The Bible is not a rule book. It says very little about lots of issues which affect us today. If we look hard we may find ‘proof texts’ to support a particular moral stance but they might be reliant on the Old Testament and maybe contradicted elsewhere. Even Jesus contradicted or brought new light on an old saying. (For example ‘eye for an eye’ in Matthew 5.) Here are some examples of current issues in a somewhat random order.
- Slavery – in it’s institutionalised and modern forms
- The death penalty or capital punishment
- Global warming or looking after the earth
… and …
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An incredible thing happened to me the other day which restored my faith in human nature.
Ninety-nine lost sheep, nine lost coins and a son excluded from his family. These are the stories that Jesus didn’t tell.
Did Jesus come to save the whole world or just come to save a minority who believe in him? I am posing this question and suggest that we look at the question carefully without being dogmatic. If you had asked me this question 20 years ago I would have said the only way to be saved, was to believe in Jesus and look to him for our salvation. There are scriptures which support this view but there is a great deal of biblical evidence that it has always been God’s intention and plan to save every man and women — indeed the whole earth (and the whole of creation).
In May 2004 I had a stroke. Now 13 and a half years later, or about 5000 days later, I have some questions to ask myself. I firmly believe that God wants us all to be healthy and he can, and does heal bodies and minds. However, I must be honest with myself and dare to state that complete healing from the effects of the stroke is probably not going to happen. Is this a lack of faith on my part – no, I don’t think it is. 
This just has to be one of my favourite Christmas songs. Although it consists of rhetorical questions addressed to Jesus’ mother, Mary, it is really addressed to us, today. It is more about Jesus than Mary. Although it is related to Christmas, it is timeless and speaks to all the generations of Mankind. For me, it is, “George, did you know?” 
On Saturday I went for a short walk and ended up walking through Ash Cemetery which is just down the road from our house. I am not a morbid sort of character but was deeply moved by some of the inscriptions that I saw.
