A thoughtful piece in the Spectator (most of which may be behind a paywall, depending on how many free articles you are allowed) on the humaneness of Christianity re terrorism. The article needs reading to see the precise point being made!
On the question of "more faithful" I am simply reporting in that I continue to think as well as my feeble brain can do these days about the matters upon which I hope to finalise a submission to our Archbishops re A Way Forward for our church. My thoughts are not necessarily heading in the direction I signalled here, here and here. Why not?
1. I am digesting comments here. And those comments are mostly not suggesting my draft Way Forward would have a lot of traction!
2. Some off-blog conversations are confronting me with the need to recognise the tough standard our present constitutional doctrine presents to those who blithely want to change our teaching on marriage and related matters. ADDITION: I am emboldening some words in the previous sentence to underline their importance as my thinking shifts a little about where I think the "way forward" lies.
3. I am also reflecting on how even the most principled compromises in life can very quickly fall apart and that is consequentially forcing me to re-think whether a compromise is worth pursuing (see also 1 above).
4. In other words, the continuing question for me and you, as always, is: what does it mean to be faithful to Jesus Christ as the revelation of God to this world and for this world?
I don't know when I will finally offer a final submission, save that it will be before 1 October 2016!
All praise and thankfulness is due to you O God.
ReplyDeletewell brother, I seldom post here, many of your commentors are just too toxic. but to answer your ? what it means to be faithful to Jesus...
ReplyDeleteto attemp to put into practice the principles of the reign of God, love mercy, do justice, do unto others,refrain from legalism, petty religion and the traditions of men, accept that the K of God is greater than the law and the prophets ( ie bible religion)
lover your neihbor as yourself!
From a Jesus perspective, one can wrap themselves in the Bible and all the religion they care too....if one treats their neihbor like crap..they are treating their neihbor like crap
prayers for your church as it tries to live into the way of Jesus. It is never easy for religion to evolve...as Jesus noted, it is easier to destroy heaven and earth than for the religious to give up their doctrines.
I have noted that some here have been quite forceful against your church finding a way to live into new life
I hope you will not give up, but remember ...the Kingdom trumps religion; whether it be evangelical, catholic, or whatever
blessings Daniel