Matthew 23 extract

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.They do all their deeds to be seen by others....

Source:

Matthew 23: 4 and 5, NRSVUE 

Psalm 14 excerpt

The LORD looked forth from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there were any man of understanding, that did seek after God.

They are all corrupt, they are together become impure;

There is none that doeth good, no, not one.






Reference:

Psalm 14: 2-3, JPS Tanakh 1917

Jesus clarity

I hope everyone is doing well. This post will be brief. It is based on some things I have been dwelling on recently. Mainly, some things Jesus is credited to saying in Scriptures that may seem contradictory. I don’t claim to understand what he meant fully, but I also do not think he did not make any sense. I am not going to provide entire verses; however, I will give the citation to allow all to verify. Anyhow, here we go.

Possibly Jesus said, “if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” He also said, “walk a second mile if someone asks you to walk one.” Hence: he never said to walk three miles. See Matthew 5:39.

Supposedly, Jesus said “one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.” Basically, one needs to have a sword and can’t afford to be without one. Obviously, he didn't seem to believe in not defending oneself. Consequently, this seems to contrast the cheek turning thing a bit, if things escalated perhaps. See Luke 22:36.

Lastly, Jesus said, “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” I think this one is self-explanatory…don’t be fools, but also don’t be an arrogant a**hole. See Matthew 10:16.

In closing, I think all-around, Jesus was more about having balance. If we focus on one area of his teachings but neglect another, we get out of balance. Therefore, we should focus on all instead of one thing. Blessings!

 

References:

Matthew 5:39

Luke 22: 36

Matthew 10:16

 

 

Article on who should be handling apologetics

Ancient apologists such as Justin Martyr, Aristides of Athens, and Athenagoras presented the life of the church as primary evidence for the truth of the faith. Irenaeus, Augustine of Hippo, John Calvin, and many others pursued apologetics not as scholarly specialists but as pastors who were responsible for the spiritual well-being of ordinary Christians in local churches. 

 

The foregoing excerpt is taken from an article on CT by Timothy Paul Jones titled: Churches Shouldn’t Outsource Apologetics to Slick Conferences. Basically, this article is a book review, although I am not providing the name of the book since I want the reader to find out for themselves by reading the article. Based on the title alone one should get the hint on who the author believes should be handling apologetics, which in part is also based on his own life experience. OK, I think I have already provided too much information, so I will stop here. Blessings, and read the full article at the link below.  

Churches Shouldn’t Outsource Apologetics to Slick Conferences | Christianity Today

Reference:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/april/pastor-apologist-book-dayton-hartman-michael-mcewen.html

Apologetics and archeology (sharing a letter from an editor)

For many years, archaeology has formed an important part of Christian apologetics. As David Adams points out, archaeology neither proves the Bible nor argues someone into faith. The raw facts archaeologists uncover require interpretation. But for those who enjoy the archaeological details, it provides a vast mine of data for enriching our understanding of God’s Word and world.

 

The foregoing is extracted from a letter by the editor of Lutheran Witness magazine that was published in September of 2023. I am not writing much more about it, but I encourage everyone to dig deeper into the letter and article, as well as being informed on the subject. Read fully at the link below.

Digging In: Archaeology & Apologetics – The Lutheran Witness

Reference:

https://witness.lcms.org/2023/digging-in-archaeology-apologetics/

Christos Anesti

Christos Anesti (Χριστὸς ἀνέστη) 

Christ is Risen!

An AI priest?

Catholic Answers, a San Diego apologetics non-profit, announced on Monday the launch of a new AI experiment, featuring avatar-priest “Fr. Justin,” who was designed to answer questions about the Catholic faith, using material from the Catholic Answers library of articles, talks, and apologetics tracts. 

The forgoing excerpt is extracted from an article from THE PILLAR that was posted on April 24, 2024. Read the full article at the link below.

‘I just have to take my lumps’

Reference:

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/i-just-have-to-take-my-lumps