In recent weeks, I have explained why I feel compelled to reject the Penal Substitution Atonement philosophies that underpin many of the theologies and practices in the Western church. But if PSA is no longer adequate for explaining atonement for me, then I need to re-evaluate some of the key questions (Why did God choose... Continue Reading →
Putting my Jesus on Trial
I am a bit of a Thomas. When Thomas was told that Jesus had risen, he refused to believe it unless he could see Jesus with his own eyes, and touch the terrible scars (John 20:24-29). I, too, refuse to accept the Jesus presented to me by the Western church, until I can be certain,... Continue Reading →
When I consider the Heavens
I am immensely fortunate to have the colleagues that I do. They are more than colleagues – they are friends. It is why, even though it is difficult to be away from home as much as my job sometimes demands, I enjoy my work-related travels. This week we were in the Cape, the first stop... Continue Reading →
Innocence Lost
As long as I can remember, I have loved the bushveld. It is one of the few places where I feel completely alive and free. There is an immediacy about life in the African bush that I find wholly alluring. When you are walking in the territory of lions and elephants, for example, your regrets... Continue Reading →
Where Faith and Nihilism Meet
When I published Teddy a couple of weeks ago, one of my friends commented that its nihilistic outlook and my Christian faith might seem at odds. My response was that I believe that nihilism and faith are not so far removed from each other as it might seem. The concept of Nihilism is largely... Continue Reading →
What’s In A (The) Word?
I think one of the most damaging obstacles to the modern Christian understanding of God has come in the form of three innocuous letters. It is not the word they form that is the problem, but where that word has been placed. That word is “the”. Hardly an offensive word, I concede. How on earth,... Continue Reading →
Sin: Failing the Test
I have heard it preached from too many pulpits. Well-meaning preachers, who have never really taken the time to reflect on the analogy properly, depict Jesus on the cross as the bridge spanning an impassable chasm between us and God. Alternatively, we are at the bottom of a ladder, trying to attain God’s impossible standards... Continue Reading →
A Critique of the Prophetic Ministry
After my post about prophesy a few weeks ago, one of my Facebook friends posted the following response (I have cut out only the salutations): “My thoughts are that you have touched on a side of the prophetic that gives the church a bad rep and I have also lost patience with oily televangelists. LOL!... Continue Reading →
Should We Trust Those Who Claim To Speak For God?
I could see in her eyes that she was sincere. There was an authentic desire to impart spiritual truth written there. But there was something else, too – a kind of fanatical vehemence that I have come to distrust. Perhaps because I have been there, I know that the zealous are almost always inflated by... Continue Reading →
Sinful Thoughts
There are times I am embarrassed to call myself Christian. Not because I am ashamed of Jesus. Not at all. He makes sense. But the picture of Christianity the world gets has become so antithetical to everything I stand for that I don’t want to be associated with it. So much internet real estate and... Continue Reading →
Vapors In The Wind 