Tag: featured

The Problem of pain

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One of the books I read on my sabbatical was Jesus Among Other gods by Ravi Zacharias. The part of the book which I found most engaging was the chapter in which he addresses the problem of evil and suffering. Over the next week or so, I’ll be posting a few short extracts from the book from this section, together with a comment or two.

The “Problem of pain” is an understandably common reason given by Agnostics and Atheists for doubting or even denying the existence of God. However, as Zacharias points out, one can only really talk about the problem of pain if there is a moral law:

…[some] protest that God cannot exist because there is too much evil evident in life… [The Atheist says that] evil exists; therefore the Creator does not…

But here, Christianity provides a counterchallenge… If evil exists, then one must assume that good exists in order to know the difference. If good exists, one must assume that a moral law exists by which to measure good and evil.

– Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other gods

Okay, so to talk about “good” and “evil”, a moral law must exist. So what? How does that point to theism?

But if a moral law exists, must not one posit an ultimate source of moral law, or at least an objective basis for a moral law? By an objective basis, I mean something that is transcendently true at all times, regardless of whether I believe it or not. 

– Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other gods

What could possibly be the objective basis of this law? The Theist answers “God”.

Book Announcement!

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Today I’d like to share with you something I’m going to be working on during my sabbatical. For the longest time, my bucket list has contained an entry which reads “Write a book and get it published”. I think it’s finally time to cross off that entry…

Typwriter

The Need and the Vision

I’ve been involved with different Bible Study groups, both in the USA and back in England, for about ten years. During this time, I’ve searched for a book to help guide me in leading these different groups. Unfortunately, that book doesn’t appear to exist! In the Protestant world, I’ve found books which help with basic Biblical exegesis and personal reading, but nothing substantial on leading a group study. In the Catholic world, there are even slimmer pickings. In light of this, over the next couple of months I’m going to be writing the book that I wish I had read a decade ago!

This book is going to lead the reader through the entire process of running a Bible Study, from beginning to end. My goal is to make this book extremely practical, coving all the nitty-gritty details of setting up and running a group. It will guide the reader through a typical Bible Study meeting, providing lots of handy hints as to how to nurture the discussion and avoid common pitfalls. In the appendices I hope to have all kinds of usual material, including a modified version of my commentary on Philippians. It is my hope that, even with no prior experience, once somebody has this book in his hands he will have everything he needs to start a successful Bible Study in his parish.

You’re Involved too!

As a reader of Restless Pilgrim, this involves you! I will be blogging about the book over the coming months and asking for your feedback. This begins today! I’m currently trying to come up with a working title for this book. Please help me choose it by voting below:

I’d also like to choose a tag line or subtitle for the book:

I’m really excited about this and I’d love to hear your thoughts! What would you look for in a book like this? Is there a particular issue related to Bible study groups which you’d particularly like to see addressed?

Sunday Lectionary: Doubt and Mercy

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2nd Sunday of Easter: 15th April, 2012

This Sunday, as well being the Second Sunday of Easter, it is also Divine Mercy Sunday (declared by Pope John-Paul II in April 30, 2000). The Readings in the Lectionary therefore accordingly celebrate and proclaim the great mercy of God.

Three times in our psalm we sing “His mercy endures forever”. In our Gospel, when the fearful Apostles encounter the Lord whom they abandoned, they are greeted not with anger and condemnation but with invitations of “peace”. Our First Reading describes the early Christian community’s response to this Divine Mercy. Because of their experience of God’s great love for them, they in turn loved one another. They cared deeply for the brethren and put themselves and their possessions at the service of the community. This great love for God and neighbour is further explored by St. John in this week’s Second Reading.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself – Divine Mercy Chaplet

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Best Of British: Part 5 (Modern)

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Up until now in the Best of British series, I have spoken exclusively about British comedy shows I associate with my childhood. I’d now like to introduce some of the shows which came along a little later.

