Tuesday 22 November 2011

2000 years is not long enough . . .

. . . to come up with a statement of faith.  Surely St Peter's Free-Church in Dundee could have come up with something obvious about believing in Jesus, not just 'Content to follow'.

Thanks to Paula Kirby for putting this on Facebook!  As I said - it is very bloggable!

16 comments:

Hilary said...

S'great to see you advertising churches now on your blog... and take a look at the rest of the site...for example... http://www.stpeters-dundee.org.uk/home/get-involved/christianity-explored they look like a really good group of people who may be glad to see your advert for them... Jesus said "Follow Me" and clearly they are content to do so... as I am... and no doubt if there was some sort of complex statement of faith on there there would be a criticism on your blog about that too... I'm thankful the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone and that it's not a complicated thing to follow Christ... in fact, next time I'm in the area I might even visit this church so thanks for alerting me and your readers to its existence... :)

Plasma Engineer said...

@Hilary Nice to see you back. On the page you mention it seems that they are not very clear when their next course might start either.

Any volunteers to join a course?

Hilary said...

I rather think that the website is a relatively new one,(seems to be from 2011) and I suspect that it is a developing one. So I would keep going back to it. Lots of interesting info on there though... Solas is very interesting...go back and take a look...I've a friend in fact someone you know as well, who have links with this church, and who live in Glasgow and who have helped out as leaders in the Christianity Explored series and meetings. They really think it is a very very good course of meetings. It is nationwide so maybe you could go along...shall I find you a local one? :)

Derby Sceptic said...

@Hilary: I think that you are correct in saying the website is quite new - looks like it may have launched around mid June 2011. Is this an excuse for launching it incomplete though? I would have hidden the 'Statement of Faith' link until it was ready! Try the 'Testimonials' link. Again something that should not be shown until ready.

Hilary said...

Is it not better to have something rather than nothing? :) People come back to look again if they know it is a developing site and after all, show me a website that never changes, or develops or grows...

Derby Sceptic said...

@Hilary - we are getting off topic but my point is that you don't need to show all the things you haven't got. A simple message to the fact that the website is developing and an invitation to visit often will suffice.
My websites develop, but the pages which are under development are not made visible until they are ready.

Hilary said...

Aah but is it not a good thing to know what it is that is being developed? I think so, I'd rather see parts of the site not yet fully developed than not at all :)...kind of like ...coming soon at the cinema :)

Plasma Engineer said...

Let's face it though. If any christian church tried the 'coming soon' approach like the cinemas, who do you think would believe them? Most people can't help but notice that we've been hearing that for nearly 2000 years too!

Hilary said...

Ah you are talking about something completely different here not simply a developing webiste of a local church. However since you have mentioned it, the christian's job is not to attempt to predict the date of Jesus' coming back, but simply to declare that He will fulfil His promise. As the apostle Peter says in the second of his letters,

"But beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some would count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentence. But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat, both the Earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." (Second letter of Peter, chapter 3 verses 9 and 10)

Plasma Engineer said...

"I tell you this: there are some of those standing here that will not taste death before they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom". Matthew 16:28 (if indeed you want to trade bible verses - which gets us nowhere!)

No doubt there are weasel words that 'explain' this, but it seems quite clear to me.

Sarah said...

I'm curious...Who started the term 'Our Lord'or 'The Lord'? From whom and whence did this curious phrase cometh?

Hilary said...

Ah but if you read further into chapter 17 of the Gospel according to Matthew, you will see that Jesus' words which you have so aptly quoted here come immediately before the Transfiguration (for those who are interested in this read matthew chapter 17...in fact why stop there...:) and I have long read the words you quote here as referring to the Transfiguration.

As to the origin of 'Our Lord' it depends if you mean when the word first came into the various languages and what was originally meant by the word, or do you mean who began to use it specifically as referring to Jesus, and Jahweh which is often translated as 'Lord' in the Old Testament.

Derby Sceptic said...

I am beginning to feel invincible, having survived so many 'Rapture' dates without suffering any harm at all!

Pharmaceutical Pusher said...

I read this as 'content', i.e. 'Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied.', originally. Bizarre either way.

Derby Sceptic said...

And if you try now, you will find they no longer have a 'Statement of Faith'. Perhaps they no longer believe! The Testimonials appear to have gone also.

Derby Sceptic said...
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