I learnt that atonement or (at-one-ment) is about being reconnected with the divine through Jesus and thus being “at one” with God again, and that there are different ways in the history of Christianity to explain how that works. One problem with the penal substitutionary theory is that God isn’t really God if He needs…
Notes on the new perspective on Paul’s writings in the New Testament
I learnt that the first approach from the German Tuebingen university uses Hegelian dialectics of thesis, antithesis and synthesis to make sense of the differences in Peter’s theology and Paul’s theology, in a way that exhorts today’s churches to seek to learn from one another instead of allowing conflict narratives to divide them, so as…
What does the post-woke vision for social equity look like to me?
“While anti-woke rhetoric serves only to increase divisiveness, deny the existence of oppressive and toxic systems, and lend legitimacy to extremist ideas, a post-woke methodology of social engagement offers strategies that are able to collaborate with the human nervous system rather than over-stimulate it and shut it down. This would, in theory, lead to an…
Discussion on “Is psychoanalysis Christian?”
I understand the discussion between Peter Rollins, Alfie and Eliot to be about viewing psychoanalysis from the perspective of christian theology and religion, where Pete proposes both theoretical and liturgical approaches to Christianity by creating a space for community to experience our lack or self-divided version of ourselves. I learnt that Pete spoke about retroactive…
Prayer for perpetrators of death penalty and state-sanctioned violence
Two thousand years ago, a man was hung on the cross by the cruel authorities, and he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Yesterday morning, a man was hung by Singapore authorities who insisted that he knew what he was doing. All he knew back then was that he…
Significance of animals in the Bible
What the Bible can teach us about nature conservation I remember some years ago, I was reading an anthology about ecology, in which an article opined about how Christianity seems to focus only on the salvation of humankind, without really advocating nature conservation or environmental consciousness. That view didn’t really sit well with me. After…
The narrow way: knowing thy true self and living a self-sustainable lifestyle
It has been a long time since I last read the mainstream newspaper, but I decided to buy today’s paper in order to access some news articles on the latest nature conservation issues. As I read the first few pages, I get a sense that the news seem to be catering mainly to the privileged…
Notes on Jewish Vaccines Against Mimetic Desire: René Girard and Jewish Ritual
According to a thesis, Rene Girard’s theory of mimetic desire, rivalry and scapegoating offers a viable alternative to the still-dominant sacrificial theology of the cross of Jesus Christ. The thesis examines three Jewish “vaccines” to the mimetic disease as follows: the Birkhat ha-Banim (“The Blessing of the Children”); the reading of the Book of Esther…
Me, We and Everybody (Notes from Robcast)
The topic of Rob Bell’s podcast message is about how humans grow, develop, mature and evolve. In this episode, the speakers are starting with a very simple and elementary framework or model, before they seek to add more detail and colour in subsequent episodes. I learnt from Rob Bell that his message is ultimately about…
The Mystery of Christ 