A Helpful Distinction – Literary vs. Literal
They correctly point out that we should not attempt to interpret the Bible according to its literal meaning but according to its literary meaning. So, if we are reading poetry we understand that God is not literally a shepherd, but that there are several aspects of a shepherd that can be applied to our God. Jesus is not literally a door or a gate, but that image suggests something about the person and work of Jesus that we need to think seriously about. Jesus can use hyperbole (exaggeration) and irony (sarcasm’s weaker cousin) and we do not need to believe that the Pharisees were literally a bunch of snakes.
Irreligious, Unpatriotic and Bad for Families
Irreligious. Unpatriotic. Bad for families. These were reasons Rome used to justify the persecution of Christians.
My, how things have changed. But have those changes all been for the better?
How America Gains 600,000 New Christians Each Year—Without Evangelism
By contrast, unauthorized immigrants mainly come from Latin America and the Caribbean, where countries have established Christian (usually Catholic) majorities. As a result, an overwhelming majority (83 percent, or 9.2 million people) of unauthorized immigrants are Christian. According to Pew, that’s more than the Christian percentage of the U.S. population as a whole, which clocked in at 80 percent in 2010.
“And God knew” three words that change everything
When God knows he cares. When God cares he acts. Just as he saved his people from their suffering in Exodus he has acted to save us in Jesus. However long it may seem to take, however hard life may seem to get, you can take comfort from the sure and certain truth: God knows.
We must test everything by the Word of God. All of us are responsible to interpret the Bible and apply it to our life but this is where disagreement comes because we interpret differently. Music is a form that is used to convey meaning. It may be the most challenging of all forms because it involves preference, emotions, vocalization, etc.
The following seven test statements each relate to biblical principles that we should apply to our music to determine if it is Christian.
Daniels tried to imbue the navy with a strict morality. He increased the number of chaplains, discouraged prostitution at naval bases, and, most controversially, banned the consumption of alcohol.
“As a substitute, stewards increased their purchases of coffee, among other beverages,” writes Lee Craig in the new book, “and Daniels’s name became linked to the daily drink of millions around the world. A cup of coffee became disparagingly known as ‘a cup of Joseph Daniels,’ and as legend has it, this was soon shortened to a ‘cup of Joe.’”
Personalized Coca-Colas, But Not If Your Name Is Mohammed Or Maria
As part of its new campaign, which recently launched in Europe, the soda giant is printing popular first names on labels of Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero.
Colony of ants jam bell, keep German woman awake
A 75-year-woman in the southwestern town of Offenburg called police at 3 a.m. Wednesday complaining that she couldn’t sleep because her doorbell was always ringing.
Police said officers dispatched to investigate the cause quickly tracked down the culprit: an ant nest next to the doorbell.