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This blog continues the series of studies looking at references to the Garden(s) of Paradise, as depicted in the Qur’an. Our last blog on this matter was on December 22. The next relevant passages are from Surah 18, namely 29-31, 105-108 (Yusuf Ali):
29-31:
Say, “The truth is from your Lord”: Let him who will believe, and […]

It was way back on June 8 last year that we last revisited Plantinga’s repudiation of the common view that the reality of evil is at odds with the Christian affirmation of God as good, omnipotent and omniscient. Plantinga ends up with two propositions:
4. God is omniscient, omnipotent and wholly good.
5. God creates a world […]

There are those who think evangelism is a task to be carried out by those who have been specially gifted for this purpose. To their minds most Christians are simply called upon to live the life and only to be ready to share their faith when called upon to do so (1 Peter 3:15). However, […]

In his Church Dogmatics Barth often calls Scripture “the Word of God.” For example, in Volume 1 (The Doctrine of the Word of God) we find a whole section entitled “Scripture as the Word of God” (Part 2). There he states: “Holy Scripture is the Word of God to the Church and for the Church” […]

Here we are looking at evangelism which is not exercised directly by the apostles themselves. Before we do so we need to add a word of caution concerning the way we use this term “evangelism.” If we were being technically pedantic then we might restrict the use of this term to the oral proclamation of […]

In Acts 1:8 we read:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
It is the power of the Holy Spirit that explains how it is that the apostolic witness to Jesus […]

The promise of Acts 1:8 is addressed to the apostles (see verse 2). When Jesus assures his disciples that they will be his witnesses he means that they will be witnessing to him as the risen Lord. This is made plain at the close of the chapter when Peter leads the process to find a […]

This blog continues the series of studies looking at references to the Garden(s) of Paradise, as depicted in the Qur’an. Our last blog on this matter was on December 1.
The next relevant passage is 16:30-32 (Yusuf Ali):
To the righteous (when) it is said, “What is it that your Lord has revealed?” they say, “All that […]

It is interesting to read in the latest issue of Philosophy Now that a Northwestern University (Chicago) study has found a correlation between the extent to which a country is individualistic and the level of depression experienced by its residents. The study identified Britain, USA, Australia and Western European nations to be the world’s most […]

In his Church Dogmatics (Vol 1. The Doctrine of the Word of God, Part 2) Karl Barth stuffs up the doctrine of revelation. Ironically, he does this by identifying revelation exclusively with Jesus Christ. But for Barth this means that the Old Testament is reduced down to being nothing more that “the witness to the […]