Issues of the day – Truth and Tolerance
By Not Known Bigoty of all kinds is out of fashion presently, especially when it comes in a religious guise. Having strayed into the abyss of strongly held and intolerant opinions, the civilised world rightly says 'no thanks'. Some get confused at this point. They confuse truth and tolerance and act as though the only way to have tolerance is to abandon all…
ISSUES OF THE DAY – MATERIALISM AND HEDONISM
By Not Known The young sometimes complain that their parents are obsessed about making money and need to enjoy themselves more. Parents sometimes complain that their young are obsessed about having a good time and need to settle down and be serious about career and savings. Both complaints have…
Issues of our Day – Uncertainty
By Not Known Ours is an uncertain age. We marry and wonder if it will end in divorce. We bear children and wonder if they will be drug addicts. We enter hospital and wonder if we will return. We go to work and wonder if this is our 'today' for retrenchment, restructuring or retirement. James reminds us that life is intrinsically uncertain:Now listen, you who…
Issues of the Day – The Education of our Children
By Not Known Choosing a school is a nerve-racking task for parents. We typically read media reports, scan the school ranking tables (however they are configured); and talk to other parents – all in an effort to find the 'best' school. This is a hard challenge in the stressed…
Living for our Neighbour
By Not Known Like all churches, the Church at Rome had her fair share of contending issues. However, in order for Christian discipleship to be walk rather than mere talk, Christian consecration (as summarised in Rom. 12: 1-2) must be applied onto these problems. When Paul wrote to Rome, there seemingly were two groups of Christians: The 'strong' and the…
Do not Judge One Another
By Not Known Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgement on disputable matters. (Rom 14:1) Paul is not talking about matters where Scripture has clearly stated its position. He is referring to ‘opinions’ (ESV/NASV) or ‘doubtful points’ (NEB) where Christians need not necessarily agree. While differences in perspective and preference…
A celebration of grace
By Not Known At both services today we share in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Our Confession of Faith defines a sacrament as follows: Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately institued by God, to represent Christ and his benefits, and to confirm our interest in him… (Westminister Confession 29:1). As our Confession goes…
Live in Harmony with One Another
By Not Known Live in harmony with one another (Rom 12:16). The English word ‘harmony’ has the sense of things being brought into right order or balance. This is true with sounds (music); shape (design); and colours (art). It is also true between people. Harmony between people means a right balance in which we respect and celebrate the distinctiveness of each.…
Being on a Bus and Being at Church
By Not Known Being on a crowded bus is something of an art. There we are, squeezed into the intimate space of another person. Decency and psychological space are maintained by studiously avoiding any word, any eye contact or any other action that acknowledges the other person. Being at church is sometimes like that. There we are, sitting in our pew, all focussed forward…
Trusting Jesus not Ourselves
By Not Known Many years back there was a popular book called: How to be a Christian Without Being Religious. When I first read it, I was religious, with a Christian flavour, but not a Christian. The book's title intregued me. Its contents annoyed me and then changed me. The Apostle Paul describes a similar process in an autobiographical writing: If anyone else thinks…