First Steps to a Theology of Nature

In theology, the term "nature" has several distinct usages. Bauckham explains that he wishes to focus on the modern usage of the term, namely, as it refers to "the observable non-human world." He critiques such usage, explaining that it tends toward a focus on the natural environment of human life on "our" planet. Bauckham's concern is that a misleading distinction between "nature" and humanity can easily be supposed.

Adding to the Church during the Early American Period

This article is a historical study of how the New England church in America dealt with issues like the determining of membership after a person or persons came forward as converts. There were a set of rules and procedures that had to be laid down at that time to determine whether one was genuinely a member of Christ's body or not.

Gospel of Glory – Individualism

According to the author, the Gospel of John lays emphasis on both the individual believer and the community of believers. We should not allow either to cancel out the other. What Bauckham indicates as individualism is nothing more than the considerable emphasis this Gospel account lays on the relationship of the individual believer to Jesus Christ. In Chapter 1 he gathers and assesses the evidence for the individual’s relationship with Jesus.

Sin

'Sin' has become an old-fashioned word. One reason for this is that sin is a religious word. It suggests that what one does wrong is wrong in the sight of God. Another reason is that the word 'sin' implies that there are some things that are absolutely wrong. It assumes some standard to which our lives ought to conform. Both of these reasons go against the modern trend in our culture which views morality as a matter of private opinion.

Saints

The word 'saint' often tends to denote some type of "super-Christian" above the rest of us. But this author understands saints to be people who reflect Christ in their lives in such a way that people who know them feel that by knowing them they know Christ better. Not because they are perfect, but because they themselves point us to Christ.

Prayer

Is it childish when we go on asking God for things even as adults? What Jesus says about prayer is put in the simplest childlike way: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you". This understanding of prayer makes sense only if we realize that for Jesus it belongs to a special kind of relationship with God - a relationship of trusting intimacy and close friendship. A child would not hesitate to ask a loving parent for anything.