tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51931342011-12-14T18:55:17.456-08:00Cutting Edge Theology is a bit hard to explain. It involves approaching spirituality through the Head and works to understand how Scripture, Reason, and Tradition apply to Today's issuesJosh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.comBlogger891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1141101003782142022006-02-27T20:20:00.000-08:002006-02-27T20:30:03.793-08:00

Sunday's readings were from the first letter to the Corinthians (4:3-6). I was impressed that Paul spoke to me. The message I heard was simple: listen to the message, not the messenger. We should avoid the ad hominem dismissal of someone's message because we think of them as a nutbag. Whether it's Rev. Jerry Falwell or Bishop John Shelby Spong, we must be open to whatever truths are revealed.

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1136758869826672352006-01-08T14:13:00.000-08:002006-01-08T14:21:09.846-08:00

There were three baptisms at Church this morning. We're using a different form for them, with a supplement to the Bulletin, so there is no need to pick up a BCP. It seems like every time I witness a baptism, I think about what it will mean to baptize our child, should we be so blessed. Custom dictates infant baptism, and I've wondered if that's appropriate. I don't have a problem taking away

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1136521350608443312006-01-05T20:11:00.000-08:002006-01-05T20:22:30.616-08:00

Following up with a quick re-read of Joel, the book Robertson quoted in his condemnation of Sharon. Joel's complaint about breaking up the holy land is directed towards outsiders who conquer Judah and Israel and sell the kids into slavery. As much as I'd like to see Robertson completely misquote the Bible (just to show his true colors) I don't think I can state that he misquoted the Bible.

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1136519623414472622006-01-05T19:47:00.000-08:002006-01-05T19:53:43.423-08:00

My God, how can a 21st century preacher say this? How can he look in the camera and say God strikes down people who cut up God's land. Maybe Robertson hasn't figured it out yet, but the entire universe is God's! All is God's, we are merely stewards of Creation. God cannot be confined to a tiny scrap of land in the middle east. Christians just shouldn't listen to Robertson, the only thing

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1134969601427300952005-12-18T21:02:00.000-08:002005-12-18T21:20:01.440-08:00

I've been thinking about Christmas. Naturally. It is, after all, the fourth week of Advent. Today's gospel reading started "in the sixth month..." of the year, I'm assuming, and Mary was visited in the sixth month, and presumably, started her sacred pregnancy. So, if there are twelve months in the year, then Jesus was born in the third month of the year, and I think the year started near the

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1133805463154216962005-12-05T09:33:00.000-08:002005-12-05T10:04:51.126-08:00

A few nights ago my wife and I were watching a special of PBS about the great houses of worship in America. One of them was a Catholic parish with a large dome that depicted the Assumption of Mary, and the person talking about the painting said that it gives a perfect representation of the scene, right out of the Bible (Emphasis mine). I'd like to know which Bible they were reading, because

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1124906993941458502005-08-24T11:09:00.000-07:002005-08-24T11:09:53.983-07:00

I want to break into the control room and studio of the 700 club, and wait for Robertson to break another commandment, or ask people to break a commandment. Then I would cut into the feed with the relevant commandment on a still, printed in a nice gothic script, and read the commandment in my deepest, most authoritative voice, over the loudspeakers. Robertson has prayed for the deaths of Supreme

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1122863318714570822005-07-31T19:20:00.000-07:002005-07-31T19:28:38.720-07:00

While visiting my mother, who has a fabulous library, I picked up a book by James H. Charlesworth called "The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the New Testament." Looking at the roots of Christianity, it is helpful to understand Judaism at the time of Jesus to understand His message and the movements that started up afterwards. I realized, reading the prologue, that I have always thought of the

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1122503840040997482005-07-27T15:10:00.000-07:002005-07-27T15:37:20.046-07:00

I almost got very angry with Martin Heidigger. I picked up his book "An Introduction to Metaphysics" and almost lost it. Granted, I've been reading Arthur C. Clarke again as well, and Clarke's dismissive and insulting tone towards religion always makes me hypersensitive.Anyway, Heidigger starts with the foundational question "Why are there things instead of nothing?" This is not the first

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1121923310105788342005-07-20T21:46:00.000-07:002005-07-20T22:21:50.113-07:00

Tonight at Church we discussed sin, which leads to a whole host of other topics: evil, grace, confession, absolution. We didn't talk about redemption or repentance because we're Episcopalians and we don't talk like that. This post may ramble because I am more inspired than organized right now.We couldn't really talk about sin and grace until we had working definitions of them, and the first

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1120680092643397682005-07-06T13:00:00.000-07:002005-07-06T13:01:32.646-07:00

Last night I listened to a radio program promoting the "Passport to Purity" program. I was prepared to be offended, as I usually am by 'Christian Radio', but in the end I didn't have the chance. This program involves a retreat with a father and son or mother and daughter, and very little details of the program were given. The big evil, it sounded like, was peer pressure teens face to have sex.

