Category Archives: Church

Lines and Circles?

Posted on October 17, 2019 by rjs5

We all prefer friends who are just like us … personality, age, education, social class, marital status, politics. This is simply human nature it appears – with both good and bad consequences. We tend to self-segregate. Should the church be … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Humanness | 1 Comment

Ex Nihilo!

Posted on March 5, 2019 by rjs5

In Chapter 5 of Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins John Walton argued at length that in the opening chapter of Genesis God is ordering the cosmos and creating sacred space. It does not describe creation ex nihilo – out of … Continue reading →

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When We Disagree

Posted on February 14, 2019 by rjs5

I’ve been traveling – with little time to write. This is a repost – but it joins with the series looking at leadership within the church. John Walton has an interesting analysis of the question of women in ministry included … Continue reading →

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All Authority?

Posted on October 9, 2018 by rjs5

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and … Continue reading →

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Creeds Before the Canon?

Posted on September 20, 2018 by rjs5

The creeds came before the canon but developed from and alongside the apostolic writings that became our New Testament. I read a thread of comments last week (not on my post) where it was claimed that there are something like … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church | 1 Comment

Why Care?

Posted on July 31, 2018 by rjs5

Why should we care about the church fathers? After all, they lived a long time ago; they weren’t inspired; they had limited knowledge and perspective when it came to ancient history. Craig Allert, in his new book Early Christian Readings … Continue reading →

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Holy Catholic Church, Communion of Saints

Posted on July 24, 2018 by rjs5

I am preparing for a discussion class on the Apostles’ Creed this Fall and digging into it in preparation. I will post on it occasionally over the next few months. Today I want to focus on two lines in article … Continue reading →

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Why the Rule of Faith?

Posted on July 10, 2018 by rjs5

Isn’t the Bible enough? Well yes, but the two are not really separable. I recently received a copy of a new book Early Christian Readings of Genesis One by Craig D. Allert due for release July 24th. The opening chapter … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church | Tagged | 4 Comments

Religious Scientists?

Posted on January 30, 2018 by rjs5

Chapter 4 of the new book, Religion vs. Science: What Religious People Really Think, by Elaine Howard Ecklund and Christopher P. Scheitle looks Christians active in the sciences. Elaine Ecklund’s earlier book Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think focused … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Church, Science and Faith | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Remember the Sabbath, to Keep it Holy

Posted on July 6, 2017 by rjs5

Exodus 20 ties the command to remember the Sabbath directly to the Genesis 1 story of creation. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life, Church | 1 Comment