Although I contend that British TV has fallen somewhat from the comedic heights of my childhood, there have most definitely been some real gems produced in recent years. Here are some of them…

The Vicar of Dibley

“The Vicar of Dibley” came onto our TV screens at a particularly turbulent time for the Church of England. Two years prior to the first season, the Church of England had begun ordaining women and this was causing significant issues within the Anglican communion. In true British style, Richard Curtis sought out the comedy in this tense situation and crafted a sit-com about the life of one of these early female vicars in the sleepy village of Dibley. The lead character, Geraldine, was played by the well-known comediane, Dawn French. Although I would suggest that the final seasons were rather sub-par, on the whole, this was a lovely, gentle-natured comedy which took a light-hearted look at parish life from both sides of the pulpit.

My Family

I never felt that “My Family” really received the recognition that it deserved. As the title suggests, it’s about a family, the Harper Family. The Dad, Ben, is wonderfully grumpy and feels constantly harangued by his wife and harassed by his children, especially his idiotic son, Nick:

The show lost a lot when Nick’s character left, but I still think those earlier seasons were superb.

Outnumbered

There is a saying in Show Business that one should never work with children or animals. The show “Outnumbered” breaks both of these rules since it stars three children who, at times, act like real animals. There is no great story line to the show, it’s simply about the lives of two parents and their three “spirited” children. The kids in this show are a-maz-ing, especially Ramona Marquez who plays little Karen.

Rather than “scripting” the children, the writers of the show give the children broad instructions and then simply turn on the cameras. The result is truly wonderful and if you pay close attention to the grown-ups in the show you can quite often see that they’re having to work very hard to suppress their laughter.

In the clip below the kids are at a wedding, under the patient care of the local vicar…

It’s all Greek to me…

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Okay, I know this title is an incredibly obvious pun (and far below my usual, high standards), but I thought I would make it now before anyone else did. 🙂

As most of my friends know, I’ve been wanting to study New Testament Greek for some time. However, this has been easier said than done. For a start, my geographical wanderings in recent years have made committing to a course of study difficult. Also, finding somewhere that teaches New Testament Greek is not such a simple task as one might imagine and finding one which is cost-effective only adds to the fun…

When I began my “Introduction to the New Testament” course about a month ago at the Pastoral Center I asked the instructor for suggestions as to how I could bring this desire to learn Biblical Greek to fruition. He suggested that I:

1. Contact Bethel Seminary
2. Learn using a self-study course

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Bible Alone? Part 4

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Over the last few days I’ve been looking at the subject of Sola Scriptura. Today I would like to discuss the alternative to Sola Scriptura which I realized made more sense of both history and the Biblical data…

The Alternative: Apostolic Authority

Ironically, the answer itself was in Scripture. After the Ascension, writing the New Testament wasn’t the priority because it wasn’t what Jesus commanded the Apostles to do. At the Great Commission Jesus told His disciples to “teach” all nations what He had taught them (as opposed to write a book). If you wanted to know the truth in c. 30AD you would go to Jesus. Who would you go to after the Ascension? You would go to the Apostles He taught and commissioned. It was this living Tradition that sustained the Church – primarily by orally passing on to others what Jesus had taught. Jesus wanted to found a Church, not a book club.

In the Book of Acts, when there was a disagreement over the question of Gentile circumcision, the Christians didn’t use Scripture to decide the answer, but called a Church Council. I could only think of one Church today which still calls [Ecumenical] councils to resolve matters of doctrine and practice…

The more I read Scripture, the clearer it became that the Early Church was one which exercised authority (1 Corinthians 16:16, Hebrews 13:17) given to her by Christ – to forgive sins, no less! Even in my most anti-Catholic moments I could still clearly see that Matthew 16 showed Christ giving Peter a special authority. I could only think of one Church today which claimed to still have that same authority passed on from Peter….

“If a man does not hold fast to this oneness of Peter, does he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he deserts the Chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, has he confidence that he is in the Church?” – St. Cyprian (A.D. 251)

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Eunuchs for the Kingdom?

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Man In PainYesterday, I had a conversation on Facebook about a passage concerning the “eunuchs” in Matthew’s Gospel:

10 The disciples said to him [in response], “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.” 

11 But [Jesus] said to them, “Not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it.”
– Matthew 19:10-12

What does this text mean? Here’s a five minute explanation…

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