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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: What is the "good news"
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Rosina
Shipmate
# 15589
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Posted
Yesterday our minister was speaking about "sharing the 'good news' of what God in Christ has done"
what "good news" do you know or have?
Where did you see Jesus today?
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"Imagine." If you can imagine, you can dream, and if you can dream, you can hope and if you have hope, you may seek and if you seek; you will find.
Posts: 75 | From: Lancashire | Registered: Apr 2010
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Freddy
Shipmate
# 365
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Posted
The good news is that Christ has made His Second Coming, on June 19th, 1770. Big celebration on Tuesday at the church.
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"Consequently nothing is of greater importance to a person than knowing what the truth is." Swedenborg
Posts: 12845 | From: Bryn Athyn | Registered: Jun 2001
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Rosina
Shipmate
# 15589
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Posted
I agree Christ has come many times in the past. He is coming and will come to many more until the works of God are finished.
Is the 'good news' the salvation of mankind from spiritual death.?
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"Imagine." If you can imagine, you can dream, and if you can dream, you can hope and if you have hope, you may seek and if you seek; you will find.
Posts: 75 | From: Lancashire | Registered: Apr 2010
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churchgeek
Have candles, will pray
# 5557
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Posted
The good news is that God has chosen to be human in Christ - not just during Jesus' earthly life, but for good. Humanity, then, has been raised into the very life of the Triune God.
OK, that's a bit esoteric for most, but it is very good news.
It means that the distance between Creator and creation has been bridged. It means God has thrown God's lot in with us. It means God is making all things new, and that even our sinfulness can't keep us from God's love.
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I reserve the right to change my mind.
My article on the Virgin of Vladimir
Posts: 7773 | From: Detroit | Registered: Feb 2004
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Freddy
Shipmate
# 365
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Rosina:
Is the 'good news' the salvation of mankind from spiritual death.?
Yes! ![[Angel]](graemlins/angel.gif)
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"Consequently nothing is of greater importance to a person than knowing what the truth is." Swedenborg
Posts: 12845 | From: Bryn Athyn | Registered: Jun 2001
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Johnny S
Shipmate
# 12581
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Freddy:
The good news is that Christ has made His Second Coming, on June 19th, 1770. Big celebration on Tuesday at the church.
Out of interest Freddy, is any evidence for this given, apart from the testimony of Swedenborg?
Posts: 6834 | From: London | Registered: Apr 2007
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
The good new is that God is the creator and sustainer of all things, and S/he loves us.
(Wants the best for us)
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Garden. Room. Walk
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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Mark Betts
Ship's Navigation Light
# 17074
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Posted
I'm quite sure that when Jesus does return, we will be in no doubt about it. For he will come again in Glory to judge the living and the dead!
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"We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary."
Posts: 2080 | From: Leicester | Registered: Apr 2012
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fluff
Shipmate
# 12871
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Posted
The bad news is that I am to miss the Eucharist I attend on Tuesday mornings due to some work commitments. Good news is a) I can go tomorrow. b) God's love surrounds me today and I feel the joy of Christ's presence in my heart.
Posts: 109 | From: South England | Registered: Jul 2007
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Yerevan
Shipmate
# 10383
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Posted
The good news is that God is reconciling us to himself (and to each other) in Christ, and that this reconciliation will endure for eternity. Evil and death will not have the last word.
[ 19. June 2012, 07:58: Message edited by: Yerevan ]
Posts: 3758 | From: In the middle | Registered: Sep 2005
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
The good new is that God is the creator and sustainer of all things, and S/he loves us.
Surely for this to count as "good news", there must be a practical outworking of that love that actually improves things for us. Talk is cheap.
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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Freddy
Shipmate
# 365
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Johnny S:
quote:
Originally posted by Freddy:
The good news is that Christ has made His Second Coming, on June 19th, 1770. Big celebration on Tuesday at the church.
Out of interest Freddy, is any evidence for this given, apart from the testimony of Swedenborg?
