Monday, April 25, 2011

Of interest

Lots of interesting stuff today:
The Easter bunny and his eggs do not have a pagan origin: "The modern myth of the Easter bunny" by Adrian Bott:
"....The colourful myths of Eostre and her hare companion, who in some versions is a bird transformed into an egg-laying rabbit, aren't historically pagan. They are modern fabrications, cludged together in an unresearched assumption of pagan precedence. ...."
Benedict XVI responds to a seven year old Japanese girl asking why there is suffering. "The Pope answers questions about suffering, persecution, and the Resurrection":
"Why do you have to suffer so much while others live in ease? And we do not have the answers but we know that Jesus suffered as you do, an innocent, and that the true God who is revealed in Jesus is by your side. This seems very important to me, even if we do not have answers, even if we are still sad; God is by your side and you can be certain that this will help you. One day we will even understand why it was so. ...."
Ross Douthat makes "A Case for Hell" in response to the recent controversy begun by Rob Bell:
"....Doing away with hell, then, is a natural way for pastors and theologians to make their God seem more humane. The problem is that this move also threatens to make human life less fully human.

"Atheists have license to scoff at damnation, but to believe in God and not in hell is ultimately to disbelieve in the reality of human choices. If there’s no possibility of saying no to paradise then none of our no’s have any real meaning either. They’re like home runs or strikeouts in a children’s game where nobody’s keeping score. ...."
Jared Wilson asserts that
"Every church has a liturgy. Open up your worship program/bulletin. Is the order of worship elements the same each week? That's your liturgy."
and refers us to "How Do You Use Liturgical Elements in Your Church Worship?" at The Gospel Coalition Blog. One of the contributors there, Scotty Smith of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee responds:
"....Let me be clear: we still want a “free and Spirit led worship culture,” but now we clearly see the place of responsive readings and creeds as a means of helping us offer our Triune God the worship he deserves and in which he delights."

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