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118727135498682532005-06-13T22:32:00.000-07:002005-06-13T22:32:15.583-07:00

A reintroduction of two words by William Saffire, via Better Than Believing: Christians are people who practice Christianity. They do their best to follow the way taught and lived by Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus stands at the center of the constellation of symbols by which they make sense out of their existence. Christianists are devotees of Christianism. They use Christian symbols in propounding an

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118691144110355512005-06-13T12:29:00.000-07:002005-06-13T12:32:24.113-07:00

There are things I want to say on this blog, but I feel that the Daily Office has a momentum that is broken by other writings, so I have moved the daily office series to a new blog:http://cuttingedgedailyoffice.blogspot.com/. This means another blog, but that's okay. God has not given me more than I am capable of doing. I have started that blog with Sunday's entry for Proper 6. I will slowly

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118430627095729732005-06-10T12:09:00.000-07:002005-06-10T12:10:27.103-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 69 (24-30 optional)Ecclus. 45:6-162 Cor. 12:11-21Luke 19:41-48Jesus predicts the fall of Jerusalem because they did not listen to Him as a prophet. He just made His triumphant entry into the city and is still not satisfied: the people who could have implemented change chose to ignore him. The priests who controlled the religion may have recognized that they were living in

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118343889577149182005-06-09T12:02:00.000-07:002005-06-09T12:04:49.583-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 70,71Ecclus. 44:19-45:52 Cor. 12:1-10Luke 19:28-40Today will probably be a quick meditation. There isn't a lot of meat here for me, or perhaps I have entered morning prayer hasily, and not with sufficient prayer in my heart. The Psalms lately have been full of "Smite my enemies for me, God." Treating God like a bully that fights for us. Of course, historically, God was

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118257905563952982005-06-08T12:11:00.000-07:002005-06-08T12:11:45.570-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 72Deut. 31:30-32:142 Cor. 11:21b-33Luke 19:11-27Luke tells the parable of the ten pounds: A man travels to seek royal power and leaves part of his fortune with his slaves. There is an attempt to have him assassinated while he is away. He returns to find one man has turned one pound into ten, another turned his pound into five. These slaves are praised and rewarded. One

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118168116585860822005-06-07T11:13:00.000-07:002005-06-07T11:15:16.590-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 61,62Deut. 30:11-202 Cor. 11:1-21aLuke 19:1-10Zacchaeus is a tax collecter in Jericho. He has heard about this Jesus of Nazareth, running around and teaching people about the Kingdom of God. Zacchaeus is not described as a believer, nor does he act like the other extra Biblical characters who believe that Jesus is the messiah as soon as they hear his name. Zacchaeus

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118085430739605092005-06-06T12:16:00.000-07:002005-06-06T12:17:10.746-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 56,57Deut. 30:1-102 Cor. 10:1-18Luke 18:31-43If we don't read Deuteronomy carefull, we fall into the trap of assuming that if we are wealthy and powerful, we have God's favor. We reverse the causality of God's favor to earthly wealth to suit ourselves. But from Paul we read that we should really stay within our limits. I read this as a "Know Thyself" passage. We have to

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118071827635067782005-06-06T08:29:00.000-07:002005-06-06T08:30:27.636-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 24,29Deut. 29:16-29Rev 12:1-12Matt 15:29-39We read that the punishment for lack of fidelity to God is pretty harsh: Wiped out from history, lands destroyed, your existence an anonymous reminder for the next generations about what fidelity should mean. The reading from Revelation is just too weird, but the story of Michael slaying the dragon is the source story for my

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1118071788966152232005-06-06T08:28:00.000-07:002005-06-06T08:29:48.970-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 55Deut. 29:2-152 Cor. 9:1-15Luke 18:15-30More about generosity. God renews the covenent at Moab, and extends it to everyone who is there, whether or not they are historically part of the faith, and even those Hebrews who are not present. Paul teaches us the God loves generous givers. Now, when money is tight, both of us are unemployed, the idea of giving what little we

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117827009166505822005-06-03T12:30:00.000-07:002005-06-03T12:30:09.170-07:00

This post says a lot of things I've wanted to say for a long time. I have never understood it, except that there is a large proportion of people in this world who apparently would rather be certain than right. They equate questions with doubt with unbelief with sin. They assume a logical chain in the defintion of 'progressive christian' that means we're wrong. God tests us with false prophets

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117825776769450012005-06-03T12:08:00.000-07:002005-06-03T12:09:36.773-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 40Deut. 26:1-112 Cor. 8:16-24Luke 18:9-14Upon arriving in the promised land, the Hebrews are to sacrifice the best of the first crop to God, and recite a statement of their faith history. Paul praises Titus for his eagerness and skills as a preacher. Luke teaches us that we should not take pride in our own righteousness. This passage is one of those that traditional

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117742226653739842005-06-02T12:48:00.000-07:002005-06-02T12:57:06.656-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 50Deut. 16:18-20, 17:14-202 Cor. 8:1-16Luke 18:1-8Another day that doesn't seem to have an immediate theme to the readings, at least, non that jump out at me. Psalm 50 has the phrase "sacrifice of thanksgiving." I'll come back to that. Deuteronomy declares that judges and public officials must put Justice first above all else. Kings must live modestly and keep God's law.

