A contradictory message

Objections against the Church

Intro:

Some people who want to defend the faith, start by trying to destroy the belief of the one they want to “witness” to, cf. II Cor. 10:4-5. Yet, we have to take into consideration what the whole of Scripture tells us about this matter, cf. I Peter 3:15 and Jude 3. 

We have a mandate to refute others in their beliefs, but to do it wisely. There are a lot of objections against the church, but we must learn how to answer them, so we can win those making the objections over to our side.

We will see 3 examples. 1. Paul at the Aeropagus. 2. People think they are spiritual, therefore, they don’t need to come to church. 3. Christians are just too hypocritical.

1. Paul at the Aeropagus. Acts 17:16-32.

Paul finds a way to connect to his audience. Explain who the Epicurians are, who the Stoics are. A good connection till the resurrection of the dead is mentioned.

2. Spiritual but no need of Church.
God is everywhere, so no need to go to church. Some churches are unspiritual. Some churches don’t promote love for one another. I believe in the Bible, yet don’t believe in what the church says.

But following the horoscope, the lottery, spiritual sightings, become also a chain, and one that does not help our spiritual life. This is also a very individualistic approach to the spiritual life.

Heb. 10:25.   Rom. 8:9-11.

3. Christians are Hypocrites.

I grew up in church, and saw the hypocrites. My mom and dad were hypocrites. The pastor/priest was a hypocrite.

We don’t stop going to work because our co-workers are hypocrites. We don’t stop going to a party, because we know some of our friends or hypocrites.

Is anyone who is not a hypocrite? Matthew 19:17;  Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19 and Romans 3:11, 22-23. 

If they believe in the Bible, and want to different from the hypocrites, they must obey what the Bible says.

Right Wing craziness. Supporting Israel, with lies and made up stories.

Last night, Glenn Beck traveled to Washington, DC to address John Hagee's annual Christians United for Israel conference where he delivered remarks that were predictably filled with Bible prophecy, doom and gloom, and dire warnings about the need to turn this nation back to God.

During his speech, Beck boldly declared that the United States was "established for the establishment of Israel," meaning that the United States was established by God specifically for the purpose of re-establishing the nation of Israel.

And, as proof that our Founding Fathers were well aware of this, Beck pointed out that even our dollar bill contains a Star of David, as well as representations of the cloud and fire that led the Israelites while they wandered in the desert.

It's not true, of course, but that is what happens when you get your history from people like David Barton:

Total disregard of Biblical and logical coherence. See the direct link here.

That's why following this woman is so dangerous. If her followers would think, she would go broke!

Itinerary for the Society for New Testament Studies in Perth, Australia

Seminars

1. Christliche Literatur des späten ersten Jahrhunderts und des zweiten Jahrhunderts / Christian Literature of the late first century and the second century

   Conveners: Prof. F. Prostmeier, Prof. W. Pratscher and Prof. J. Kelhoffer. Terminates in 2014
   Wed: Wilhelm Pratscher (Vienna), "Motive paulinischer Theologie im 2. Clemensbrief"
   Thu: Ferdinand R. Prostmeier (Freiburg): "Geistig-soziale Milieus des Diskurses über "Religion" in der frühen Kaiserzeit"
   Fri: Vicky Balabanski (Adelaide) "Cosmological categories and the writings of Ignatius of Antioch: Reflections on Trallians 5 and Ephesians 19"

2. The Dead Sea Scrolls in Relation to Early Judaism and Early Christianity (5*)

   Conveners: Prof. J.J. Collins and Prof. J. Frey. Terminates in 2013.
   This seminar will meet jointly with Seminar 5 (Johannine Writings) in 2013.
    
   Wed: Harry Attridge (Yale): “The Making of Disciples: Predestination in the
   Scrolls and the Fourth Gospel”
   Thu: Hermann Lichtenberger (Tübingen):”Tempel und Tempelmetaphorik
   in Texten vom Toten Meer und im Johannesevangelium”
   Fri: John J. Collins (Yale) and Jörg Frey (Zürich) will each present a review
   of the book by Mary L. Coloe / Tom Thatcher (eds.), John, Qumran, and the
   Dead Sea Scrolls. Sixty Years of Discovery and Debate, SBLEJL 32, Atlanta: SBL 2011

3. [The Greek of the New Testament]

   Conveners: Prof. C. C. Caragounis and Prof. J. W. Voelz. Terminates in 2014.
   This seminar will not meet in Perth.

4. Inhalte und Probleme einer neutestamentlichen Theologie

   Conveners: Prof. C. Landmesser and Prof. M. Seifrid. Terminates in 2014.
   
   Wed: Brendan Byrne, S.J. (Melbourne): "Jerusalems Above and Below: Revisiting the Hagar-Sarah Allegory (Gal 4:21—5:1) and Paul’s View of Non-Messianic Judaism"
   Thu: Dorothy Lee (Melbourne): "Law, Grace and Truth: The Symbolic Role of Moses in Johannine Christology"
   Fri: Brian Rosner (Melbourne): "Paul and the Law: A Hermeneutical Solution to the Puzzle"

5. The Johannine Writings (2*)

   Conveners: Prof. M. Gruber and Prof. Ch. Karakolis. Terminates in 2015.
   This seminar will meet jointly with Seminar 2 (Dead Sea Scrolls) in 2013. Sign up for Seminar 2.

6. The Jewish World in New Testament Times (11*)

   Conveners: Prof. S. Freyne, Prof. J.W. van Henten, Prof. W. Horbury. Terminates in 2013.
   This seminar will meet jointly with Seminar 11 (Jewish Theologies). Sign up for Seminar 11.

