Discernment
Three Headlines
“Puppy nips toddler” . “Dog bites kid” . “Canine savages boy” . One message. Three headlines. The power of headlines Have you ever considered the power of a headline? It sets the tone for everything you’re about to read. But every story has three headlines. One that attempts to be objective and straightforward and two [...]
Hail Mary, Full of Grace
Introduction One of the most interesting developments within the Church is the focus on Mary. There are numerous theories as to how this all came about but one of the more common ones is that the church was infiltrated with pagan concepts that took over and eventually caused a dramatic shift and change in its [...]
Of Relationship and an Open Mind
I try to keep an open mind. You can broach just about any subject with me and I’m willing to listen and consider other perspectives… usually. There’s one thing that tends to get in the way of my open mind. That’s when someone has a go at someone I love. Don’t get me wrong. I’m [...]
The Development of Theology in the Early Church
Introduction A few week ago I posted on some of the hierarchical developments that progressed until it became the Roman Catholic Church. This week I want to focus on some of the development of theology and emphases in certain thoughts that led to the Roman Catholic position that we know of today. Baptismal Regeneration I [...]
Readers, thinkers, and theologians
In last week’s post, I addressed the first and second lines of the InFocus purpose statement. Today, I’d like to address the third line. Our purpose Our purpose is… to develop the Australian blogosphere, ….to cultivate serious and useful discussion, and ………to develop a generation of readers, thinkers, and theologians. 1. Readers The term “readers” [...]
Christianities?
Introduction Note: Before getting into the post I want to clarify a few terms. When I say “orthodox” I don’t mean it as in the view held by the Orthodox Church but I use it in the sense of it being what is “true”. When I say “heterodoxy” or “heterodox beliefs/systems” et cetera I am [...]
The Path Paved With Good Intentions
I’ve been at college full time for a couple of weeks now and it’s been a great experience. One of the classes I really enjoy is church history and we’ve covered the history of the church up until the reign of Pope Leo I. As we’re going through our textbook one of the course requirements [...]
When Everything is Crashing Around You
I think I’d have a mental breakdown if I was in Job’s position yet he blessed God at the end of chapter one after all he lost and went through. A lot of people cursed God and died for much less than what Job went through. We should examine ourselves and see how we’d go [...]
What’s On Your Wall?
When I joined Facebook, my initial feeling was fascination. I was connecting with friends around the world in a way that was convenient and relatively secure. We regained contact with other friends whom we probably would never see again, due to distance or circumstances. As our friend list grew online, I felt as if my [...]
Environmental Management, A Christian Perspective
Is our planet warming? If so, is global warming man made? What should we do to protect the environment? These are questions Australians are asking every day. As followers of Jesus Christ, what should our attitude toward environmental matters be? If we are going to answer the questions of our day, we need to have [...]
Waldensians, Monks, and Those Evil Egyptians
CONSPIRACY THEORIES, PART III If you thought there was a conspiracy in my writing on this topic (part 1, 2), you were right. I really wanted to bring it down to theology. After all, theology matters. It always matters. So where do we see conspiracy thinking in theology? Well, it seems Christians are prone to [...]
What Kind Of Error Is “KJV Only”?
Defining “KJV Only” Before we consider this question, do you consider yourself to be “KJV Only?” By this, I mean: Do you believe that God preserved His Word to us in the King James Version only? Do you believe that any other Bible translation is unreliable and must not be used? Do you believe that [...]