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117741559858332982005-06-02T12:41:00.000-07:002005-06-02T12:45:59.863-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 119:49-72Deut. 13:1-112 Cor. 7:2-16Luke 17:20-37Psalm 119:71: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn your statues." It's almost as if the Psalmist is saying that we can only know God through our broken ness. Deuteronomy teaches us to beware of false prophets, they are tests from the Lord. Kill them. Jeepers! One interesting aside is the family

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117565575257070102005-05-31T11:38:00.000-07:002005-05-31T11:52:55.263-07:00

Today's Readings:Deuteronomy 12:1-122 Corinthians 6:3-7:1Luke 17:11-19The word of the day seems to fall between "Purging" and "Cleansing". As a rule, I try not to view the miracles as factual events. Miracles are things like being stranded on a dark road with no lights in an unfamiliar city and a stranger pulls over, calls AAA on their cell phone, and waits with you until help arrives. That's

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117564676470891322005-05-31T11:23:00.000-07:002005-05-31T11:37:56.476-07:00

Today's Readings:Deuteronomy 11:13-192 Corinthians 5:11-6:2Luke 17:1-10I am reminded that Jesus was another in a long line of prophets. Jerusalem was under the control of an invading force, traditionally a sign that God was displeased with the Jews or the Pharisees. The Jews must have failed to keep God's commandments because they had lost their land, even though they still lived there. They

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117411750253135342005-05-29T16:48:00.000-07:002005-05-29T17:12:28.653-07:00

(I foolishly realized that I'd been reading the Year Two side of the Daily Office, so I've started this week on Year One).Today's Readings:Deut. 11:1-12Rev. 10:1-11Matt 13:44-58I think that there is a connection between the contents of the little scroll in the reading from Revelation that tastes good but leaves a bitter stomach and the law that God commands the Hebrews no keep as they prepare to

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117128793139317342005-05-26T10:26:00.000-07:002005-05-26T10:43:21.876-07:00

Today's Readings:Psalm 37:1-18Proverbs 21:30-22:61 Timothy 4:1-16Matthew 13:24-30The word that sprung to mind today is Patience. Psalm 37:17: "The little that the righteous has is better than the great riches of hte wicked." Proverbs 22:4: "The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor in life." Pauls' letter to Timothy tells us to be patient and focus on Godliness. Matthew

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1117046045883693362005-05-25T11:25:00.000-07:002005-05-25T11:34:05.886-07:00

Today's readings:Psalm 38Prov. 17:1-201 Tim. 3:1-16Matt. 12:43-50I think the theme of today's readings is healing. Psalm 38 wallows in misery and iniquity. Proverbs teaches that a calm ordered life is a good thing. Paul teaches that Bishops and Deacons must have ordered lifes and a long history with the faith. So why healing? Matthew. Jesus describes a demon being cast out, wandering around

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1115654728985069642005-05-09T08:38:00.000-07:002005-05-09T09:05:29.023-07:00

One way to look at religious beliefs is to say that all religions are talking about the same thing, the only real conflicts involve what words to use. I think that there is something to this, and as much as I want to reclaim the word 'Christian' to mean something other than 'Fundamentalist,' I see there are Fundamentalists who want complete control of the word. Problem is, once you release a

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1114617390075130132005-04-27T08:53:00.000-07:002005-04-27T08:56:30.080-07:00

Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 13This part of Paul's letter says, on the surface, obey the local authority. A deeper reading shows that the authority has responsibilities as well. To start, Paul is often quoted that "authority has been instituted by God" but in fact, Paul says that "those authorites that exist have been instituted by God." Paul is not saying that the Presidency of the

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1114274475337439822005-04-23T09:41:00.000-07:002005-04-23T09:41:15.336-07:00

The most frightening thing about this story (New Pope condemns Spain gay bill) is that the Pope is calling on Catholic officials in Spain to obey Church law over State law. Imaging the field day the right wingers in this country would have if Kerry had won the election. All of the fears we had about Kennedy would come back. This Pope has renewed the demand for political power centralized in

