Favourite Podcasts

The smartphone now makes it so easy to get access on the move to audio podcasts of teachings and direction from many people. Certainly I’m finding that I’m using my smartphone more in the car to listen to sound Christian teaching, doctrine and worship rather than the radio or the news.

Here’s a list of people and ministries that I regularly listen to.

Messenger International with John and Lisa Bevere

Let My People Think with Ravi Zacharias

Another Day of Victory with Ulf Ekman

Daily Hope with Rick Warren

Insight For Living with Chuck Swindoll

Radical Living, Radical Life with Runnymede Christian Fellowship

Daily Radio Program with Charles Stanley

Any ministries that you’d recommend or think I would benefit from listening to?

My software of choice to listen to podcasts on my Android phone is BeyondPod.

Authored by Chris Hall

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Tolerance or something more…

I’ve used this image in a post previously as it seemed to make a good point. However there was something about the word ‘tolerance’ and how it’s being used today.

We can have a look at the Oxford English dictionary definition to get an initial thought of how tolerance is defined:

Definition of tolerance

noun

• 1 [mass noun] the ability or willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with:the tolerance of corruptionan advocate of religious tolerance

• 2the capacity to endure continued subjection to something such as a drug or environmental conditions without adverse reaction:the desert camel shows the greatest tolerance to dehydration[count noun]:various species of diatoms display different tolerances to acid
• diminution in the body’s response to a drug after continued use:the body’s tolerance to Ecstasy builds up very quickly

• 3an allowable amount of variation of a specified quantity, especially in the dimensions of a machine or part:250 parts in his cars were made to tolerances of one thousandth of an inch

Origin:

late Middle English (denoting the action of bearing hardship, or the ability to bear pain and hardship): via Old French from Latin tolerantia, from tolerare (see tolerate)

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/tolerance?q=tolerance

From the above it’s obvious that definition 3 is referring to a mechanistic application and definitions 1 and 2 are perhaps more relevant to social interaction and society. It’s interesting that both definitions 1 and 2 do not put ‘tolerance’ in the scope of ‘approval’. In other words ‘tolerance’ is something temporary and transient. ‘Tolerance’ in itself does not imply approval.

As a Christian I see many areas of conflict between the orthodox teachings of the church and the ways of the world reflected in the ever changing attitudes of the wider society. As Christians we are often accused of intolerance and our ‘tolerance’ is demanded but I do wonder if there is not an intolerance behind what is demanded of us and the church.

To tolerate someone else’s morals, behaviour, religion, philosophy, ethics or politics simply means to accept albeit with a mild form of disapproval. When we as Christians and the church or ekklesia are asked to show ‘tolerance’ I do wonder if the motive behind that call is really a call to approve and that our ‘tolerance’ will not be accepted for long?

What Book?

Time to treat myself to another book to go on my Kindle. Problem is choosing one!

Any book that catches my eye I add to my Goodreads.com account so I have a continually growing list of books to choose from. What I choose depends a lot on how I feel so at the moment I have a list of three books. So which one do I choose?

Viral Jesus: Recovering the Contagious Power of the Gospel by Ross Rohde

The End of Religion: Encountering the Subversive Spirituality of Jesus by Bruxy Cavey, Jim Petersen

Jesus: A Theography by Frank Viola, Leonard Sweet

Any suggestions most welcome!

Related articles

• “Jesus: A Theography” by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

I believe that God can heal

Image via Wikipedia

It would seem that just reiterating that statement of Christian faith is enough to bring down the wrath of the Advertising Standards Agency. If you believe that statement is true then please sign the new e-petition here.

The statement goes:

I believe that God can heal 

Responsible department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport Whether or not we believe that God can heal, we call on the Government to ensure that publishing statements of faith is not banned. This petition is put forward following cases where the Advertising Standards Agency has banned Christian groups from publishing material with the words ‘God can heal’, for example in Bath.

Jesus Of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI

Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by how readable and encouraging this book is. Pope Benedict XVI has shown himself to have a fantastic understanding of the Gospels and their sources, as well he should! He brings that information along and presents it in a fresh and inspiring way. Many, many times he shows how connected the Bible is to itself and how doctrine and theology stretch consistently from Genesis to Revelation, how themes are repeated and built up and how what we have is truly inspired.

So put aside any bigotry, if you have any and grab a copy!

View all my reviews!

Suffering

Image via Wikipedia

Sometimes we hear words that touch us in way that our only response can be “Oh God!” But it’s an exclamation of surprise that something so deep can be communicated so simply.

One such of these is from Pope Benedict XVI.

“Even suffering is part of the truth of our life. Thus, trying to shield the youngest from every difficulty and experience of suffering, we risk creating, despite our good intentions, fragile persons of little generosity: The capacity to love, in fact, corresponds to the capacity to suffer, and to suffer together.” ~Benedict XVI

In My Own Strength

It’s at times like this leading up to the major Christian events and feasts that I am beginning to realise how important the concept of tradition and liturgy really is.

I became a Christian in 1994, being baptised at an Anglican church in Farnborough, Hants. The church was an evangelical Anglican church which was ‘traditionally’ evangelical in that there was little in the way of liturgy for the Sunday services and little or no ‘tradition’. At this church my faith grew but so did my rebelliousness. However, I began to question the natural authority within the church structure and the concept of the division between clergy and laity became more of a barrier to a Christian life than the true method that God employs in His church to further His aims. And to be honest the worldly outworking of the Church of England didn’t help much. Still doesn’t!

So my rebellious heart together with family living in a different area led me to take my own family to join a small pentecostal church in Egham in Surrey. This church to me seemed to be exceptionally dynamic, full of people seeking the heart of God. And indeed it was and still is. I am a deacon there and also lead worship for our services.

But now I am beginning to realise that the ‘problems’ I have discerned to be with the church really aren’t. They are problems in me. The initial passion for living God’s Word had become dampened by time and my own weakness. I now realise that the biggest failing lies with me and my own inabilities, in trying to live a Godly life aside from the framework of church, fellowship, liturgy, tradition and history that God has so gracefully supplied to His church. I have allowed each day to become much like the previous. Where the church calendar guides us through the seasons and offers respect to those who have gone before I have been trying to tread my own path, relying on my own abilities. And I realise I have been failing. My belief and faith in God  are stronger than ever, but the flesh is weak.

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Psalm 102

1Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

2Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.