Speculations

Examining a QuestionPostings placed here look at some of the more difficult questions that may be posed on a variety of issues. In general, they do not offer hard-and-fast answers, but seek to point out alternative perspectives that have the potential to resolve the issue. Sometimes they may even open up a whole raft of additional questions for further discussion…

It is not our intention that such discussions should be restricted to people who see things the same way that we do. You are entitled to honestly disagree: but we expect participants to treat one another with respect and present their reasons without being gratuitously offensive: otherwise postings are likely to be cut or blocked.

N.B. This page does not yet have a “Simplified English” version.
Automated translations are based on the original English text. They may include significant errors.

Postings in this category:

  • Why Wasn’t the Resurrection More Public?
    If resurrection is the basis of Christian faith, why didn’t Jesus display himself more publicly afterwards? And wouldn’t a more public ascension have made matters easier for doubting believers?
  • John’s View of the Cross
    One major puzzle concerning John’s Gospel is that — despite giving a lengthy account of the after-dinner conversation on the night of his betrayal — he doesn’t mention Jesus’ words during supper about the bread and wine. Why is this?
  • Jesus’ Reading of Isaiah 61v.1
    Luke 4:18 describes Jesus’ reading of Isaiah 61:1-2 in the Synagogue at Nazareth. But what has puzzled many is that there appear to be two versions of Luke 4:18 — and neither exactly matches Isaiah’s prophecy. However, there is a simple explanation …
  • The Western Text of Acts and the Council of Jerusalem
    Most Christians are surprised to learn that there are two distinct versions of the Acts of the Apostles. But before anyone gets into a panic about this, let me explain…
  • Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
    Could the woman described in the Song of Solomon really be the Queen of Sheba?
  • What is a Tappuach?
    The ‘Tappuach’ is a fruit or tree mentioned 6 times in the old Testament and normally translated ‘apple:’ but botanists and linguists dispute it. This article reviews the latest evidence to explain why, in my book ‘Transformed by Love,’ I opt for ‘apricot.’
  • Sour Grapes
    Not a discussion of Aesop’s fable: but a Jewish proverb complaining that God makes children suffer for the sins of their parents. Could a loving God really do such a thing?
  • The Severe Face of Love
    Sometimes a father with an unruly child, a child that terrorizes the other children, must take strong action to stop the terror. Do you think God faces the same dilemma with us? How might those actions of defense play out? Does love, sometimes by necessity, take on a severe face?
  • Why Are We Waiting?
    Most folk who have ever sought after God can think of times when they have cried out, “If you’re there, why don’t you show me? I’m here and I want to know!” Yet God doesn’t always show up when we think He should. And it doesn’t seem fair. So why is it?
  • What is the meaning of “death?”
    This posting arises from comments on the article, ‘Did Jesus Really Die?’ and explains more about the Christian concept of death.
  • Whatever happened to Lazarus?
    A discussion on Goodreads recently raised the rather interesting question: why does the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead appear only in the gospel of John? After all, on the face of it, this was Jesus’ greatest-ever miracle: so if it did really happen, how come the other gospel writers don’t mention it?
  • The ‘Connectedness’ of God
    One of the hardest things for us to comprehend is what it really feels like to be someone else. If I bang my finger, I am in agony: but if you break your leg I can’t feel it. I can only try to empathize. For us, that is probably just as well. But there is someone who can truly understand…
  • Why Does God Hide?
    It is a question that’s been asked, not just by agnostics and atheists, but many a disappointed enquirer and even many believers, frustrated by God’s seeming inaccessibility. There’s no single answer appropriate for every case: but I’d like to offer one key thought that can help our understanding
  • Love needs a Champion
    The Song of Solomon declares that: “Love is strong as death … Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away.” And the apostle Paul says that it… “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” And yet love has an intrinsic weakness: it cannot compel; because love, to be love at all, must be a voluntary choice.

Page creation by Kevin King