Relationship not Religion!
Back at last. Having trouble with my PC, so glad to be back blogging. Had a great time with students last week, rejoicing that God has set us free from Religion (including a so-called Judeo-Christian, Law-based one!! - just a touch provocative!) and brought us into a relationship with himself by the Holy Spirit and that brings life!! I quoted from an interesting new book called The Bible and Other Faiths (by Ida Glaser, published by IVP). She comments on the call of Abraham out of his religious, polytheistic (believing in many gods) culture:
In calling out a people from polytheism, God did not give a religion. The way to blessing for a multi-faith world was not a religion but a family called to a dynamic relationship with the living God.
That’s still true!!
Have to dash now but tomorrow I will fill you in on a visit to the Huddersfield church by Terence and Beth Erlenbach. We had a terrific time, and it was the first time I’ve been in a meeting in which a young man got saved, baptised and proposed marriage to his girlfriend!!! More about that tomorrow! Praise God!
January 23rd, 2006 @ 9:47 pm
hey trevor! we had a great time too, especially the last bit. just out of curiosity, are all your conclusions so dramatic and challenging?
January 24th, 2006 @ 11:33 am
Saved, baptised and proposed - I believe this was an early draft of the Peter-package that was rejected as a general pattern as getting down on one knee in the bastistry tended to lead to either (a) drowning or (b) the proposal being inaudible.
January 24th, 2006 @ 7:02 pm
Yes, Matthew.Perhaps I should have pointed out that he was out of the baptistry when he proposed!