rodbenson.com
Should Christians support the death penalty? – iDigress
https://rodbenson.com/2015/02/13/should-christians-support-the-death-penalty
Musings of an antipodean contrarian. Should Christians support the death penalty? February 13, 2015. Bull; ( Leave a comment. As I write, Australian citizens Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, two of the infamous Bali Nine, face imminent execution by firing squad in Indonesia on drug trafficking convictions. Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state, practiced since the beginning of recorded history. The death penalty for federal offences wa...
rodbenson.com
Racism and reconciliation – iDigress
https://rodbenson.com/2014/12/07/racism-and-reconciliation
Musings of an antipodean contrarian. December 7, 2014. Bull; ( Leave a comment. Acts 10:1-11:18; Revelation 7:9-10. In many ways our whole world is shaped by prejudice and division. People in our community feel free to promote ignorant opinions about race, ethnicity, politics, religion, and many other contentious subjects. As he preached at Ravenhill Presbyterian Church in Belfast, the most prominent Protestant preacher in Northern Ireland, Rev Ian Paisley, was preaching a counter-sermon in his own churc...
rodbenson.com
iDigress – Page 2 – Musings of an antipodean contrarian
https://rodbenson.com/page/2
Musings of an antipodean contrarian. Who is Jesus Christ and what does he do? A sermon by Rod Benson A few years ago it was popular in some Christian circles to sport wristbands bearing the acronym WWJD ( What would Jesus do? But before we can truly imitate the life of Jesus in our decisions and actions, we need to know Who is Jesus? Estimated reading time: 16 minutes. What does God do? A sermon by Rod Benson What does God do? Last week, we looked at who is God? Estimated reading time: 13 minutes. One of...
rodbenson.com
The common good – iDigress
https://rodbenson.com/2014/12/20/the-common-good
Musings of an antipodean contrarian. December 20, 2014. Bull; ( Leave a comment. An occasional article by Rod Benson published on EthicsDaily, 18 Dec 2014. The principle of the common good is prominent in Catholic social teaching and applicable to a wide range of social and ethical issues but is not often articulated in Baptist ethical thought and praxis. In English usage, “righteousness” is often associated with the notion of personal moral rectitude, while “justice” generally si...A related Hebrew term...
rodbenson.com
On divorce and remarriage – iDigress
https://rodbenson.com/2014/12/09/on-divorce-and-remarriage
Musings of an antipodean contrarian. On divorce and remarriage. December 9, 2014. Bull; ( Leave a comment. An occasional paper by Rod Benson, 2006 [statistics revised 2014]. In 2013, the crude marriage rate was 5.1 per 1,000 population and the crude divorce rate was 2.2. In the same year 47,638 divorces were granted. [1]. The Bible and divorce. In the New Testament, both Jesus and Paul teach on divorce. Jesus’ teaching is found in his response to a question by the Pharisees (Mt 19:3-9; Mk 10:2-12), a...
rodbenson.com
Stop the boat! – iDigress
https://rodbenson.com/2015/02/23/stop-the-boat
Musings of an antipodean contrarian. February 23, 2015. Bull; ( Leave a comment. When things are going well, life gives you crowds. Early in Jesus’ public ministry, crowds often accompanied him out of curiosity, out of boredom, out of intrigue, out of a real thirst for knowledge or spirituality or change (e.g. Mt 5:1; 7:28; 8:1, 18). After the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew records three different kinds of healing: a Jewish leprosy sufferer (8:1-4), the paralysed servant of a Gentile centurion (8:5-13), an...
rodbenson.com
Speeches – iDigress
https://rodbenson.com/speeches
Musings of an antipodean contrarian. Speeches and occasional addresses by Australian ethicist and social justice advocate Rod Benson:. Speech at a Sydney Alliance Work-Life Balance Forum, Sydney, 13 Nov 2012. 8220;Challenges and opportunities facing Australian voters at the 2013 Federal Election,”. Keynote speech to Christian Democratic Party National Convention, 11 Aug 2012. 8220;Cooperation and cobelligerence between NSW Baptists and other faith communities,”. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. What is commun...
thewanderingdesertpreacher.blogspot.com
The Wandering Desert Preacher: April 2015
http://thewanderingdesertpreacher.blogspot.com/2015_04_01_archive.html
The Wandering Desert Preacher. Saturday, April 11, 2015. What is your message? Paul found himself standing in front of the Governor Felix defending his behavior and message. Felix was very interested in what Paul had to say because he had studied the Christian faith as well as the Jewish faith. The writer of the Apostles of the Holy Spirit summarized Paul’s conversations with Felix in the following words:. You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you'" (Acts 24:25). Our culture is like a...
thewanderingdesertpreacher.blogspot.com
The Wandering Desert Preacher: I am not qualified!
http://thewanderingdesertpreacher.blogspot.com/2015/08/i-am-not-qualified.html
The Wandering Desert Preacher. Thursday, August 6, 2015. I am not qualified! What qualifies anyone to serve the Almighty God? Who does God use? The reality is God specializes in nobodies. I think of some of the people who seem to make the greatest impact for God; they are not anything that this world would choose. Then I look at the disciples Jesus chose and I realize that God specializes in choosing people with pretty thin resumes. Here is St. Paul’s perspective:. Ronald Friesen © 2015. Death, O death?
thewanderingdesertpreacher.blogspot.com
The Wandering Desert Preacher: March 2014
http://thewanderingdesertpreacher.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html
The Wandering Desert Preacher. Thursday, March 6, 2014. What will you give up? What are you giving up for Lent? If you around a certain group of people this spring, you will hear this question often. What are you thinking about in this season of reflection? 8211; Ron Friesen. Wednesday, March 5, 2014. Are you ready to live? You cannot really live until you are prepared to die. This is the message of the day observed in much of Christendom today: Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday launches the Christian season ...
