#Biblical Ethics

[thinkingonscripture]

Preaching Without Charge: Balancing Support and Self-Support in Ministry

God sometimes supports His ministers through the agency of others who serve as conduits of His grace. The Gospel of Luke informs us that Jesus and His twelve disciples were financially supported by several women who traveled with them (Luke 8:1-3). Luke tells us these women included “Mary, who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s…

[biblebloodhound]

A Time of Woe (Isaiah 5:15-24)

Actions and inactions both have consequences. Acting selfishly through wanton accumulation is an equal inaction against the community.

The Prophet Isaiah, by Raphael, 1512 So people will be brought low    and everyone humbled,    the eyes of the arrogant humbled.But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice,    and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;    lambs will feed among the ruins of the rich. Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of…

[themoabmercury]

Vatican synod ends with divide over women deacons and LGBTQ+

Sorry, bishops, but "tradition" is no excuse when the answers are so easy.

"Deacon" is a job like any other. The central question is not whether we women should do it, but whether our experience, expertise, and God-given gifts enable us to do it.

As with all job applicants, these questions must be answered on a case-by-case basis. This will be just as true when the time comes to consider women in the priesthood.

Being LGBTQIA is not an act of will; it is an act of God that can be clearly seen in one's genetic map. Science satisfies Romans 1:20.

Even Paul said that priests should only be celibate if they could. There is literally no biblical prohibition of married priests.

None of this is revolutionary, liberal, perverted, or destructive. There is nothing in the Bible to prohibit any of this so-called colonialism, but everything in the Bible to command it.

The question for bishops who use human constructs to maintain the oppression and exclusion of so many of God's people is this: Do you follow Christ, or do you follow the Church?

It's not the same thing.

[areadersquoteslibrary]

'"Good and evil are the prejudices of God" — said the snake.'

- Friedrich Nietzsche,

'The Gay Science'

[zebratoys]

וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ  (שמות יג, ח)

[personal-blog243]

Thoughts on a particular brand of Christian interpretation of the Bible that grooms them to support authoritarianism…

(Disclaimer: I am not an expert please don’t use me as your only source on this topic)

in my experience most Christians have an extremely hyper-literal interpretation of the Bible that I don’t necessarily agree with, particularly not when combined with the doctrine that the Bible is completely 100% inerrant and infallible and is the absolute highest authority and is the one and only completely true word of God in a very strict literal sense.

It’s a very brutally honest “facts don’t care about your feelings” way to view God and the violence of the Old Testament.

This means that most Christians really DO believe that all of the rape, slavery, war, genocide, etc. in the Bible is totally 100% genuinely perfectly fine with God and that that must be what God himself actually wants to this day in a modern context as well!

Your personal morals be damned. Your feelings about all of this are irrelevant because it is what the book says. Most Christians really believe that if you want to identity as a Christian or a follower of Jesus in any way, you must accept and be perfectly okay with all of the bad things in the Old Testament as well. It’s all or nothing, take it or leave it. You can’t pick and choose. Facts don’t care about your feelings. This is what it means to be a real Christian whether you like it or not.

If you don’t like hearing any of that, or interpret the Bible differently, you clearly disagree with God himself about rape, slavery, homophobia, and genocide and that is all your fault. If you’ve got a problem with God then that’s on you. Surely God believes that you are wrong about these things and you are the problem. Do you think you are smarter than God???? Who are you to complain and question?

Christians are used to hearing these bad things and putting aside their own feelings and basic morals for the sake of the truth (or what they believe is true whether they like it or not 🤷🏼‍♀️). They are used to doing this for the sake of respecting tradition and authority and thinking their emotions and ethical philosophy doesn’t matter when there is a higher authority.

Just keep in mind that this is how most conservative Christians view both the Bible AND the U.S. Constitution! 😳! They are authoritative texts that can’t and shouldn’t be changed and to have an ethical philosophy that is different from the men who wrote these texts is an attack on the abstract concept of truth and authority itself.

This is why they are primed for authoritarianism. They think that having a different understanding of the role of these texts and how to interpret them means you think you are smarter or better than the the founding fathers (in the case of the constitution) and of God himself (in the case of the Bible).

Obviously not ALL Christians necessarily think this way I’m just cautioning against this mentality of having to accept terrible things in the name of truth and authority.

[azurecanary]

Purity obsessed Christians calling casual sex morally grey is WILD to me

Like sure, you can argue that it's a sin (i don't believe it is), but i really want to know how it's morally grey to you

[sharingheaven]

Is Your Church Secretly Calvinistic? 5 Signs You Need to Know Now!

James 5:19-20: “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

Wondering if your church might secretly follow Calvinistic beliefs? Calvinism is a set of ideas about how God works with people, especially about who gets saved and how. It can be tricky to spot if a church follows these beliefs because they might not talk about it openly. Here are five signs that your church might be influenced by Calvinism, and we’ll look at what Jesus actually said to help…

[thinkingonscripture]

The Spirit’s Convicting Ministry to the World

In the NT, God the Holy Spirit took on a new ministry after Jesus returned to heaven (John 16:7-15; cf., Acts 1:6-8; 2:1-4; 15:7-9). Part of His ministry is to believers, and part is to unbelievers. Concerning the Spirit’s ministry to believers, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will…

[biblebloodhound]

The Issue of Holy War (Deuteronomy 7:1-11)

No individual, group of people, or even an entire nation, can keep itself on a right, just, and good path if they are continually around others who harm people either verbally and/or physically.

Joshua’s military campaign against the five Amorite kings, by Gilliam van der Gouwen, 1728 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you…

[biblepreacher]

War & Politics: Conquer Evil with Good

We are continuing our series answering the questions of "war & politics". In this post we talk about how to conquer evil with good, which is a crucial point in my framework. For this reason, this post is larger and deeper in scope than the others.

One of the most compelling axioms of our time is the saying “when good men do nothing, evil prevails.” When we look around and see what is being done to babies, how our children are being mutilated, and our society is becoming cruel, desperate, and corrupt, I think we yearn from the deepest recesses of our soul for justice. We look for answers that tell us what we can do about the evils we see…

[compassionmattersmost]

When Christianity Became the Empire: A Reflection on Faith, Power, and Deception

Throughout history, the story of Christianity has been one of profound transformation. From its humble beginnings as a faith centered on the teachings of Jesus—a man who preached love, forgiveness, and non-violence—Christianity evolved into a powerful institution, closely tied to the machinery of empire. This evolution raises important questions about the nature of faith, power, and the dangers…

[brainypixel]

It's ⁠#AIFriday and we're playing around with some #biblical #ark #animations! What do you think?

[markmcole]

How to React When Wronged: Insights from an Ancient Proverb

In life, we all face moments when we are wronged. Whether it’s a harsh word from a colleague, an unjust decision at work, or a betrayal by a friend, the immediate instinct might be to seek revenge or retaliate. However, an ancient piece of wisdom offers a different perspective on how to respond in such situations: “Don’t say, ‘I will get even for this wrong.’ Wait for the Lord to handle the…

[tmarshconnors]

Does it scare you to think about what Satan is trying to do to your kids?

What are you doing to make sure he doesn’t? Are you teaching your children about God?

Are you setting an example for them showing them what faithfulness looks like? Do you take them to church and Bible class?

Do you talk to them about the lies and immorality that the devil has made normal?

Do you keep them from playing video games and watching shows that slip in things that will take them off course? Do you pray for them and over them?

Don’t think for one second that you can let up or slack off. Evil doesn’t.