We need hell

GEOFF Strong uses Cardinal Pells comments to find that 1 per cent of reason to doubt hells reality, but on the basis of last weeks Q&A the cardinal proved he is as reliable in articulating Christian beliefs as a politician facing re-election.

I believe in hell for two reasons: First, Jesus affirmed its reality, and did so more than anyone else in the Bible. I trust Jesuss view of heaven and hell more than I do Cardinal Pells off-the-cuff deconstruction.

Second, I believe in hell because we require it. We need hell so that all the evil that goes unpunished in this world will be punished one day. Without hell we are surely faced with the appalling reality that countless millions of victims will never be vindicated and their abusers escape justice. Where human justice falls down, the doctrine of hell suggests God will bring final and complete justice.

And hell isnt just a place for atheists. Jesus assures us that religious folk will be there also, including those who hide behind their clerical collars.Pastor Murray Campbell, Mentone

via Lanes offer false sense of security.

“For of all I have ever seen or learned, this book [Ecclesiastes] seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man’s life upon this earth – and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and truth. I am not given to dogmatic judgments in the matter of literary creation, but if I had to make one I could say that Ecclesiastes is the greatest single piece of writing I have ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most lasting and profound.”

via The Bonfire of the Vanities – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Victoria was a pioneer of free, compulsory, secular education although in its original sense the word secular meant “devoid of sectarian bias” rather than devoid of religious sentiment. The founders of public education in Victoria did not intend young Victorians to know nothing of religion or of the claims that religion makes on people’s lives.

via A place for spiritual and ethical guidance | The Australian.

Pornography, by its very nature, leads to insatiability. One picture, stored in the memory, will never be enough to continue arousing a man. God, after all, designed the man and the woman to be satisfied not with a single sex act but with an ongoing appetite for each other, for the unitive and procreative union of flesh to flesh and soul to soul. One seeking the mystery outside of this covenantal union will never find what he is looking for. He will never find an image naked enough to satisfy him.

via Moore to the Point – Arousing Ourselves to Death.

There are so many Old Testament hopes and prophecies that come together in the resurrection. God promised King David there would always be a Davidic King on the throne: “Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me, your throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:16). This failed hope is fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus, the descendant of David who will rule forever at God’s right hand (Psalm 110:1, Psalm 16, Psalm 132).

The resurrection affirms God’s commitment to his created order which is assumed throughout the Bible.

The resurrection makes Jesus the head of a restored humanity, the new Adam.

The more I read my Bible the more I see how much all the Bible’s hopes centre and are perfectly executed through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The New Testament is an extraordinary collection of documents. Multiple authors, mostly independent, all testifying to the same historical events and reality. The groundswell of careful copying of these documents is amazing.

The resurrection accounts have the sense of authentic testimony, they feel real. They are imperfect enough such that they definitely do not appear to be made up.

It is hard to explain the shape and resurrection focus of the New Testament other than by the fact of the resurrection of Jesus.

(This table taken from Little, “Know Why You Believe”, p45.)

This claim that many people witnessed the resurrection is important for these reasons:

• They explain the concrete memory of events with the risen Christ – eating meals etc.
• The large amount of people explains the large number of proclaiming witnesses which led to such explosive growth.
• The more witnesses are claimed, the easier it should be for someone to disprove – but this did not happen.

Pliny and other historical writers of the first century note the specific tradition of Christians to meet on the first day of the week – Sunday, corresponding to “The Lord’s Day”, that is, the day of the Resurrection.

Yet the the Christian “sect” emerged out from the disciplined religion of Old Covenant Judaism. One of the most core beliefs of the Jews was the Sabbath day (on the Saturday). This was one of their most cherished and distinctive beliefs. What would cause so many Jews to join this new movement and give up the Sabbath for the “Lord’s day”?

Acts 12:1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

“I [Paul] stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection”… The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them… (Acts 23:6, 10)

“I [Paul] have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-27

A common theme as we read the Roman historians was the explosive growth of Christianity despite the intense persecution they received. For example Tacitus wrote at the end of the first century:

“Christus”, from whom their name is derived, was executed at the hands of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. Checked for the moment, this pernicious superstition again broke out, not only in Judea, the source of the evil, but even in Rome, that receptacle for everything that is sordid and degrading from every quarter of the globe

The question raised by this historical evidence is: why did Christianity break out a second time?