Umm, not exactly, now that you mention it. ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif)
The only evidence that I am aware of is the thirty-five volumes that he wrote. They systematically describe in plain language how Christianity works, what heaven is like, how the Bible works, and why life happens the way that it does. They also include numerous stories of observations made in the spiritual world.
If the system makes sense to you and the stories seem credible, and if it all seems to fit with biblical teaching, then that is the evidence. If not then, like so many other strange religions based on bogus claims, it is not worth wasting time with.
What I like about it is that it seems to me to offer genuine explanations, fully systematic and consistent with the Bible, to every religious question. Others, of course, disagree.
It is the information itself that is the Second Coming. Christ, after all, is the Word of God. What could be more appropriate in this Information Age?
People do point to the remarkable changes that have come over the world since the second half of the eighteenth century. A new era of political freedoms, liberation from slavery, advancement of technology, vastly increased literacy, etc. has revolutionized the planet.
Some suggest that these changes have a spiritual origin. Others see them as the result of the long term progression and growth of knowledge that has been going on for millennia. I would say that it is both - and that it is really all the same thing.
In any case, I think it is good news.
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"Consequently nothing is of greater importance to a person than knowing what the truth is." Swedenborg
Posts: 12845 | From: Bryn Athyn | Registered: Jun 2001
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tclune
Shipmate
# 7959
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
Talk is cheap.
Not with my cell plan...
--Tom Clune
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This space left blank intentionally.
Posts: 8013 | From: Western MA | Registered: Jul 2004
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Johnny S
Shipmate
# 12581
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Freddy:
People do point to the remarkable changes that have come over the world since the second half of the eighteenth century. A new era of political freedoms, liberation from slavery, advancement of technology, vastly increased literacy, etc. has revolutionized the planet.
Well, Cook did land in Australia during that decade.
Maybe Oz is heaven after all.
Europe should listen to Julia after all.
Posts: 6834 | From: London | Registered: Apr 2007
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footwasher
Shipmate
# 15599
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Posted
Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
The good news is that after Jesus's ministry, believers could ”live”.
Life in the Spirit is the greater life. It is now possible because Christ has come.
Gal 3
21 For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. 23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
1) Did Paul say that those who believed in God prior to Christ go to hell? No.
2) Was there life for those believers prior to Christ's arrival? No (vv. 21-22).
3) What was it like before "this faith came" (v.23)? They were prisoners.
4) Why did God do this? That the law might lead those loyal believers to Christ, and at that time they would receive the "promised" life. They would be a new creation; they would have LIFE.
John 17
2"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
When we read the line above from Jesus, it makes us stop and pause. It seems odd that Jesus would define eternal life as knowing him and his Father. Isn't eternal life living forever after we die?
An interesting insight comes from how the term "eternal life", chayei olam (Hi-YAY Oh-LAHM) was understood by Jews in Jesus' time. While the phrase often had our understanding of life after death, chayei olam often had a different emphasis, when it was contrasted with "chayei sha'ah" (fleeting life). Chayei sha'ah, fleeting life, is living a life that is only concerned about everyday things - working, making money, eating, and sleeping. Chayei olam, "lasting life" or "a life of eternity" refers to living a life focused on matters of eternal importance.
Chayei Olam, eternal life, is a conscious relationship with God through Yeshua the Messiah. Since God inhabits eternity, this means living in the mode of life that apprehends (by faith) the reality of the eternal in the here and now. In other words, faith sees the Olam Habah (the age to come) and prepares us to partake of its reality even in the Olam Hazeh (the present age).
Was that too much information?
[ 19. June 2012, 14:19: Message edited by: footwasher ]
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Ship's crimp
Posts: 927 | From: pearl o' the orient | Registered: Apr 2010
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Anglican_Brat
Shipmate
# 12349
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Posted
The good news is that despite human stupidity and sin, God is still in the business of redeeming the world.
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It's Reformation Day! Do your part to promote Christian unity and brotherly love and hug a schismatic.
