I've Moved
Due to technical issues, I've moved. click the graphic below to go to my new home.
- posted by P @ 10:32 AM
Technical Issues
It looks like I am experiencing technical difficulties here again.
Sorry if anything weird happens. Please let me know if something does.
Comments? Email Me: pfconnors AT gmail DOT com
- posted by P @ 11:53 AM
Thrombosis and Haemostasis
According to an Israeli doctor, Jesus died of a pulmonary embolism. Professor Benjamin Brenner wrote in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (I just like saying that) that Jesus' death was probably caused by a bloodclot from His leg that spread to His lungs.
I always find it fascinating when people attempt to explain Biblical events in terms that are easy for us to understand. I understand that in this case the good doctor published this diagnosis not to prove or disprove the Bible, but to educate people on long haul flights about the dangers of a pulmonary embolism. There have, however, been many searches undertaken to prove different events, even to the point of trying to find Noah's Ark. It seems that people may be looking for some validation for their faith, something tangible they can grab hold of. No matter what they find, I'm afraid this search will prove fruitless.
Nothing that we can understand will ever explain what happened on the cross.
Imagine this scenario. You're in court, guilty of all charges against you and the judge is about to pronounce your sentence, death. However, instead of pronouncing sentence the judge comes down from the bench, and he takes the punishment for your many crimes and frees you.
That is such a weak illustration. Can you blame me? The God incarnate in Jesus Christ is impossible for humans to quantify. Man-made gods are easily explainable, capricious, vengeful deities, who sneer at your best attempts, and crush you for your worst. These gods are seen everywhere, even Christian churches. They do not, however come close to representing the real God.
Jesus is God, the real God.
Still, we need to try don't we? We love to be able to explain and understand things. Many people judge Christianity to be false because it doesn't make sense. I say it must be true for the same reason.
God is love.
You and I love people and things because we find them attractive, God loves us despite our unattractiveness.
Amazing isn't it?
Maybe the medical explanation is that Jesus died of a bloodclot. You and I know the reality, He died for love.
Comments? Email Me: pfconnors AT gmail DOT com
- posted by P @ 8:20 AM
Which Theologian Are You?
 | You scored as Anselm. Anselm is the outstanding theologian of the medieval period.He sees man's primary problem as having failed to render unto God what we owe him, so God becomes man in Christ and gives God what he is due. You should read 'Cur Deus Homo?'
Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com |
Interestingly, I thought I was going to come out Martin Luther. I am not too familiar with Anselm, I must study him some more.
Apparently we have a lot in common.
Comments? Email Me:pfconnors AT gmail DOT com
- posted by P @ 2:22 PM
The Happy Eunuch
"Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:30-39 NIV, emphasis mine).
Joy, a characteristic of many (if not all) of the early Christians. What was significant about this particular believer, why was he so joyful? To find the answer to this question we must begin by looking back into the law that God gave to Moses:
"Say to Aaron: 'For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles" (Leviticus 21:17-20, emphasis mine).
No man who shared the condition of the eunuch would be allowed to go into the sanctuary of the temple and make an offering to God. Under the law, the man from Ethiopia would always be excluded from having a relationship with God. However, under the new covenant brought into force by Jesus, and explained by Phillip, our friend from Ethiopia would not only be able to enter into a relationship with God, but would have assurance of his sins being washed away.
That is a lot to be happy about!
Why don't we modern followers of Jesus know this same joy? As Gentiles, under the old covenant, we were just as much on the outside as any eunuch. Under the new covenant, we have the same assurance of forgiveness that Phillip's friend from Ethiopia has. However, most Christians plod through life, head down, with as much joy in their gait as the condemned on his way to the gallows.
What is it that destroys our joy? I have a few theories (I bet you're shocked!), that I'd like to share.
