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A belated response to the bus advertisements |
Let no one accuse me of being a quick thinker! Here's my belated response to the "There's probably no God" bus campaign which ran in the UK and elsewhere earlier this year.
I think this slogan has three features which commend it. Firstly, there is good evidence Jesus rose from the dead, and it's in the public domain. Anyone can review it and decide whether "probably" resolves to "yes" or "no".
Secondly, it is "his" life which Jesus calls us to enjoy, not "your" life as the original advertisement suggests. Those who rise with him have no fear, not even of death.
Finally, I think this slogan retains the whimsy and affirmative tone which the authors of the original campaign sought to achieve. Some responses to that campaign have failed to respond in kind. Slogans like these should be an opportunity for a conversation! |
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North Sydney news on Twitter and Google Calendar |
To inform people about what's on at the City Bible Forum in North Sydney, I've set up some online tools to help.
- Twitter: Each week I'll twitter what's on at the Greenwood, plus any other news about our activities. Follow us!
- Google Calendar: This calendar will show what's on at the Greenwood in the next few months. You can subscribe to this calendar in your electronic diary, which is a great way to know what's happening, but also to pencil this time into your diary. You can see the calendar in your browser, or get it in iCal format and synchronise with your electronic diary.
If this is all too complex, put a weekly event in your diary and come anyway! |
(Craig Roberts is giving a series of talks on Revelation at the North Sydney City Bible Forum, from February 11th to 25th. Here is a helpful guide he provided to understanding the symbolism of Revelation)
As a prophetic letter written in an "apocalyptic" style, the Book of Revelation is full of symbolism - symbols of colours, numbers, animals and patterns that all convey meaning. We tend to be “tripped over” by this because we mistakenly believe that we do not think in pictures. However you and I know that a tin with a Rosella Parrot on the side is probably Campbells soup—in Indonesia they think that we eat tinned parrot. A green man means walk and a red man stop. A pair of solid yellow lines means do not overtake and a black 60 with a red circle around it refers to speed limits for motor vehicles and not pedestrians. Symbols like this refer to values rather than amounts and we use them all the time. The same is so of the book of Revelation. It is simply a matter of becoming acquainted with the symbolic meanings of the various symbols. In most cases the context of the letter helps us (eg. a hideous beast killing Christians is clearly not a good guy). When reading apocalyptic literature it is unwise to push a literal interpretation upon the features of the book if a symbolic one will fit. Remember symbols are always flexible and don’t always mean exactly the same thing in differing situations. They also tend to add (e.g. one horn equals power, seven horns equals perfect power, six horns is less than perfect). It is wisest not to push the symbols and the details too hard but rather let the “big picture” convey the meaning.
white/thrones/crowns = conquest and rule
lion = nobility, greatest of the wild creatures
ox = strength, greatest of the domestic creatures
eagle = speed, greatest of the flying creatures
man = wisdom, greatest of all creatures
lamb = meekness associated with Christ
horn = power
eye = knowledge
right hand = authority
dragon/serpent = Satan
sea beast = oppressive politics (e.g. Roman Emperor)
land beast/false prophet = false religion (e.g. Roman Provincial Cult)
Babylon/Harlot = city against God, best of human endeavour
Jerusalem = city of God, the gift of God
3 = used for repetition creating emphasis
3½ = half of the complete number 7, hence incomplete (42 months, 1260 days is 3½ years)
4 = referring to or reaching all of creation (4 corners of the earth)
6 = incomplete, falling short but close, Satan’s attempt at 7
7 = complete, perfect, total, God’s number
10 = a number expressing total or magnitude (you and I use "a dozen")
12 = associated with God’s people and their leaders, Israel or the Church
24 = Israel and the Church, Old and New Covenants
666 = work it out! (7 minus 1, 3 times)
1,000 = 10 cubed – emphasising all of what is being numbered
144,000 = 12 times 12 and 10 cubed – all of God’s redeemed people |
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North Sydney programme for 2009 |
This is what's happening at the City Bible Forum in North Sydney this year ...
- John Dickson returns as our main speaker along with Greg Clarke.
- At Easter, John Dickson's and Greg Clarke's Life of Jesus will be televised. This documentary presents the facts of Jesus' life, and explores the implications. Throughout April-June you'll be able to view the documentary here at the Greenwood and put your questions to John and Greg. Break out the popcorn and red carpet!
- In September, John and Greg will present talks based on their award-winning book 666 and all that. If you've ever thought about meaning, death, or the end of the world, this series will be useful to you.
- We have a range of excellent speakers lined up this year
Here's what's on and when. We look forward to seeing you and your colleagues in 2009!
February 11th - 25th
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Craig Roberts
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Life under Jesus
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Three episodes from Revelations (chapters 1, 2, and 9)
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March 4th - 18th
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Simon Manchester
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The essential Jesus
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Three episodes from John's gospel (chapters 3, 4, and 5)
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March 25th - April 8th
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David Ould
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The controversial Jesus
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Three episodes from Luke's gospel
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April 15th - June 3rd
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Greg Clarke and John Dickson
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The life of Jesus
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The Life of Jesus documentary presented over 8 weeks, with Q&A from John and Greg
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June 11th - July 8th
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Joe Wiltshire
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Tough Questions
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Tough questions raised by the life of Jesus (Mark's gospel)
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July 15th - 22nd
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Break for school holidays
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| July 29th - August 5th |
Anthony Petterson |
Exodus |
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| August 12th - 19th |
Richard James |
Marriage |
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August 26th
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To be advised
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September 2nd - 23rd
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Greg Clarke and John Dickson |
666 and all that
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What will and what won't happen at the end of the world
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| September 30th |
Inspiring People |
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Meeting at the Harbourview Hotel |
October 7th - 14th
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Peter Frith
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Give and take |
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October 21st - November 4th
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Simon Flinders |
Lifesaver
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| November 11th - December 2nd |
Lewis Jones
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Genesis, science, and ethics |
What can a scientist make of the biblical book of Genesis? What light can the Bible and Science throw on each other? |
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What name should we give our in-house group? |
When Christians start meeting together within a company, the question soon arises "What do we call ourselves"? If the meetings are informal and private it doesn't matter, but what if we're organising events or activities that are open to our workmates? Then we want a name that says something about who's welcome and what's our purpose in meeting.
Here's a suggestion: Learning from Jesus. Or maybe simply Learners.
The Greek word for disciple means "learner", so this is an appropriate name for people who are Christians. And while many people would not call themselves followers of Jesus, they may still be open to learning what Jesus did and taught.
Also, promotion becomes very easy. We can use L-plates to identify ourselves or our activities as "learners". It's an easy-to-recognise symbol that has a disarming touch of humility. |
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