Quality Resources for Multicultural Ministry and Biblical Exploration

Blog

The Fight Against Ageing and Death

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

In an edition of Philosophy Now that especially focuses on philosophy and death (Mar/Apr 2012, pp6-9), Oxford University Professor of Philosophy Nick Bostrom likens ageing and death to a tyrannical dragon which demanded that 10,000 men and women be slaughtered each day to feed its immense appetite. The dragon was seemingly invincible with all efforts [...]

Read more...

A Fading Beauty

Friday, May 11th, 2012

Roger Scruton, Why Beauty Matters (2009); BBC Scotland (Click image for video) Conservative English philosopher Roger Scruton has much to say about the importance of beauty and its erosion in modern times that resonates with me. Not that I concur with all he has to say. Scruton’s concept of beauty and the sacred, while it [...]

Read more...

Christian Commitment to Education

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Charles Colson summarises Glenn Sunshine’s argument that the Christian commitment to education and literacy literally saved learning in the West. As Colson explains: The collapse of the Roman Empire and the barbarian conquest of Europe drove Christianity to the monasteries of western Ireland. Irish abbott St. Columbanus (543-615) traveled across France and Italy, founding monasteries [...]

Read more...

Genesis 24: Match Making

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

The outline for this sermon is: Match Fit Test Match Striking the Match Isaac Meets His Match Genesis 24 sermon

Read more...

Leviticus 1-3: What Do You Give Somebody Who Has Everything? The Voluntary Offerings

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

This sermon provides an overview of the voluntary offerings, considering the issue of ritual, the coming to God as an “Adam” and as a nephesh, and the significance of comments concerning salt, yeast and fat. Leviticus 1 to 3 Voluntary Offerings

Read more...

Acts 1:1-11: From Blurred Image to Clear Focus

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Acts 1:1-11

Read more...

Acts 2:1-41: The Power of Focus (The Focus of the Spirit) [Bible Study]

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

This study raises questions on four areas of focus from this passage: Focus on Power Focus on Beginnings Focus on Language Focus on Harvest For a large group it may be more practicable to split into smaller groups with each group focusing on say 1-2 areas, thenĀ  maybe having a short plenary session to finish [...]

Read more...

Genesis 26: Threatening Skies

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

In this sermon we observe how this is the third occasion in Genesis when a patriarch tries to pass off his wife as his sister only to get into hot water. I consider the repeated plot-line and its significance. I point out how this passage anticipates what happens later when Israel invades Canaan; the challenges [...]

Read more...

The Buddhist Wheel of Life (2): Structure

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Notwithstanding a variety of representations the Buddhist Wheel of Life has a standard structure as indicated by the superimposed numbers A to G: Broadly the structure is as follows: The entire wheel represents all sentient beings trapped in samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death, rebirth, death, rebirth, etc., which is only broken when a [...]

Read more...

The Buddhist Wheel of Life

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

The Buddhist Wheel of Life is an illustration that powerfully illustrates some of the central concepts that underlie Buddhism: The origins of this symbol are said to go back to the earliest phase of Indian Buddhism. However, almost all we know about the Wheel comes from Tibet. There is not a single picture of the [...]

Read more...