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1113930544725593052005-04-19T10:09:00.000-07:002005-04-19T10:09:04.726-07:00

Pray for Pope Benedict XVI. I worried that the lengthy illness of John Paul II would allow the cardinals to campaign for the throne, which is exactly what happened. Cardinal Ratzinger wanted the job, and that tells me that he probably should not be given that much power. I am wary of anyone who wants to lead. Pray for Pope Benedict XVI. As a Cardinal this man used John Paul II's death to tell

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1113839829199871972005-04-18T08:12:00.000-07:002005-04-18T08:57:09.200-07:00

This week the Gospel lesson was Jesus describing himself as the Gate, the shepherd, and the gate-keeper. I was struck by the idea that this passage can be used to promote Christian Exclusivity, and yet it is one of the images of Christ promoted by the Center for Progressive Christianity, a group that has decidedly denied Christian Exclusivity.Another problem I ran into is that as a modern day

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1110903915622082222005-03-15T08:10:00.000-08:002005-03-15T08:25:15.623-08:00

We're readin Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity in a book group and after reading the first two chapters, I suspect Borg is writing a book on "emerging paradigm apologetics." I'm not sure I agree with his terms "earlier" and "emergent" paradigms to describe what I usually call "conservative" or "progressive" Christianity, but I'm glad someone is making the move to get away from terms that

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1109610169920727532005-02-28T09:02:00.000-08:002005-02-28T09:09:40.033-08:00

This strip from the Filthy Lies! web comic just screams for a commentary. Filthy Lies! is another bit of web addiction I suffer from. The tone is irreverent, and the only real display of religion (that I've read so far) is negative. A bad Christian and an anti-Christian living together for fun. The red blob in the comic was a bit of beefsteak that was given life during an "unholy experiment."

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1109018178784326422005-02-21T12:14:00.000-08:002005-02-21T12:36:18.786-08:00

I think I had a revelation about the nature of the traditional/conservative/earlier (to use Borg's term) religous outlook towards metaphor. Remember when Jerry Falwell declared that Tinky Winky from the Teletubbies was gay? What did he use: The fact that TW is purple, male, has a triangle on his head, and carries a purse. All metaphors (or at least indicators) that this silly character is '

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1107540157664024642005-02-04T09:41:00.000-08:002005-02-04T10:02:37.666-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Calling Christians to some sort of movement. Fr. Jake offers a selection of passages from the 23rd chapter of Matthew that gives us a Biblical basis for standing up against the Christian "Right" who have given Jesus and God a bad name. It is important to remember that while Jesus preached universal love, he also taught his followers to have a spine. Having

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1106942453249458262005-01-28T11:26:00.000-08:002005-01-28T12:00:53.250-08:00

The UCC is pretty savvy to take something hateful and turn it into an invitation. I might go and visit one of their churches one day. I'm sure SpongeBob would be welcome in the Epsicopal Church as well. I know I've seen enough kids with SpongeBob shirts and what not around the child care area. This of course is in reaction to James Dobson's hateful message about SpongBob "encouraging the idea

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1105721500667417362005-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:002005-01-14T08:51:40.666-08:00

How can we know that we are Christians? One of the best answers I've heard (and i heard it second hand) to the question "Are you a Christian?" is "ask my neighbor." It's a great answer and I think it points to the pratical meaning of Christianity more than the doctrinal meaning of Christianity. That's not a bad thing. I don't think that anyone could identify me as a Christian before I say I

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1103659438965749032004-12-21T12:03:00.000-08:002004-12-21T12:03:58.966-08:00

From the CATHOLIC LEAGUE for Religious and Civil Rights web site: Catholic League president William Donohue concludes: “Not to include any disrespectful holiday cards for Jews and African Americans does violence to the multicultural virtue of inclusion. How did this happen? So William Donohue thinks inclusion means slamming Jews and African Americans. The next thing we'll hear about is the

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1103054922950462392004-12-14T13:06:00.000-08:002004-12-14T12:08:42.950-08:00

Rev 1:9-20 A Vision of Christ John describes his situation on Patmos and states "I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day." In the spirit? In prayer or meditation, obviously. In his vision he is instructed by a voice 'like a trumpet' to write this vision down and send it to seven churches. He sees seven golden lampstands surrounding one that looked like the 'Son of Man,' which is a title Jesus

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1102968017327618202004-12-13T11:56:00.000-08:002004-12-13T12:00:17.326-08:00

I've been thinking about this lately, and I decided to spend a little time going through the Revelation of John to figure out why this book fascinates so many Christians and how progressive cutting edge Christians can deal with this book, which is full of symbols and prophecies, and has caused a lot of trouble over the years. Rev 1:1-3 Here is a good opening. It tells what John is writing about

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1102364245898793642004-12-06T11:56:00.000-08:002004-12-06T12:17:25.896-08:00

