Accuracy in the Book of Acts
In the book of Acts, chapter 27 deals with a shipwreck that the apostle Paul experienced while on his way to Rome. The author of Acts, Luke, goes into significant detail while describing the events of the storm and the wreck of the ship. Acts 27:13-16 reads:
Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat.
Historian Colin Hemer, in The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History, comments about this passage:
Cauda, for instance, is precisely where a ship driven…
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University of Michigan Promotes Religious Discrimination in the Name of Tolerance
It appears that the University of Michigan has forced a Christian group off campus because the group insists its officers be Christian. You can read about it here.
Thus the University of Michigan joins a list of other universities that actively promote religious discrimination, such as Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. You can find out more about these here. For the record, not all universities hold to such nonsense, but allow religious groups to pick leaders who hold to their views.
Such moves are political correctness gone to seed. When we promote inclusion to the point of restricting the beliefs of religious organizations, we have gone too far, down the hole with Alice and the Wabbit. I suspect there has been no move to restrict the values and beliefs of leaders from animal rights groups, the Democratic club, or any other group that promotes a cause.
Atheist Professor Becomes Christian
Dr. Holly Ordway has published a book titled Not God’s Type, telling her personal story. She begins “I had never in my life said a prayer, never been to a church service. Christmas meant presents and Easter meant chocolate bunnies–nothing more.” But her views get hardened: “In college, I absorbed the idea that Christianity was historical curiosity, or a blemish on modern civilization, or perhaps both. My college science classes presented Christians as illiterate anti-intellectuals who, because they didn’t embrace Darwinism, threatened the advancement of knowledge. My history classes omitted or downplayed references to historical figures’ faith.” Still later, “At thirty-one years old, I was an atheist college professor–and I delighted in thinking of myself that way. I got a kick out of being an unbeliever; it was fun to consider myself superior to the unenlightened, superstitious masses, and to make snide comments about Christians.” (p.15-16)
Ordway was a…
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Profile | How is God the Creator? (William Dembski) | Closer to Truth
Watch “How Badly Did Scribes Change the New Testament Bible? (Dr. Daniel B. Wallace)” on YouTube
Prayer: A Challenge for Science–Rupert Sheldrake
Wikipedia, We Have a Problem | a personal case study
I reblogged this as the hyperlink failed. Important case study. Bias at Wikipedia.
from The Unfolding Drama of Redemption; William Graham Scroggie
“In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
The first verse of the Bible has no parallel for sublimity and comprehensiveness. In scope it is declarative, not demonstrative; affirmative, not argumentative; and historical not philosophical. There is no attempt to prove the Being of God. He is the unprovable Fact upon which all else is built, and only “the fool’ will say, ‘there is no God.’
Here the uncreated God is seen creating, and in such a manner that, as Andrew Fuller declared, a child can learn in five minutes from this verse more than all the ancient sages ever knew.
In character the verse is entirely positive, but it rules out all that is false in the thoughts and theories of men about God and the universe.
The simple statement denies at least six false doctrines.
[1]It denies the Eternity of Matter. ‘in the beginning’. There…
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The Characteristics of the Church (Ac 2:42-47) William Barclay
The Characteristics of the Church (Ac 2:42-47)
William Barclay 1907-1978
They persevered in listening to the apostles’ teaching, in the fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Awe was in every soul; and many signs and wonders were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and they were in the habit of selling their goods and possessions and of distributing them amongst all as each had need. Daily they continued with one accord in the Temple, and breaking bread from house to house they received their food with joy and in sincerity of heart; and they kept praising God and everyone liked them. Daily the Lord added to them those who were being saved.**
In this passage we have a kind of lightning summary of the characteristics of the early Church.
(i) It was a learning Church; it persisted in listening to the apostles as they taught. One of the great perils of the Church is to look back instead of forward. Because the riches of Christ are inexhaustible we should ever be going forward. We should count It a wasted day when we do not learn something new and when we have not penetrated more deeply into the wisdom and the grace of God.
(ii) It was a Church of fellowship; it had what someone has called the great quality of togetherness. Nelson explained one of his victories by saying, “I had the happiness to command a band of brothers.” The Church is a real Church only when it is a band of brothers.
(iii) It was a praying Church—these early Christians knew that they could not meet life in their own strength and that they did not need to. They always went in to God before they went out to the world; they were able to meet the problems of life because they had first met him.
(iv) It was a reverent Church—in Ac 2:43 the word which the King James Version correctly translates fear has the idea of awe in it. It was said of a great Greek that he moved through this world as if it were a temple. The Christian lives in reverence because he knows that the whole earth is the temple of the living God.
(v) It was a Church where things happened—signs and wonders were there (Ac 2:43). If we expect great things from God and attempt great things for God things happen. More things would happen if we believed that God and we together could make them happen.
(vi) It was a sharing Church (Ac 2:44-45); these early Christians had an intense feeling of responsibility for each other. It was said of William Morris that he never saw a drunken man but he had a feeling of personal responsibility for him. A real Christian cannot bear to have too much when others have too little.
(vii) It was a worshiping Church (Ac 2:46); they never forgot to visit God’s house. We must remember that “God knows nothing of solitary religion.” Things can happen when we come together. God’s Spirit moves upon his worshiping people.
(viii) It was a happy Church (Ac 2:46); gladness was there. A gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms.
(ix) It was a Church whose people others could not help liking. There are two Greek words for good. Agathos simply describes a thing as good. Kalos means that a thing is not only good but looks good; it has a winsome attractiveness about it. Real Christianity is a lovely thing. There are so many people who are good but with their goodness possess a streak of unlovely hardness. Struthers of Greenock used to say that it would help the Church more than anything else if Christians ever and again would do a bonnie thing. In the early Church there was a winsomeness in God’s people.
Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT).
** Barclay’s translation of the Greek.
St. John One: One 