As a hospital chaplain I'm often asked by Christians and others......what do you believe happens when we die. My answer is something along the lines of.....well, I believe that there is 'life after death' and then there is 'life after life after death'. The second part is what I believe Jesus meant by 'resurrection'...new life in a new heaven and a new earth. What I think is more difficult to explain is the
Was there any other form of Christianity besides Catholicism between Christ and 1500?
Why do Catholics have 2 books in their Bible that Protestants do not have?
I don't care for Matthew 28: 19-20. It's Christian triumphalism. It's imposing Christian religion on the world. It's more of that on way dogma stuff that's part of a theology of hostility. What are we to make of these verses that seem to be saying everybody in the world is to become Christian? Perhaps these words are a later addition to the original Matthew? Please talk to me about the whole missionary enterprise. Are we out to convert the world to Christianity?
In Hebrews 2:10 the sentence structure puts God (He) as the perfecter of Christ (the captain). It would be improper to suggest that Christ perfected himself.
Why is it, then, that the writer uses the phrase "for whom are all things and by whom are all things" as pertaining to God the creator, when the majority of scriptures using similar phraseology apply this to Christ? It seems a confusing way of ascribing deity to Christ.
Immigration is a continuously controversial topic, especially in light of recent news coming out of Arizona. With the recent legal decisions by the Arizona state government regarding illegal aliens and the use of ethnic profiling, many contemplative articles & blogs are surfacing that deal with these issues.
(This question references the story in Genesis 9:20-27)
Does anyone know why Noah is so annoyed when Ham, his son, sees him sleeping naked (Noah got drunk and passed out). Ham tells his brothers and his brothers put a robe over their shoulders and walk backwards into the tent, so that they won't actually see their father naked, and they cover him with the robe. But when Noah wakes up and finds out what Ham did, he is furious, and he curses Canaan--Ham's son. Why?
I am interested in getting more insight ino the Greek word "monen" used in John 14:23 and in its plural form in John 14:1. I read that that word is only used twice in the NT; is there any specific intent/purpose with the use of that specific word? I am exploring home/temple metaphors and I find the John 14:23 passage interesting from that point of view. God is in the temple shifts here to God is in you.
Are dogma, doctrine, and orthodoxy really central to the message Jesus wanted to get across? If not, what major historical events or figures or other reasons have caused the church to emphasize and become so distracted by such issues?
Today, we hear a lot from televised Christianity and politically-conservative ministries about "moral absolutes." Are there moral absolutes in Christianity, especially those which must guide all personal (e.g., sexuality) and/or public morality? If any exist, what are they, how do we recognize them, are they as and when should they be applied, and does ancient Biblical morality still apply to us today? If you believe in moral absolutes, what is their Biblical basis? If not, why is the assumption of moral absolutes questionable?
LITERACY
UNDERSTANDING
DIALOGUE