Months ago I heard an interview on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross about the "Left Behind" series. A few nights ago we finally managed to track the interview down and listen to it. Gershom Gorenberg described what he believes is the real source of the "Left Behind" series and the 'Rapture' theology that has created a new cult in some some Christian churches. Gerhardt Goeken describes this as '

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1101924260184975552004-12-01T09:35:00.000-08:002004-12-01T10:04:20.183-08:00

I don't normally read David Horowitz' FrontPageMag.com site, but there was an article about this site on Media Matters for America. The article that caught my eye is Dennis Prager's Is it Wrong to Hope Arafat is in Hell? The article continues by trying to answer three questions: First, is there a hell? Can rational people believe in such a thing?Second, if there is a hell, does Arafat merit

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1100707921306483642004-11-17T08:10:00.000-08:002004-11-17T08:12:01.306-08:00

It's an old idea, and the early schisms in the Christian Church (The split between Eastern and Western Orthodoxy) was in search or defense of "the one true Church." It's an idea that appeals to our need for certainty. Unfortunately religion is a social construct. That's why the rules of Leviticus are ignored by Christians today. Those rules would hamper our society. Jesus never said we could

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1099073367230912742004-10-29T10:47:00.000-07:002004-10-29T11:09:27.230-07:00

I heard about an article on Christianity Today with the headline Weblog: Episcopal Church Officially Promotes Idol Worship. What rubbish. The person who compiled this (it is a blog entry, and not an act of journalism) has started to push the idea that Episcopalians are not Christians. More rubbish. Episcopalians are Christian. Just because one of Church's national organizations publishes a sample

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1097178779447510982004-10-07T13:51:00.000-07:002004-10-07T12:54:31.983-07:00

I was reading "The History of God" by Karen Armstrong, but it's slow reading because I react and think about every paragraph with my own thoughts. I have heard time and time again that only the male of our human race was created in God's image, and the female was created as a 'derivative' creation to help the male. This is the basis of the oppression of women and Christian sexism. I decided to

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1096559253097643822004-09-30T08:27:00.000-07:002004-09-30T08:47:33.096-07:00

What a week. I've been rather unfocused in everything I've done, especially in my reading. I picked up a copy of Karen Armstrongs "History of God" but I haven't really delved into it, I've only dipped. I also picked up a few of Bishop Spong's books and ran across his treatment of "the Fundamentals." The Fundamentals are a list of items that all 'true' Christians must believe and Spong rebutted

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1095963826029119462004-09-23T11:20:00.000-07:002004-09-23T11:23:46.030-07:00

Yesterday I wrote about the confrontational choice I felt. The panel on "The Question of God" also discussed this confrontational choice, and the show explained how Freud and Lewis handled that choice. One of the materialists on the panel seemed dismissive of belief because it requires a "leap of emotions." It was pointed out that it is wrong to set up intellect and emotion as opposites. I agree.

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1095898018695922802004-09-22T17:05:00.000-07:002004-09-22T17:06:58.696-07:00

I recorded a broad cast of "The Question of God" off of OPB last night and started watching it today. It examines the world views of Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, both of whom I've tried to read and had little success. The special is focused on the idea that our individual understanding of the meaning of life comes down to one fundamental question: Does God exist? This is a basic question. It's

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1095694997867916922004-09-20T08:25:00.000-07:002004-09-20T08:43:17.866-07:00

In response to some feedback: >>> Hi Josh. I think your statement "if there was no premarital sex then most abortions would not be needed" is a perhaps a bit sweeping. You seem to be making the assumption that couples who are married will automatically choose to go through with an unplanned pregnancy? I agree with what you say about aiming for a society where each child is wanted though. That

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1095437248204033022004-09-17T08:39:00.000-07:002004-09-17T09:07:28.203-07:00

I was writing about the difference between satirical sites and serious sites when I dragged out a link to Jim Kress' "christian" site. I put "christian" in quotes because I am not being a Christian about this. Reading a site like Jim Kress' simply pisses me off. It's hard to reconcile the anger I feel with the love of Christ and feeling the Holy Spirit. I had to check Kress' site to see if was

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1095277049147441032004-09-15T13:11:00.000-07:002004-09-15T12:37:29.146-07:00

I just finished reading Mike Moscoe's short story "The Strange Redemption of Sister Mary Ann." The story dealt with a nun who is dying of cancer. She was once married and used artificial fertilization to have eight fertilized eggs implanted in her uterus. Four of them came to term, four didn't. In her last days she hears the voices of her four unborn children. The story is thought provoking and

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1094855921024626742004-09-10T15:35:00.000-07:002004-09-10T15:38:41.023-07:00

