thoughts out !oud

a Christian’s news, views, opinions and occasional poetry …

How to get your fear of death to drop dead

I wonder how many of us fear death? If even only on a subconscious level, perhaps? I think it would be fair to say that the majority of people really don’t give much time thinking about death. I mean, why dwell on something that is so morbid and dark, right? Wouldn’t we rather just think of the happier things in life and tend to what is present than to waste our grey matter thinking of death?

Since you’re reading this, do you? Are you scared of death? Or are you somewhat like me … not really fearing death itself but not looking forward to how it might actually take place?

At one point, I used to think that Christians had the monopoly of not fearing death… Continue reading How to get your fear of death to drop dead

The Spaghetti Monster, an invisible pink unicorn and a teapot walk into a bar …

In case you’re not aware, the title of this post alludes to those fanciful arguments of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM), the Invisible Pink Unicorn and the Orbiting Teapot which are used by some anti-theists to posit that theists ultimately have no truth for their beliefs (the argument being that anyone can say what they like if it can’t be proved empirically hence undermining theistic beliefs which are assumed to simply be acts of fancy). All three illustrations are essentially the same and are really just re-hashes of each other. All very well and good; they are constructs to try and refute blind faith. And I support, in general terms, the refuting of blind faith.

And yet those who know I’m a Christian would immediately jump up and… Continue reading The Spaghetti Monster, an invisible pink unicorn and a teapot walk into a bar ...

What’s your ‘christian’ flava?, or ‘Why Christian Creeds are important’

Stemming from a recent online forum debate I was involved in, one of the queries leveled at me was along the lines of: what variant of Christianity do I subscribe to?

Initially, I found this to be a curious question. For to me, Christianity is Christianity - how can truth be varied? But there is an important lesson within this question for those of us Christians who aspire to share and argue for the truth of the Gospel. And the lesson stems from the fact that, to the unbeliever, to ask what ‘variant’ of Christianity you adhere to reveals that the face of Christianity is obscured or blurred at the best of times.

This reminds me of a story of a traveling Christian businessman. One weekend, when… Continue reading What's your 'christian' flava?, or 'Why Christian Creeds are important'

To God the glory (even when difficult)

After my last post, When God says ‘No’, it seemed an obvious step to share some other learnings on 2 Samuel 12:13-23. To some, this passage can be difficult to accept; to the skeptic, it’s a verse they pull to label the God of the Bible as a cruel and unjust God. Why? Well, because God takes the life of David’s son - seemingly without just cause.

In all our Bible reading we must understand that the wages of sin is death and that this entails justice. We see this requirement met for us by the substitutional death of Jesus on our behalf - Jesus paid the full ransom for our sin by taking the punishment we ourselves deserve. In David’s case, is it that… Continue reading To God the glory (even when difficult)

Making Good Friday ‘Better’

The Reverend John Evans, based on comments he made in an article on Thursday 20 March, would have you believe that Good Friday should be done away with. Apparently, it is no longer relevant, having lost any meaning outside of the Christian community. Wow. Talk about insight. Fancy a significant day in the Christian calendar not having much significance to non-Christians! Give the guy a… Continue reading Making Good Friday 'Better'

Next stop: Karma Central

It’s a subtle reference, to be sure. Unless you’re in the clutches of the menace that is Melbourne’s public transport system, you are probably blissfully unaware. Fare evasion is nothing new to any transport system, but in Melbourne’s beloved train, tram and bus network, Metlink believe it’s a big deal. A big enough deal to presume guilt on its patrons before innocence. A big enough deal to launch a quasi-spiritual campaign against the ticket evaders and freeloaders that must ’surely be the reason’ for our failed and troubled transport system. A’la karmacentral.com.au.

Their whole campaign revolves around the simple notion that if you don’t buy a ticket or otherwise avoid paying your way on public transport, somewhere, somehow, something bad is going to happen to you… Continue reading Next stop: Karma Central

Not so much a ‘handout’ but a ‘handup’

Some time back I was involved in a discussion about Jesus’ redemptive work. My chief point was essentially that there is nothing that we can do in order to please God by our own efforts. We are so decrepit and sinful by nature and by choice that we cannot help but sin and, therefore, can never hope to reach the purity of God’s standard. Enter Jesus into human history - God’s plan to set the record straight: acknowledge your sin, trust in Jesus (and let him take our punishment in our place) and obtain redemption.

The person I was discussing this with surprised me with his response. He said, in more or less these words: if the only way to be accepted by God is… Continue reading Not so much a 'handout' but a 'handup'

(Kicking) The Bucket List

Now, in order not to disappoint some, I must state up front that this is not a movie-review. But in our mainstream media today we can find ample opportunities of stories and tales and illustrations that help us to understand deeper truths - and I love media that does this (unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the majority of Hollywood’s offerings). If you were after a movie-review of The Bucket List, I would recommend the reviewer site, Rotten Tomatoes.

Sometimes I think the best way to see a movie is when you have no idea what the movie is going to be about. This, of course, could be dangerous - if you hate blood and gore, a horror flick is the last thing you’d like to pay… Continue reading (Kicking) The Bucket List

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