saved by faith?”: It is one of the oldest debates in Christianity (albeit not the most helpful). By now, I hope it is becoming clearer that the idea of “being saved” refers to far more than simply one’s fate after death and relies neither on obedience to a divine law nor...
Understanding the Bible 33: Paul – How a Zealous Pharisee Became Jesus’s Apostle to the Gentiles
Before we can understand Paul’s letters, we must first understand the man: the Pharisee, the zealot, the convert, the missionary and indeed the church’s greatest theologian. In this episode, we examine Paul’s early life, his fervent commitment to Judaism and the extraordinary humility he demonstrates in his willingness to be wrong. Saul of Tarsus...