Posts: 4332 | From: Vancouver | Registered: Feb 2007
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
The kingdom of God is at hand.
quote:
Originally posted by Anglican_Brat:
The good news is that despite human stupidity and sin, God is still in the business of redeeming the world.
Nice buzzwords guys, and I'm sure they speak volumes from within the Christian cultures in which you operate, but in terms of telling the good news to the average non-Christian person on the street what do they actually mean?
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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EtymologicalEvangelical
Shipmate
# 15091
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian
...the average non-Christian person on the street...
Is this just jargon or does it actually mean anything?
If it does, then please describe the characteristics of such a person, along with supporting evidence.
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You can argue with a man who says, 'Rice is unwholesome': but you neither can nor need argue with a man who says, 'Rice is unwholesome, but I'm not saying this is true'. CS Lewis
Posts: 3625 | From: South Coast of England | Registered: Sep 2009
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by EtymologicalEvangelical:
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian
...the average non-Christian person on the street...
Is this just jargon or does it actually mean anything?
If it does, then please describe the characteristics of such a person, along with supporting evidence.
For the purposes of this thread, it will suffice to say that they're the people who, if you tell them "God is redeeming the world", will say "eh?".
This is a thread about sharing "The Good News". If you can't even articulate what "The Good News" is in a way that people who don't already know what you're talking about will understand, how on earth can you share it?
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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Freddy
Shipmate
# 365
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Johnny S:
quote:
Originally posted by Freddy:
People do point to the remarkable changes that have come over the world since the second half of the eighteenth century. A new era of political freedoms, liberation from slavery, advancement of technology, vastly increased literacy, etc. has revolutionized the planet.
Well, Cook did land in Australia during that decade.
Maybe Oz is heaven after all.
I don't doubt that Oz is heaven.
But it points to a larger truth. This morning I listened to a fascinating TED Radio Hour podcast on "The Future of Cities." One of the things that it asserted was that urbanization is the most notable thing that is happening on the planet at this time. The world's population is rapidly changing from rural to urban and the implications are immense.
I wondered if I agree that this is the primary thing happening on earth. Do you?
I think that I would say that the most notable things happening in the world are these:
- 1) The growth of the world's population and its effects.
- 2) The explosive growth of knowledge, technology, and literacy.
- 3) The changes in population patterns - the movement from rural to urban.
- 4) The rapid growth of Christianity worldwide, and its shift from European populations to the populations of Asia and Africa.
Of these I would say that 2) is most important, and is directly related to 4). I would say that's the good news. Would you agree?
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"Consequently nothing is of greater importance to a person than knowing what the truth is." Swedenborg
Posts: 12845 | From: Bryn Athyn | Registered: Jun 2001
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Ramarius
Shipmate
# 16551
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
quote:
Originally posted by EtymologicalEvangelical:
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian
...the average non-Christian person on the street...
Is this just jargon or does it actually mean anything?
If it does, then please describe the characteristics of such a person, along with supporting evidence.
For the purposes of this thread, it will suffice to say that they're the people who, if you tell them "God is redeeming the world", will say "eh?".
This is a thread about sharing "The Good News". If you can't even articulate what "The Good News" is in a way that people who don't already know what you're talking about will understand, how on earth can you share it?
Good news! You can say goodbye to that nagging guilty conscience when you discover the one person in the universe you should really worry about upsetting, wants you to be free of all that and enjoy knowing him. You can be sure life after death can be great because Jesus has been dead, came back, and promises to go with us on that journey when it comes. And it's good news that there is a God who created you, sustains your existence, and has designed an amazing reason for you - you personally to live for.
After getting slightly depressed after contributing on another thread I feel better already.
![[Biased]](wink.gif)
Posts: 950 | From: Virtually anywhere | Registered: Jul 2011
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Raptor Eye
Shipmate
# 16649
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Posted
The good news is that, by way of Jesus, God gave us the offer of eternal relationship with him through a new powerful broadband connection.
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Be still, and know that I am God! Psalm 46.10
Posts: 4359 | From: The United Kingdom | Registered: Sep 2011
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rolyn
Shipmate
# 16840
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Posted
The Good News ? Christ is Risen .