I just started to read Phillip Newells "Listening for the Heartbeat of God". He describes the Celtic tradition that the apostle John leaning against Jesus' chest during the last supper and listened to Jesus' heart. I guess symbolically meaning that he listened for the Truth of Jesus' teachings. The Roman church insisted that their authority was based on Peter and the succession of Bishops that

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1093909048003160532004-08-30T16:36:00.000-07:002004-08-30T16:37:28.003-07:00

Sometimes I enjoy tweaking my riteous indignation muscles. I started searching for a cure for hiccups, and I found a very good one, but it was hosted by some sort of über-Roman Catholic, so I investigated a few links and became thoroughly offended. That's when I decided to go whole hog, as it were, and check out the latest misguided claptrap from Jack T. Chick. This page discusses why the

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1088980576963502772004-07-04T15:23:00.000-07:002004-07-04T15:36:16.963-07:00

Today is the 4th of July. Our Rector, in his sermon, told us about a service held just a few blocks away from the signing of the Declaration of Independence where an Anglican priest edited his prayer book. He removed the names of King George from the prayers and added "the people of the United States." This priest, whose name escapes me, was arrested for this act of treason. This event was the

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1086804272325935602004-06-09T10:50:00.000-07:002004-06-09T11:04:32.326-07:00

I've been thinking about a few things since my last post. If I can accept God as an ineffable being whom I cannot fully understand, why should I worry that placing a label on God such as Omnibenevolent be a bad thing. I think it's true, and the idea that as a definition of God it will eventually fail is not complete. Basically, if I (as a human being) cannot fully understand God, why should I

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1086190334313656282004-06-02T08:22:00.000-07:002004-06-02T08:32:14.313-07:00

I was sitting in Church last Sunday and picked up the catechism. I was looking for guidance on the Eucharist, but I came across an earlier entry and this was the result: To be created in the image of God means that we are free to make choices. We understand that without our free will, our love for God would be meaningless. We also tend to believe that God does not have free will. God has no

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1084293116092365642004-05-11T09:23:00.000-07:002004-05-11T09:31:56.093-07:00

This past weekend our men's group went to Camp Macgruder in Rockaway Beach for a retreat on celtic spirituality. It was good to get away and relax. I feel like my reset button has been pushed good and hard. It is also common consensus that I have sleep apnea. Friday night I drove my roommate out. His partner at home has apnea, and one of the other retreatants has apnea. Once I get a job and some

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1080837633399639772004-04-01T08:40:00.000-08:002004-04-01T08:44:06.590-08:00

Albert Nolan points out a few historical items that I think I knew, but I never played connect the dots. Israel historically felt that whenever they were conquered it was because they had sinned and God was allowing them to be punished until they figured it out, repented, then God would let them free themselves. In Jesus' time they were under Roman occupation and the common thought would follow

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1080757096547034452004-03-31T10:18:00.000-08:002004-03-31T10:21:48.653-08:00

I started reading a book published in the 1970's by Albert Nolan called "Jesus before Christianity." His aim is to look at Jesus through an historical lens. His first claim is that we can't look at history without considering our own vantage point, and we will won't be able to form a purely objective view of history. The world in 1976, Nolan claims, shard many characteristics with 1st century

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1080579656686047072004-03-29T09:00:00.000-08:002004-03-29T09:04:26.310-08:00

There was another session about simplicity in our adult forums. I think forced simplicity sucks. We don't really have the choice to live simply. We have to. Of course, there was a lot about choosing local foods, which causes problems with the underpaid and overworked workers elsewhere in the world in favor of the local overworked and underpaid workers here in Oregon. Another aspect of simplicity

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1080156332931682112004-03-24T11:25:00.000-08:002004-03-24T11:28:55.763-08:00

That book by Andy Stanley called "How Good Is Good Enough" also had a passage about coveting, which raised a few questions which I then posed to the GTNG group. I asked: For instance, my best friend has purchased a really nice home entertainment system. Mine is not that hot. If I decide that I want the same entertainment system, is that covetous? If I go and buy one just like his, is that

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1079805228117678642004-03-20T09:53:00.000-08:002004-03-20T09:57:05.186-08:00

A friend gave me a book by Andy Stanley called "How Good Is Good Enough?" This small book actually does a great job of explaining Atonement Theology, but fails to make his case on two points. First, atonement theology still hasn't extracted itself form reading the Bible literally, especially the opening chapters of Genesis, where Adam and Eve decided to choose, and chose badly (as Stanley put it)

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1079305551499977242004-03-14T15:05:00.000-08:002004-03-14T15:09:01.623-08:00

Today we went to the forum about Lent and simplicity. We talked a bit about simplicity and how it played in our lives. My wife and I can say with some integrity that we live simple lives. We're not poor, we just don't have any money. We are pack rats but we don't buy things just to have things. I am due to graduate in a couple of months, and then I need to get a job. This will potentially

