Pericope Adulterae
The story of the woman caught in adultery is obviously later than the New Testament, if you accept the fact that the earliest Greek manuscripts are the most reliable.But this lovely story sounds so much like the Jesus we meet in the rest of the gospels that I cannot give it up.I cling to the Jesus who condemns religious hypocrites, forgives sins AND says Go and sin no more.Is it wrong to take the story as genuine and believe it be part of the Christian gospel although it is not part of any of the original gospels? It seems to be a very different kettle of fish to the longer ending of Mark, which would appear to have been written to harmonise M

Can Christians fall away? asks Andrew Heard
Andrew Heard wrote a very good article for The Briefing, issue 299, in which he addresses the issue of whether Christians can fall away and be lost. This is his summary, posted in a later issue:I believe born again Christians can fall away, but I am convinced God won't let them, by making them take heed to the warnings. Although this statement appears contradictory, I think it not only does best justice to the full revelation given us in the New Testament, but also reflects the experience of Christ during his earthly life. The fact that Christ suffered when he was tempted surely meant that he could have fallen into sin. But God's promises concerning his victory must have m

Great rejoicing in Outer Galukistan over new NIV
I'm looking forward to the New NIV in 2011, but I did have a chuckle over this from Tominthebox news network:From the deepest recesses of South American Jungles to the coldest corners of Siberia, native people groups everywhere are rejoicing over the latest announcement that the English-speaking world will be spending millions of dollars for yet another English translation of the Bible. The excitement erupted after Zondervan Publishers announced that it would be making a major revision and update to its New International Version, first released in 1978"Our goal is to put the NIV into modern English so that people born after 1988 can understand the Scriptures,"

Why Churches have tax free status
This letter to the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald explaisn why churches have tax-free status in Australia.Tax and religionAllan Lewis (Letters, November 20) suspects the tax-exempt status of religious bodies is a function of the ''socially beneficial works they undertake''. That is incorrect. The tax status of religions relies on the 1891 Privy Council Pemsel case, which confirmed four categories of charitable purpose: relief of poverty; advancement of education; other purposes beneficial to the community; advancement of religion.This was confirmed in Parliament by Senator Peter Walsh on May 1, 1984, when he said: ''Legally, the advancement of

Charles Darwin and the Children of the Evolution
TIMES ONLINE has a fascinating account of some of Darwin's other ideas, often linked to his big idea, and the way that some psychopaths have eagerly adopted them.The naturalist outraged the church, prompting a bitter debate that still sets creationists against evolutionists. Now a sinister link has emerged between his work and the recent spate of high-school killings by crazed, nihilistic teenagers.You wouldn’t know from the celebrations of Charles Darwin’s life this year that the amiable Victorian gent portrayed in those TV drama-docs pottering around the garden of his home in Kent has been fingered as a racist, an apologist for genocide, and the inspirati