Tim Chester on Preaching

Very interesting conversation going on on Tim Chester's blog about whether sermons should be monologues, dialogues or some mixture of the two. His conclusion: that to assume New Testament preaching is a monologue is to read current practice back into the text and therefore to make our cultural practice normative over biblical practice.

Worth a read

Link here 

Three Ways to Live

There are those who live without God in blatant, licentious ways. And those who live without God in religious, churchy ways. By definition, almost every Christian is more likely to be the second than the first. The answer to both is a third way to live. To come to the father, to receive acceptance only on the basis of his loving kindness, and to come into the party. If you are tempted to dislike exuberant worship, then in the terms of Jesus story you need to examine yourself to see if you are either in the far country with the younger son, or in the dark with the older son. Either way you need to repent and come into the warmth.
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Ceiling Lights, Not Prostitutes

I am so sinful. I can relatvise away the stroy of the younger son by saying "I don't pursue pleasure in the same way he did, so it doesn't apply to me." I can ignore it because my pursuit of hedonism is likely to be by subtle drift, not wild plunge. He fled to the far country to escape the father. I can get there instead by little increments, none severe enough in themselves to tell me to stop. His rebellion was blatant and offensive. Mine is much more likely to be restrained, pleasant and English.
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Worldviews and Pluralism

Excellent post on Tom Price's blog:

Worldview Level Questions About Secular Democracy

Hazel Blears said, 'We live in a secular democracy.' But does she live in an 'outside, inside' ? Let me explain. The concept of secular democracy that she has articulated, has on one side, 'real freedom' and on the other 'the closed system' of secularism. We need to ask some questions about this. What do I mean? Secularism is perspective. Democracy, stable and free, neither needs it nor asks for it. Though some think it means 'neutrality in public life' secularism actually means, 'a doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations.' It is at root from the family of perspectives that see the universe as only matter, it's a naturalistic (atheistic) life and worldview.

For more click here to go to Tom's blog

Time With God

Helpful as clear demarcation is, the more helpful thing is expectation about what the personal devotion or quiet time is for. Its purpose is to make our souls happy in God. When we turn first thing in the morning to God’s word and to worship, we are seeking to saturate our hearts with the things of the Lord so that we delight in him. That’s the aim – that we get taken up with God as abandoned and heartfelt worshippers. And who wouldn’t want to dedicate time to that?
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