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1078520550736805972004-03-05T13:02:00.000-08:002004-03-05T13:05:28.920-08:00

I sat down to lunch and opened my Bible quite randomly and it fell open to the book of Amos. The first chapters are listings of judgements from God, through Amos against Israels neighbors, Judah, and Israel. I was caught by Amos 2:6 Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1078352941657372482004-03-03T14:29:00.000-08:002004-03-14T14:53:52.623-08:00

Don't get me started. He is probably one of the most dangerous people around. You think the extreme islamists who plotted September 11 were bad people? Compared to Chick they've just got a bigger budget. He refers to "soul winners," people who go out and relentlessly pursue the conversion of others. So far all of his biblical research is fuzzy at best, and malicious at worst. He appears to spend

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1078352361871352132004-03-03T14:19:00.000-08:002004-03-03T14:22:17.246-08:00

Somone posted a link to an article on the Morning News web site about the Passion of Christ Blooper Reel. One of the Ads linked to the web site passionofchrist.com. I clicked. One of these pages claims to list some of the prophecies about the messiah that Jesus fulfilled. They also claim that there are over 300 messianic prophecies in the old testament. I've been reading through some of these

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1078098518991593132004-02-29T15:48:00.000-08:002004-02-29T15:51:30.233-08:00

I have always balked at the Gospel of St. John describing Jesus as the Eternal Word of God. Today I heard those words being said and realized that it ties in with my earlier posts about being some sort of Zen Christian. The Word of God is Eternal, since God is Eternal, and Jesus, finding the Word deep in himself was tied into that Eternal stream, letting himself go. Perhaps that Eternal Word is

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1078098186094996152004-02-29T15:43:00.000-08:002004-02-29T15:45:57.403-08:00

Is God the only one who can save us? Are dependant upon God alone for salvation? Spong states that we don't need rescuing, we need empowerment. Can we save ourselves and present ourselves to God and say "Glory be to you, Almighty Creator! I have purified myself and come to give you thanks and praise!"? Can we say this? Does it assume that we expect God to treat us as equals with God? Is this act

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1078097253546526332004-02-29T15:27:00.000-08:002004-02-29T15:30:24.983-08:00

My parish prints most of the service in a bulletin, so to participate in the service we don't need much more than the bulletin and the hymnal. We use a lot of supplemental liturgies and we don't have copies of these books in thew pews, probably because they aren't meant for pew use. I have taken to using the BCP, especially the prayers starting at 814, as I sit in church. Take a look at prayer

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1077940875039789052004-02-27T20:01:00.000-08:002004-02-27T20:04:04.340-08:00

I just saw a segment on MSNBC's Scarborough County about the Passion and the Pastor that bought a movie theatre so his 'flock' could go to the movie in special showings. They had a few 11-13 year olds on the show, giving their reactions. First, a 12 year old boy claimed that he felt the Love of God after the movie. A 13-year old girl said that the movie depicted a true story, and that the

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1077745039935277042004-02-25T13:28:00.000-08:002004-02-25T13:40:05.890-08:00

I went to the service this morning and a few thoughts about mortality came to mind. Mortality is the price we pay for Life Religion is pyschotherapy to help us come to grips with our eventual death. I have always disliked Lent because of the focus on our negative aspects, but I have always appreciated the bleakness of Good Friday and the Light of the Vigil. There is a time and place for

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1077726184946858442004-02-25T08:23:00.000-08:002004-02-25T08:25:50.653-08:00

I have a book series called "The Great Books of the Western World" compiled by the Encyclopedia Britanica. The first book lists a ten year program of reading through most of the series, pinpointing important parts of the series. I started reading through them ove the last few weeks, following their suggested order. The first reading is Plato's "Apology," which I call 'Socrates Last Stand.'

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1077643937164651482004-02-24T09:32:00.000-08:002004-02-24T09:35:01.496-08:00

I just reread some old posts and this remark from Bishop Spong struck me: Why do people say "There is only one way to God, My Way"? Who says "there is one way to God, and that's his way, that guy over there"? The disciples said this, they said "The way to God is through Jesus." Nowadays we don't say this, or we distort Jesus into our own ideas, so Jesus becomes our puppet. That's worse than

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1077643599595950182004-02-24T09:26:00.000-08:002004-02-24T09:29:24.013-08:00

Sunday was the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, which meant lessons on transfigurations. I began thinking about it, and I wonder if the crucifiction is a transformational moment in the life of Christ, or is the resurrection a transforming moment? I know some Christians will argue against the idea the Jesus changed while he was teaching, and other Christians will see Jesus change his ministry at

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1077316874167194182004-02-20T14:41:00.000-08:002004-02-20T14:43:53.543-08:00

I was cleaning up my web site, preparing to upload a new version of most of it, and I came across this page on a Short Sighted Christian. The link on this page is broken, and should habe "Religion" instead of "Relition".