7. The Origins and Development of the Jesus Tradition

   Conveners: Prof. T. Holmén and Prof. S.E. Porter. Terminates in 2017.
   
   Wed: Michael F. Bird (Melbourne): “Why the 'Jesus Tradition'? Its Purpose and Preservation”
   Thu: Craig L. Blomberg (Littleton, Colorado): “When Occam's Razor Shaves Too Closely: A Necessarily Complex Model of the Development of the Jesus Tradition”
   Fri: Paul Foster (Edinburgh): “Memory, Orality, and the Fourth Gospel: Three Dead-Ends in Historical Jesus Research”

8. The Mission and Expansion of Earliest Christianity

   Conveners: Prof. Eugene Eung-Chun Park, Prof. Paul Trebilco, and Prof. Gosnell Yorke. Terminates in 2015.
    
   Wed: Eugene Eung-Chun Park (San Anselmo, CA): “The itinerant philosophers in the Cynic literature and the Galilean wandering missionaries in the Gospel of Matthew”; respondent: Manabu Tsuji (Hiroshima)
   Thu: Eric Wong (Hong Kong): “Mission – The Reception of Paul in the Synoptic Gospels”
   Fri: Mark Keown (Auckland): "Paul's Vision of Evangelisation and the Church: Taking the debate forward"

9. Christian Apocryphal Literature

   Conveners: Prof. T. Nicklas, Prof. C.M. Tuckett and Prof. J. Verheyden. Terminates in 2015.
   
   Wed: Francis Watson (Durham): “Harmony or Gospel: On the Genre of the Diatessaron”
   Thu: Majella Franzmann (Perth): “Johannine Material in the Manichaean Psalm Book”
   Fri: Claire Clivaz (Lausanne): “New Testament Apocrypha and the Emergence of the New Testament Canon. A Research Project by Tobias Nicklas and Claire Clivaz”

10. Social History and the New Testament

    Conveners: Prof. H. Löhr, Prof. M. Öhler, and Prof. A. Runessen. Terminates in 2014.
    
    Wed: Albert Harrill (Columbus OH):“Ethnic Fluidity in Ephesians”.
    Thu: Kathy Ehrensperger (Lampeter): “Shared Culture and Diverse Ethnic Identities: The Pauline Discourse of Israel and the Nations”
    Fri: Anders Runesson (Hamilton ON): “The Impact of Ethnic Identity on Theology and Salvation in Matthew’s Gospel”

11. Jewish Theologies and the New Testament (6*)

    Conveners: Prof. J. Herzer and Prof. G. Oegema. Terminates in 2014.
    This seminar will meet jointly with Seminar 6 (Jewish World).
     
    Wed: John J. Collins (Yale): "The Law of Moses and Jewish Identity in the Second Temple Period"
    Thu: Dieter Sänger (Kiel): "Man ist, was man isst. Speisegebote und jüdische Identität in Joseph und Aseneth"
    Fri: Roland Deines (Nottingham): "Righteousness in the Psalms of Solomon: Reading the Psalms of Solomon as a Book"

12. Reconsidering Literarkritik of the Pauline Letters and its Impact on their Interpretation

    Conveners: Prof E-M. Becker and Prof. R. Bieringer. Terminates in 2015.
    The seminar will focus on 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Philippians.
    
    Wed: Geoffrey Dunn (Brisbane): "The Letter 'Credebamus post' from Boniface I or Leo I?"
    Thu: Malou Ibita (Leuven/Manila): “The Story of Paul and the Corinthians’ Ongoing Reconciliation:
    A Narrative-Critical Reading of 2 Corinthians 1-7”
    Fri: Sean Winter (Melbourne): “Re-framing the Unity Debate: The Rhetorical Situation of Canonical 2 Corinthians”

13. Matthew in Context: an Exploration of Matthew in Relation to the Judaism and Christianity of its Time

    Conveners: Prof M. Konradt, Prof. W. Kraus and Prof. W. Loader. Terminates in 2015.
      
    Each paper addresses the issue: What light does Matthew’s use of Mark in relation to the topic throw on Matthew’s theological location?
    Wed: Boris Repschinski (Innsbruck): “Ethics and Law”; respondent: Roland Deines (Nottingham).
    Thu: Edwin Broadhead (Berea): “Discipleship and Ecclesiology”; respondent: Amy-Jill Levine (Vanderbilt).
    Fri: Wolfgang Kraus (Saarbrücken): “Matt 16:21 – 18:35”; respondent: David Sim (Melbourne).

14. Papyrology, Epigraphy and the New Testament

    Conveners: Prof P. Arzt-Grabner and Prof. J.S. Kloppenborg. Terminates in 2013.
     
    Wed: Peter Arzt-Grabner (Salzburg): “The Date of Jesus’ Birth and of His Death: a Contribution from Papyrology”; respondent: Helen Bond.
    Thu: Scott Charlesworth (Sydney): “A Thoroughly Literary Text: the Greek Papyri of the Gospel of Thomas”; respondent: James Harrison.
    Fri: Giovanni Bazzana (Harvard): “Legal Terminology and Violence in Q. The Contribution of Documentary Papyri”; respondent:Christina M. Kreinecker.

15. Reading Paul’s Letters in Context: Theological and Social-Scientific Approaches

    Conveners: Prof. William Campbell and Prof. Michael Bachmann. Terminates in 2013.
     
    Wed: William S Campbell (Lampeter) "Theological and Social-Scientific Perspectives on 'Being in Christ'"
    Thu: Kar Yong Lim (Malaysia): "Paul's 'Remembering the Poor' as Ritual in the Corinthian Letters"
    Fri: Andrew Clarke (Aberdeen): "The Locus and Scope of Paul's Apostolic Authority"

Some people give thanks to God for such mundane, and uneventful things