Why didn’t this movement fade into nothing just like hundreds of other failed messiahs of the same era?

The announcement of Jesus’ resurrection and Lordship began spreading 40 or so days after the death of Jesus. The authorities did everything in their power to undermine or discredit the Christian movement. Why were they not able to disprove the 1-2 month old claim of resurrection? Why could it not be properly discredited by consulting the relevant parties in the first 5 years or so?

The Roman and Jewish authorities did everything in their power to stop the Christian movement in its tracks. They were not just concerned with masochistic punishment of non-conformist Christians, they were adamant to disprove its message from the very beginning. They had every resource of empire and education. So why couldn’t they disprove the resurrection?

By their own accounts, the disciples Jesus chose were not much better than a selfish bunch of whingers! Their leader (Peter) denied Jesus on the night before his death. They all fled when Jesus was arrested. They were cowards and frightened.

Then suddenly they turned into great leaders of an amazing historical movement. What caused this transformation?

Resurrection was at the heart of the message of the early church. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the ground of the message. All that had to happen was the body of Jesus be produced, and Christianity would be rubbished and completely undermined. Even just to show that the tomb had been tampered with or to check the guards on duty.

The empty tomb is presumed on in the preaching of the early church, and was not questioned as all knew it was empty – this was verifiable and undisputed at the time. Much of the preaching of the gospel in Jerusalem was done in walking distance of the empty tomb!

Meanwhile, one appraiser told the Post that the value of the painting is likely half of what it was prior to the accident—bringing it down to about $65 million.

via After Tear, Picasso Value Halved – Gothamist.

The guests came at five-thirty, and Wynn ushered them in. On the wall to his left and right were several paintings, including a Matisse, a Renoir, and “Le Rêve.” The other three walls were glass, looking out onto an enclosed garden. He began to tell the story of the Picasso’s provenance. As he talked, he had his back to the picture. He was wearing jeans and a golf shirt. Wynn suffers from an eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa, which affects his peripheral vision and therefore, occasionally, his interaction with proximate objects, and, without realizing it, he backed up a step or two as he talked. “So then I made a gesture with my right hand,” Wynn said, “and my right elbow hit the picture. It punctured the picture.” There was a distinct ripping sound. Wynn turned around and saw, on Marie-Thérèse Walter’s left forearm, in the lower-right quadrant of the painting, “a slight puncture, a two-inch tear. We all just stopped. I said, ‘I can’t believe I just did that. Oh, shit. Oh, man.’”

via Doh! Dept: The $40-Million Elbow : The New Yorker.

A Review of The Rage Against God. By Peter Hitchens. » Bill Muehlenberg’s CultureWatch.

Father + son dynamics in a surprising context. A husband juggling family and the weight of the world.

Not for the faint hearted – one of my favourite mafia films.

Well worth an online read, you’ll end up buying some of them!

Fidelity

Future Men

Reforming Marriage

Mother Kirk

The Paideia of God and Other Essays on Education

Heaven Misplaced – Christ’s Kingdom on Earth

Angels in the Architecture – A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth

A Serrated Edge: A Brief Defense of Biblical Satire and Trinitarian Skylarking

GQ: But aren’t there two sides to Christianity as well? The side that launched the crusades, and that many believe is still active, steering the last administration’s foreign policy. Aren’t we really talking about the human failing here, not tied to a particular faith?

MY: No, no, no, no. This is what I'm trying to avoid. I point to the book, to the god. I am not pointing to the people. I judge and compare books and gods. In Christianity, it’s very clear that the god we worship is equal to love. The bible says, ‘God is love’;. The god we worship was sacrificed, crucified on the cross, tortured, spit on, and was still forgiving. This is our highest example. The god of Islam tells his people, “Beat your wife. Go kill infidels. Go Kill Christians and Jews.” This is in the Koran; it has been for 1400 years. Their god tells them to kill everybody who doesn’t believe in the god of the Koran. The problem is ideological—it’s not a people problem. Now, most Muslims don’t obey the order of god to kill infidels. This is why I say Muslims have more morality than their god. To be honest with you, I’m amazed at how Muslims keep their humanity after reading the Koran.

via Son of Hamas: The Q: GQ.