Life from the other side: How the resurrection changed the world

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After precipitating a riot in Jerusalem, Paul was seized by the Romans (Acts 21:17-40). This launched him into a series of imprisonments and eventually a situation of house arrest in Rome itself (Acts 28). During a series of informal and formal trials, Paul had the opportunity to present his case and it became clear that, at least in Paul’s mind, he was on trial for the ‘resurrection of the dead’ (Acts 22:6; 24:14-21; 26:4-8).

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What is the gospel?

Thought

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What is the gospel? This may seem an obvious or even a stupid question. Of course we all know what the gospel is. This essay by DB Knox may make you think again.1 Is the gospel we preach the same gospel preached by Jesus and the apostles?

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A Reply to Andrew Moody’s ‘Review’ of Jesus and the Father

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Andrew Moody’s review appeared in Briefing #341 (February 2007).

Dear Andrew,

In our numerous exchanges over many years on the eternal subordination of the Son and the permanent subordination of women we both have been always perfectly frank with one another. In this reply to your ‘review’ of my book, better entitled “a personal response,” I will again be forthright. What neither of us want is to produce a fog that results in no one being able to work out what they should believe on the most fundamental of all Christian doctrines, the doctrine of God and no one else being clear on what divides us. Please note the use of the word ‘fog’ because I think one of the great weaknesses in what you have written is that time and time again you deliberately or unintentionally because you don’t see the key issue, obfuscate the question in contention.

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Literally

Life, Word Watch

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Literally no-one understands the word ‘literally’ anymore. I suspect that the meaning of the word has changed over the last generation or two. ‘Literally’ came into English from Old French (so blame William the Conqueror). It came from a French word meaning ‘letter’. So when it was first recorded (which was around 1475), it meant ‘to the letter’ or ‘by the letter’. In other words, ‘literally’ began with the meaning that the words were an exact representation of what they said. But that is no longer the case.

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Highway to heaven

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Originally published in Briefing #341 (February 2007) UK edition.

One church in south-west London has been running Highway—a program for adults with learning disabilities.

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Guidelines for giving

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As a result of Phil Colgan’s Couldn’t Help Noticing piece in Briefing #332 (May 2006) and Sandy Grant’s response in Briefing #334 (July 2006)—both of which have been reprinted below—we thought you might find it useful to compare and contrast the approach taken in the ‘guidelines for giving’ for both Phil and Sandy’s churches in order to think a bit more about the issue.

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The surprising face of Hillsong

Thought, Sola Panel

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Tony Payne and Gordon Cheng report from Hillsong Conference, 2006.

The sound hits you like a wave. The bass is throbbing. The drums kick through your diaphragm with each beat. The guitars thrum and swell. The lead singer is a good-looking guy with unkempt hair and stubble. He stands, arm raised, head thrown back.

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God is in the house

Everyday Ministry

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With songs like ‘Here I am to worship’ and ‘Shout to the Lord’ dominating the playlist in our church meetings, what are we to make of the influx of pentecostal music into our churches? Emu Music Director Philip Percival takes a look at the score and sounds a cautionary note.

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Advent Calendar for 15 December-1 January

Everyday Ministry

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Explanatory notes

  1. You will need to photocopy/print and cut out the Bible passages below to put in your advent calendar.
  2. The Bible verses are taken from the NIrV. Minor changes to the NIrV have only been made to add the name of a pronoun to make it clear who the pronoun is referring to or to simplify the language for preschoolers. These changes are indicated by square brackets: [ ].

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