Tag Archives: human-rights

Mary, Martha, and the Bible

Posted on September 27, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

My church had some interesting discussions last night at our Bible study.  We’re still going through our study on the Gospel of Luke.  I’ll use as my starting-point a question on page 35 of the curriculum that we are using, … Continue reading →

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Servant or Slave?

Posted on May 24, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

For its Bible study, my church is going through John’s Gospel: Wisdom from Ephesus, with Michael Card. Last night, the group was talking about whether Jesus was a servant or a slave.  Michael Card, if I recall correctly, was saying … Continue reading →

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Respecting Authority

Posted on April 29, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

“Your beliefs should be in line with your pastor’s”, the leader of a Bible study group I was in said in the group’s first meeting of the school year.  “I believe in church authority, so the minister has a right … Continue reading →

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Ending One Bible Study, Starting Another

Posted on April 19, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

My church did not have its Bible study last night.  My pastor and his wife are away, plus we just got finished with the twelve-week curriculum on the Book to Romans.  Next week, we’ll be starting an eight week curriculum … Continue reading →

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Deuteronomy 24:4: Why Was the Ex-Wife Defiled?

Posted on April 5, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

Today, I want to talk about Deuteronomy 24:4, which occurs within a passage that’s about divorce.  Deuteronomy 24:1-4 states in the King James Version: “(1.) When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass … Continue reading →

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Peck Knew More Than Kathy About God: On What Basis?

Posted on April 4, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

In my latest reading of The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth, M. Scott Peck talks about religion and spirituality.  He discusses three case studies: a woman named Kathy who was weighed down … Continue reading →

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Finders and Owners: Appreciating Laws as Laws, Not Advanced Ethical Concepts

Posted on April 1, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

In this post, I’ll use as my starting-point Deuteronomy 22:1-4, which I will quote in the King James Version: “(1.)Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any … Continue reading →

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Common Sense and Absolutizing the Bible’s Commands

Posted on March 29, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

For my write-up today on The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth, I’ll use as my starting-point something that M. Scott Peck says on page 148: “There come many points on one’s journey … Continue reading →

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The Loner

Posted on March 28, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

I got back to reading M. Scott Peck’s The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth. What particularly stood out to me in my latest reading was a scenario that Peck described on pages … Continue reading →

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Show No Pity, or Cultivate Pity?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

One theme that has come up repeatedly in my reading of Deuteronomy is God’s command to the Israelites not to pity certain people.  Specifically, God in Deuteronomy commands the Israelites not to pity the following: the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:16), an … Continue reading →

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