Doctrinal infighting. We spend so much time arguing with each other about who is right, how could we not help but be stressed out? We've put so much stock in the need for our particular school of theology to be the "right" one, maybe if we begin to practice a little more deep ecclesiology, we'll be a bit happier.
Worldliness. Now I personally don't think that a bit of worldliness is a totally bad thing. Understanding our culture will help us relate to it in ways that are relevant and new. However, when too much of our hope and joy is caught up in this world and what it offers, we can't help but be disappointed. It's impossible to not have life get you down from time to time, just remember where your final destination, and real inheritance is.
That's it, short and sweet. Two ways that I believe our joy as believers could be increased. Release yourself from man-made burdens you weren't meant to carry and go on your way rejoicing, just like our friend from Ethiopia.
Comments? Email Me: pfconnors AT gmail DOT com
- posted by P @ 8:21 AM
Bunk
This is not the post I had originally written for today. The post I had prepared was an insightful commentary on conservative and liberal Christians. It applauded a different way, the way of middle ground. It was well written, interesting, and stunk of spiritual superiority.
It was a bunch of bunk.
As Jesus said "No one is good—except God alone" (Mark 10:18 NIV). All we think we know, all of our impressive exegesis, all the hours we spend squinting at God's Word looking to "prove" our position and to "disprove" the position of others, amounts to a drop of water in Niagara Falls.
And that ain't much.
Tonight I was reading the Ragamuffin Gospel again, for about the fifteenth time. If you haven't read this book, run, don't walk to your local bookstore. It is the second most important book I have ever read (behind the Bible). It healed my image of God and gave me a new understanding of Christianity. I can not emphasize enough how important I believe it is for you to read this book.
Can you get that I want you to read it?
As I was reading, my heart once again was captured by the greatness of the Gospel. I am renewed by the realization "that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-40).
I have an increased sense of mission. Like when I first believed, I want everybody to hear this Good News for themselves. I have come to the realization though, that the best way to share this News is by entering into authentic relationships with people, without ulterior motive. Live the Good News as best you can, while being an authentic human being.
Maybe one day I'll get there.
In the meantime, I'm going to attempt to stop waste so much time pointing out where others are "wrong." What I need to do is be more focused on making my own way, while respecting the way of others.
Wish me luck.
Comments? Email Me:pfconnors AT gmail DOT com
- posted by P @ 9:18 AM
Jesus Loves Pornstars
XXXchurch.com the #1 Christian porn site!
With that catchy, and controversial slogan, Mike and Craig have been serving as missionaries to people on both sides of the porn industry. Their website has been online for a few years now, reaching out to those who find themselves unable to stop viewing pornography, and to those who make their living in the porn industry.
Not surprisingly, they have made their share of enemies along the way. Interestingly, however, the majority of those who have spoken out against what they are doing are Christians. In fact they have an entire section on their site dedicated to just a portion of the hatemail they receive (which I have to admit I wish they updated more often, I find it strangely entertaining). By far the great majority of emails are from angry Christians who object to them using Christianity and pornography in the same breath.
Recently the missionaries from xxxchurch were at the Erotica LA convention. They spent the weekend sharing Gods love with people through conversation and giving out t-shirts and New Testaments. One of their booths is pictured below.
On their blog Mike and Craig have posted reflections from themselves and those who accompanied them to LA. Some of the more compelling quotes:
"The girls where like a machine. People can come up and grab touch and take a picture with."
"With going to this convention I feel I did pay a price. The images I can picture in my mind now are disturbing and sad."
"While walking through the show my soul is being suffocated slowly and the only way to breath is to step away from the beautiful facade of the porn industry."
There is a lot more on their blog, take a minute and read it.
It took a lot of courage for these missionaries to go into the lion's den. I am convinced that if Jesus were here today, this is where He would be. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matthew 9:12). We can't be afraid to go where the need is, even if that place is outside of our personal paradigm.
Comments? Email Me: pfconnors AT gmail DOT com
- posted by P @ 8:52 AM