When all around seemed gloom and despondency to the Disciples this was the News that lifted them .
This is the Good News has the potential to lift us any minute of any day . Like the Disiples we must choose belief over doubt.
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Change is the only certainty of existence
Posts: 3206 | From: U.K. | Registered: Dec 2011
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Evensong
Shipmate
# 14696
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
The kingdom of God is at hand.
quote:
Originally posted by Anglican_Brat:
The good news is that despite human stupidity and sin, God is still in the business of redeeming the world.
Nice buzzwords guys, and I'm sure they speak volumes from within the Christian cultures in which you operate, but in terms of telling the good news to the average non-Christian person on the street what do they actually mean?
Yes. Fair point.
The latest non-jargon terminology I have come up with is :
God is. God loves. Love wins.
God is = Creation and birth (of Jesus)
God loves = Salvation History (the history of God) and life (of Jesus)
Love wins = The resurrection
I'd like to hear what you have come with Marvin.
[ 20. June 2012, 00:06: Message edited by: Evensong ]
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a theological scrapbook
Posts: 9481 | From: Australia | Registered: Apr 2009
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Spiffy
Ship's WonderSheep
# 5267
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Posted
The good news?
You are loved beyond all reason.
Oh, and God loves you, too.
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Looking for a simple solution to all life's problems? We are proud to present obstinate denial. Accept no substitute. Accept nothing.
--Night Vale Radio Twitter Account
Posts: 10281 | From: Beervana | Registered: Dec 2003
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irish_lord99
Shipmate
# 16250
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
Nice buzzwords guys, and I'm sure they speak volumes from within the Christian cultures in which you operate, but in terms of telling the good news to the average non-Christian person on the street what do they actually mean?
Excellent point!
For me, the good news is much like the healing of the man blind from birth (John 9). He knew little except that he was blind, and could now see.
For me, that's the good news: I was X, and now I'm Y. I was pitiful wreck before Jesus found me, and though I'm not 'there' yet; I'm much better now than I was before. How all that happened, I'm not entirely sure; but I do know that my life is better for having Jesus in it.
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"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Mark Twain
Posts: 1169 | From: Maine, US | Registered: Feb 2011
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Cara
Shipmate
# 16966
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
The latest non-jargon terminology I have come up with is :
God is. God loves. Love wins.
God is = Creation and birth (of Jesus)
God loves = Salvation History (the history of God) and life (of Jesus)
Love wins = The resurrection
I'd like to hear what you have come with Marvin. [/QB]
And, to amplify this a little, Jesus came to tell us God loves us--each of us, (as his eye is on even the sparrow, it is much more on us).
And Jesus showed us that God overcomes death; it is not the end. And Jesus is still with us in our daily lives as the Holy Spirit, and also in the Christian community, especially in the Eucharist.
Others have said the same thing above in different ways.
The hard part, for me, is not so much in articulating this good news as in believing it, really internalising it.
If it is true, it is huge! I should be shouting it from the rooftops with unbounded joy! It should transform every instant of my life.
But....I'm not. And it doesn't.
Like Thomas, I want a sign right before my eyes and at my fingertips.
So, the good news of the Christian faith--the nub and essence--isn't it called the kerygma?--is as above.
What the good news means to me personally at the moment is that the Christian faith has been a wonderful, inspiring thing (if often flawed in practice!) throughout history. It unites people through time and space. It gives people extraordinary strength--early martyrs, saints, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie ten Boom and her sister, on and on--in the midst of appalling horror. It gives us hope of something beyond death. It gives us a community where you see people living their faith. When it's hard--as for me it usually is--to actually feel the faith myself, I incline to Puddleglum's wager...but even in that I'm sadly lukewarm.
I suppose I've gone off tangent, but it's my response to this very interesting and core question.
Cara
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Pondering.
Posts: 898 | Registered: Feb 2012
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
If you can't even articulate what "The Good News" is in a way that people who don't already know what you're talking about will understand, how on earth can you share it?
