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Entries Tagged as 'Sunday Study'

Sunday Study: The Virtue of Judging – Jesus was not a Relativist

June 23rd, 2009 3 Comments

About a year ago I gave a talk on moral relativism for Thinking Matters Tauranga. During that talk I noted that relativism entails that one cannot apply the moral principles you (or your culture) accepts to the practices of other people (or cultures). I was critical of this position arguing that it suffers from all […]

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Sunday Study: Ask, Seek, Knock – Treating God Like a Genie

June 15th, 2009 Comments Off on Sunday Study: Ask, Seek, Knock – Treating God Like a Genie

This is yesterday’s Sunday study as promised. It’s based on a message I gave at Riverhead Presbyterian Church yesterday. A couple of months ago Madeleine was corresponding with a person who claimed he could prove that God does not exist. Madeleine challenged the person and in the ensuing dialogue it became evident that a theological […]

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Sunday Study: Did Christ Abolish the Old Testament Law? Part 2

June 7th, 2009 8 Comments

As I concluded in Sunday Study: Did Christ Abolish the Old Testament Law? Part I , the Apostles rejected the claim that, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”[1] Following Peters position, they decide that Gentiles do not have to follow the Mosaic Law; instead it is affirmed, It […]

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Sunday Study: Did Christ Abolish the Old Testament Law? Part I

May 31st, 2009 8 Comments

At the start of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ states, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of […]

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Sunday Study: Sodom and Gomorrah Part II

May 17th, 2009 9 Comments

In my previous Sunday Study post, Sodom and Gomorrah Part I, I argued that it is a mistake to conflate what scriptural narratives describe with what they prescribe. I suggested that often the characters in these narratives do things that The Torah later explicitly condemns and in this context it is plausible to read the […]

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Sunday Study: Sodom and Gomorrah Part I

May 10th, 2009 13 Comments

In the comments section of The Inconsistent, Condescending, Paternalism of Left-Wing Feminism, Anna wrote: Something I’ve been deeply disturbed about since childhood is the Sodom & Gomorrah tale – specifically, the offering of the virgin daughters to satisfy the hordes of men outside the house. On the face of it, this looks like a negation […]

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Sunday Study: Gender in Genesis a take on Adam’s Rib

May 3rd, 2009 2 Comments

In the comments on The Problem of Evil: Why does God Allow Suffering? Marc suggested that the scriptures denigrate women. In the comments on The Inconsistent, Condescending, Paternalism of Left-Wing Feminism, Anna has also raised some thoughtful questions about the scriptures and how they portray women, many of which are worth addressing. The issue, however, […]

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