A Christian blog for the season.

Well why not, it is Easter after all.

However if I were to start a Christian blog there are many who would find it as offensive as the curebies find my stance on Autism.

One always has to chose a line to stand on, as Luther did.

By denomination I am a Baptist, and that no doubt already sends shivers down the spine of liberal Episcopalians and new age Universalists, but it also puts me beyond the pale of the equally 'heretic' established Churches, who are getting ready to submit me to the blogosphere's equivalent of 'auto da fe' no doubt. (see below)

That is the problem when you believe there is only one way, you tend to be exclusive.

Jesus of course was not exclusive, except in the sense that he asked people to follow him and not some pharasaical sect. (and who can say for sure which our denominations are the new pharisees)

In following Jesus that puts me at odds with many folk including some of the original Apostles, who let's face it were not beyond criticism, and Paul was the biggest self confessed sinner of them all.

Why do I believe in my particular brand of Christianity?

• That is because I was convinced by Bible study that the way to demonstrate ones faith is through the testimony of adult baptism, as Jesus himself underwent.

Why I do I believe Jesus is the Christ and my saviour?

That is for two reasons:

• Firstly the word, the message, logos, call it what you will. The message of love, and peace and forgiveness, a forgiveness that is a free gift we have not earned, for which Jesus paid the price.
  

• Secondly because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and I am not going to get into arguments of Filioque, let the Greek and Roman Churches sort that one out for themselves.
  

What did Jesus mean when he said, whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John 14 )?

• If you look at me or my brother and listen to the way we speak, you have in a way seen oury genetic father, for we both bear his mannerisms either inherited or learnt. If you follow Jesus you have seen the heavenly father for I do believe that the message he delivered in his stay on earth was so powerful, so universal, so appropriate for all time that it can only have come from our Heavenly Father the maker of everything we are and exist amongst.

So was there room for Dinosaurs on the Ark?

• Don't ask me that one, I wasn't around at the time, you might just as well worry about trees falling silently in the forests of Berkeley (I like the notion of there being forests in Berkeley even if it may not be literally true, Californians please advise)

How do I square the idea of an immortal soul with my scientific belief in embodied cognition?

• H'mm I suppose I shall have to incline toward bodily resurrection and conjuring tricks with bones then :)

Is it equally contradictory to hold post modernist ideas and then hold to Biblical truth?

• Well actually it is post modernism that allows me to privilege the religious gaze over the scientific one if that works for me.

What I am anyway, is not yet decided, until I have been everything that I can be. My soul has to be the sum of everything which applies - not an equation in which only three dimensions apply.

I am not sure whether I shall allow comments on this blog, being as religion and faith are such personal things for this much is certainty. In the opinions of some I will be a hell bound infidel, and to others a delusional crazy, whose migraine auras have got the better of him.

It's something I can't force on anybody, you make your choice as I make mine, the same choice Adam had with the apple, take it or leave it.

Here endeth the sermon, you can see why they don't have me preaching in the pulpit at my home Church now can't you :)

and now for something completely different ...