By the way you live. If you are trying to tell people that Christ can transform their lives but don't show that by the way you live then don't be surprised if they don't listen. Even if you use words they can understand.
Jesus transforms lives, and this is how he transformed mine; that is good news.
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Last ever sig ...
blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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Cara
Shipmate
# 16966
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Balaam:
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
If you can't even articulate what "The Good News" is in a way that people who don't already know what you're talking about will understand, how on earth can you share it?
By the way you live. If you are trying to tell people that Christ can transform their lives but don't show that by the way you live then don't be surprised if they don't listen. Even if you use words they can understand.
Jesus transforms lives, and this is how he transformed mine; that is good news.
Beautifully and simply said, Balaam.
Cara
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Pondering.
Posts: 898 | Registered: Feb 2012
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
I'd like to hear what you have come with Marvin.
I don't evangelise. Not that I make a secret of the fact that I'm Christian, but I only talk about the effect that has on me, and then only if it's in context (e.g. "why aren't you interested in coming to the strip club with us, Marvin?"). If anyone else is interested enough to ask me more I'll talk to them about it, but it's for them (if/when prompted by the Holy Spirit) to make that first move.
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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Evensong
Shipmate
# 14696
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Posted
I'm the same. And I suspect alot of people on this ship would say the same thing.
But if one of your friends does approach you with the question "what is the good news?" - what would you say?
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a theological scrapbook
Posts: 9481 | From: Australia | Registered: Apr 2009
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
You'll get to spend all your Sundays hearing boring sermons while trying to stay awake. During the rest of your week you'll spend a lot of time in meetings where people heavily disagree on which side of the kitchen the coffee machine should stand.
Hmm, somehow I don't think this will go over well.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
But if one of your friends does approach you with the question "what is the good news?" - what would you say?
I don't know, because none of them has ever asked me that. "What's all this Christianity thing about, then?", yes. "Is there really a God?", yes. "Does your religion have anything to offer me?", yes. But not once has any non-Christian asked me if I can tell them what "the good news" is.
And frankly, if they did I'd probably reply "England beat Ukraine 1-0 last night", because that's probably what they'd be talking about.
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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Evensong
Shipmate
# 14696
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Posted
LOL. I belatedly had a feeling you'd say that. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
But really, it's the same question as "What's all this Christianity thing about, then?"
What do you say to that?
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a theological scrapbook
Posts: 9481 | From: Australia | Registered: Apr 2009
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Justinian
Shipmate
# 5357
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Anglican_Brat:
The good news is that despite human stupidity and sin, God is still in the business of redeeming the world.
The good news is that despite all the attempts to convince us otherwise, the judge who sentences people to eternal torment, thereby turning the very notion of justice into a perversion doesn't actually exist. So humans can get on with the process of fixing and improving the world without having to worry about the non-existant tyrant condemning them to eternal fire.
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My real name consists of just four letters, but in billions of combinations.
Eudaimonaic Laughter - my blog.
Posts: 3926 | From: The Sea Coast of Bohemia | Registered: Dec 2003
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Justinian
Shipmate
# 5357
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
I'm the same. And I suspect alot of people on this ship would say the same thing.
But if one of your friends does approach you with the question "what is the good news?" - what would you say?
I'd say that that is only a phrase that people who are already Christian would ever ask.
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My real name consists of just four letters, but in billions of combinations.
Eudaimonaic Laughter - my blog.
Posts: 3926 | From: The Sea Coast of Bohemia | Registered: Dec 2003
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Justinian
Shipmate
# 5357
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
Yes. Well. Marvin said that too.
For much the same reason. That 'gospel' means Good News is somewhat obscure outside Christian circles.
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My real name consists of just four letters, but in billions of combinations.
Eudaimonaic Laughter - my blog.
Posts: 3926 | From: The Sea Coast of Bohemia | Registered: Dec 2003
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
But really, it's the same question as "What's all this Christianity thing about, then?"
What do you say to that?
