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: understanding the Bible
Understanding the Bible 37: On Spiritual Gifts and the Demystifying Thereof…
What does the mean by spiritual gifts? Are we to believe that Jesus bestows super powers upon his followers – healing people by laying on hands, speaking in tongues, foretelling the future…??? Are spiritual gifts signs of true faith (those who really believe can be distinguished from those who do not by their display of gifts)? Are they...
Understanding the Bible 36: Who Is the Holy Spirit?
How do we know the Bible is true? That is to say, why should we trust the biblical vision of reality is anything other than wishful thinking? Or is faith inherently “blind”? Such questions are often met – both inside and outside the church – with philosophical arguments about the nature of being, first principles, Prime Movers and so...