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1077035062887249172004-02-17T08:24:00.000-08:002004-02-17T08:27:00.280-08:00

Last Friday we watched a great episode of Joan of Arcadia. Saturday I read an e-mail on a mailing list about a young woman who passed away. One of the e-mails in repsonse quoted fromt he Book of Joshua 1:9. "I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, fo rhte Lord your God is with you wherever you go." I told this to my wife and she quoted the show "Come on

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1076690344535681762004-02-13T08:39:00.000-08:002004-02-13T09:30:33.060-08:00

I got an e-mail this week from a woman who was trying to find information about Atonement Theology and she found my site. Apparently my journal entry was around #9 on Google. I had forgotten about it, but this blog was supposed to supercede that journal. Here is a list of my entries: God in a Box4-15-02. This essay explores how we have put God in a box.Good Intentions, Bad Theology4-21-02. I

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1076441311119427482004-02-10T11:28:00.000-08:002004-02-10T11:30:57.153-08:00

I went to a lecture given by Bishop John Shelby Spong. Here are the "bumper stickers" I culled from my notes: ------ There is a difference between the experience of God and the epxlanation of that experience. Explanations are time-wrapped and time-bound. The theistic definition of God is an immoral idea and an unbeleivable idea in the 21st Century. If you beleive in Theism, then you must place

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1074183562067345272004-01-15T08:19:00.000-08:002004-01-15T08:21:13.590-08:00

I'm still processing the aftermath of the Robinson Ordination. Several people have said that by approving his ordination we have abandoned 'via media.' This is silly. 'Via Media' is not a weapon, it is a process. To say that we didn't talk about the ordination is just a plain and simple lie. There was plenty of discussion.

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1072900913117742232003-12-31T12:01:00.000-08:002003-12-31T12:03:25.293-08:00

I'm still thinking about about the Robinson Ordination. It's a topic that keeps popping up on the GTNG boards. When I first heard about his election all I knew was that New Hampshire elected a gay man to be their bishop. Not knowing anything about NH or Gene Robinson I immediately approved. I guess because I don't fear the system being challenged by the "new thing." I did worry about how the

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1071265576571675702003-12-12T13:46:00.000-08:002003-12-12T13:56:30.890-08:00

I have been wondering a few things lately: If you believe in predestination, why act in a moral manner? If God is unchangeing, how can we explain the discrepencies between the Old and New Testaments? If God does not interact with the physical world, as Spong implies, then why pray for others? What is the use of intercessory prayer? When did the idea for Judgement right after physical death come

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1070471364932767252003-12-03T09:09:00.000-08:002003-12-03T09:10:20.013-08:00

In the series Babylon 5, Londo Molari is told that he will have three opporutinites to save himself. One of those moments comes when the Vorlons come to destroy his planet to destroy the Shadow influence. Londo has destroyed the Shadow base on his planet, and killed the Shadow's representative. When Vir points out that Londo was influenced by the Shadows and they did find Londo to be an ally for

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1059453530629483902003-07-28T21:38:00.000-07:002003-07-28T21:38:50.616-07:00

Veritas The idea that I am a veriter was proposed to me. A veriter is someone who believes that Truth is a thing. It's a tough call. I know that I often will say that God does not dictate what is Good, He only points towards the Good, but that risks the notion that Good predates God, or that if God created Good then he created Evil, unless I follow Plato strictly and I don't think he ever

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1059106129526486062003-07-24T21:08:00.000-07:002003-07-24T21:08:49.523-07:00

Hardness of Heart When does 'tough love' turn into 'hardness of heart'? The Episcopal Church is preparting for it's General Convention and there is a bit of a hullaballoo over this gay Bishop. I realize that he has been called to serve as Bishop by the Diocese of New Hampshire and he is a gay man. The people knew him when he and his wife forgave each other and let each other go, they know that he

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-1057284841172377082003-07-03T19:14:00.000-07:002003-07-03T19:14:01.153-07:00

Just a quick thought. There has been a lot of discussion about the text of Pauls Letter to the Romans (in the GTNG mailing list) and it's one of the places that people claim that Homosexuals will be punished by God. What about Romans 2:1-3: Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193134.post-912488802003-03-23T16:53:00.000-08:002003-03-23T16:53:53.890-08:00

Weakness Todays sermon was interesting. If focused on the Weakness of God that saves us. It's not a phrase we think about: The weakness of God. It's right there in 1 Corinthians 1:25: For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. I think this points towards a theistic definition or understanding of God, but that's all we really have. I

Josh Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691825921866017675noreply@blogger.com0