I don't have a set answer, I answer in the way that seems best for the moment and for the person asking the question.
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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Rosina
Shipmate
# 15589
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Posted
Thank you all for your replies - I especially identify with this:
"I do know that my life is better for having Jesus in it"
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Evensong:
[qb]But really, it's the same question as "What's all this Christianity thing about, then?"
My answer would be Chrisitianity isn't a religion - it is a way of life. A way of living with God at the centre (heart)and for man to walk in His light.
Maybe the "good news" is that Jesus sought and found the perfect plan of God - The Christ principle if you like - and He says we too can follow this plan - we can be "born again" of God. Then we grow with God whilst here on earth and dwell with Him throughout eternity.
I am reminded of the scripture "with God all things are possible" He gives the power to overcome,the power to heal, power to live life to its fullest potential. This is the Good news too.
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"Imagine." If you can imagine, you can dream, and if you can dream, you can hope and if you have hope, you may seek and if you seek; you will find.
Posts: 75 | From: Lancashire | Registered: Apr 2010
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W Hyatt
Shipmate
# 14250
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Rosina:
... we can be "born again" of God.
This would be my latest attempt: Jesus Christ is inviting each of us to follow Him and allow Him to transform us through His infinite grace and mercy, leading us to experience some of His own joy by living our lives in the service of each other.
But for others' attempts from the past, see this thread and this thread.
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A new church and a new earth, with Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life.
Posts: 1565 | From: U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 2008
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Ramarius
Shipmate
# 16551
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
But really, it's the same question as "What's all this Christianity thing about, then?"
What do you say to that?
I don't have a set answer, I answer in the way that seems best for the moment and for the person asking the question.
I'm intrigued. Give us an (anonymised) example.
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Posts: 950 | From: Virtually anywhere | Registered: Jul 2011
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ramarius:
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
I don't have a set answer, I answer in the way that seems best for the moment and for the person asking the question.
I'm intrigued. Give us an (anonymised) example.
That's really difficult to do. I'm quite serious when I say that I don't have any pre-arranged 'lines' to say to people - I rely on reading the mood and intent of the initial question, and my initial answers are usually quite wide-ranging to enable the questioner to decide the parameters of the conversation for themselves. In short, I try to find out what it is they are looking for, rather than telling them what I think they should be looking for.
Does that make sense?
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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The5thMary
Shipmate
# 12953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by churchgeek:
The good news is that God has chosen to be human in Christ - not just during Jesus' earthly life, but for good. Humanity, then, has been raised into the very life of the Triune God.
OK, that's a bit esoteric for most, but it is very good news.
It means that the distance between Creator and creation has been bridged. It means God has thrown God's lot in with us. It means God is making all things new, and that even our sinfulness can't keep us from God's love.
HOORAY! Nicely put.
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God gave me my face but She let me pick my nose.
Posts: 3451 | From: Tacoma, WA USA | Registered: Aug 2007
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Rosina
Shipmate
# 15589
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Posted
W Hyatt - thank you for posting the other threads - lots of help there and food for thought. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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"Imagine." If you can imagine, you can dream, and if you can dream, you can hope and if you have hope, you may seek and if you seek; you will find.
Posts: 75 | From: Lancashire | Registered: Apr 2010
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Ramarius
Shipmate
# 16551
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
quote:
Originally posted by Ramarius:
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
I don't have a set answer, I answer in the way that seems best for the moment and for the person asking the question.
I'm intrigued. Give us an (anonymised) example.
That's really difficult to do. I'm quite serious when I say that I don't have any pre-arranged 'lines' to say to people - I rely on reading the mood and intent of the initial question, and my initial answers are usually quite wide-ranging to enable the questioner to decide the parameters of the conversation for themselves. In short, I try to find out what it is they are looking for, rather than telling them what I think they should be looking for.
Does that make sense?
Not after standard lines Marvyn, just an anecdote along the lines of "I was talking to this geezer down the pub last week and he asked me what I thought about religion...."
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Posts: 950 | From: Virtually anywhere | Registered: Jul 2011
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