Month: November 2010

1 Corinthians, The Daily Word1 Comment

Is Organized Religion Worth the Effort?

georgepwood

Is organized religion worth the effort? For me, this question arises at this point in our study of 1 Corinthians because we are about to examine three topics that, for different reasons, may turn off modern readers. The first topic concerns the physical appearance of Christian men and women as they pray and prophesy during the church service (11:2-16). The second concerns how the Corinthians abused the Lord’s Supper by failing to provide for the physical needs of their poorest members (11:16-33). And the third topic concerns how love requires that people exercise their spiritual gifts in a way that … Continue reading Is Organized Religion Worth the Effort?

Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Cross-Cultural Servanthood

georgepwood

Duane Elmer, Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2006). $16.00, 216 pages. In Cross-Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer tells the parable of a monkey who sees a fish swimming against the current of a stream (pp. 27-28). Assuming the fish is struggling to survive, the monkey plucks the fish out of the stream and places it on dry ground. At first, the fish flops around–excited to have been saved, the monkey thinks. When the fish stops moving, the monkey feels satisfied, believing the fish is resting contentedly. Of course, the fish is dead. In … Continue reading Cross-Cultural Servanthood

The Daily Word1 Comment

Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day (October 3, 1863)

georgepwood

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.  To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.  In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, … Continue reading Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day (October 3, 1863)

1 Corinthians, The Daily WordLeave a comment

Permissible, But Not Beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1)

georgepwood

The Daily Word will begin after the following book review blurb… __________ Alister McGrath, The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2010). $22.00, 210 pages. Recently, so-called “new atheists” have been making loud noises about how stupid and wicked religion is. Richard Dawkins thinks belief in God is a “delusion” to be replaced by scientific thinking. Daniel Dennett views religion as a “spell” that needs to be broken. Sam Harris longs for “the end of faith,” whose absolutism he thinks leads only to violence. And Christopher Hitchens argues that “religion poisons … Continue reading Permissible, But Not Beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1)

Book Reviews1 Comment

“The Passionate Intellect” by Alister McGrath

georgepwood

Alister McGrath, The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2010). $22.00, 210 pages. Recently, so-called “new atheists” have been making loud noises about how stupid and wicked religion is. Richard Dawkins thinks belief in God is a “delusion” to be replaced by scientific thinking. Daniel Dennett views religion as a “spell” that needs to be broken. Sam Harris longs for “the end of faith,” whose absolutism he thinks leads only to violence. And Christopher Hitchens argues that “religion poisons everything.” Alister McGrath disagrees. Instead, in The Passionate Intellect, he argues for … Continue reading “The Passionate Intellect” by Alister McGrath

1 Corinthians, The Daily WordLeave a comment

The Choice of Religion Is a Critical One (1 Corinthians 10:18-22)

georgepwood

In 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, the apostle Paul urges the Corinthian Christians not to eat food sacrificed to idols at pagan feasts in religious temples. His argument has two components. First, he reminds the Corinthians that those who celebrate the Lord’s Supper participate in the blood and body of Christ (verses 14-17). Then, he argues that those who eat idol-food at pagan temples become “participants with demons” (verses 18-22). Here’s what he writes: Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, … Continue reading The Choice of Religion Is a Critical One (1 Corinthians 10:18-22)

1 Corinthians, The Daily Word1 Comment

What Does Communion Look Like to You? (1 Corinthians 10:14-17)

georgepwood

In 1 Corinthians 10:14–22, Paul argues that Christians cannot participate in the Lord’s Supper and eat idol-food at religious feasts in pagan temples. Why? Because the former is “a participation in the blood [and body] of Christ,” while the latter makes the eaters “participants with demons.” This devotional will focus on the former. The next devotional will focus on the latter. Regarding the Lord’s Supper, Paul writes: Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the … Continue reading What Does Communion Look Like to You? (1 Corinthians 10:14-17)

1 Corinthians, The Daily WordLeave a comment

Participation in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:14–16)

georgepwood

In 1 Corinthians 10:14–22, Paul writes: Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice … Continue reading Participation in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:14–16)