Come in and take a look at Christianity from the inside. See how it fits together. See how this story helps make sense of your story.
3-2-1 is a chance for anyone interested to find out more about the Christian faith or to brush up on the basics. There will be three evenings over the next few weeks. We start with a meal at 7.30pm and watch a talk by Glen Scrivener on video at 8pm with time for discussion afterwards. For more details, check out the video below. We will be all finished by 9pm.
No knowledge of the Christian faith or Bible is needed. People won’t be asked to read or contribute; you can join in or simply listen. The course is totally FREE.
3-2-1 will be on the following evenings, in the church vestry:
Monday 11th January 2016 – God, and his three-ness
Monday 18th January 2016 – The world, and its two-ness
The Holy Redeemer annual day away this year focused on how to be a disciple-making church. We gathered at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon and enjoyed two terrific talks by Jonathan Fletcher, former vicar of Emmanuel. The day had a very wet start but by the end of the morning brightened up, so after being fed by God’s word and by lunch kindly prepared by Lynn and Ian Andrews we went for a lovely walk across Wimbledon Common. The day was rounded off by tea, discussion and prayer.
Then on Sunday morning, Jonathan spoke for us again, delivering a third talk on our theme of being a disciple-making church. All three talks are now available to download from our talks page.
Where is God in pain and suffering? Lisa’s story Tuesday 4th March 2014 8-9pm
Where is God in broken relationships? Janet’s story Thursday 13th March 2014 8-9pm
Where is God in the nine-to-five? Ben’s story Monday 17th March 2014 8-9pm
Come and hear about life experiences we all share and how Jesus Christ can transform them. Each evening a local Christian will be interviewed about how following Jesus has given them hope, comfort and purpose. Our interviewer Chris Knowles will then talk a little more about who Jesus is and how he could transform your life. Light refreshments will be provided.
Each evening is free, no need to book. Come for just one or come to all three.
Easter is the celebration of Jesus resurrection from the dead.
People do not generally rise from the dead; yet people saw Jesus alive after they had watched the Romans execute him on a cross. Jesus predicted all this before he died and said that anyone who follows him will be saved from death for heaven (Mark 8:31-38)
If true, this gives us the hope of a rich future where there will be ‘no more tears or sorrow’ (Rev 21:1-5). Sounds improbable? Check it out.
To listen or read the eye-witness accounts of Jesus death and resurrection in the Bible, click here.
For a summary of the Christian message, click here.
Did Paul create Christianity or simply follow Christ?
Many people find Paul’s teaching difficult. It is often argued that Paul changed the message of Jesus – for the worse: he replaced Christ’s message of love with a dogmatic gospel of his own that is altogether less tolerant. Did Paul create an unholy divide between Christ and Christianity?
Watch
In the Channel 4 programme, The Hidden Jesus, Robert Bexford argues that he did (see below).
ii
The Talk
In an excellent talk given on Sunday 26th April , Dr David Wenham explains why the evidence does not support this view.
iiDr David Wenham is Vice Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, and is also chairman of the New Testament Group of the Tyndale Fellowship. He is a leading scholar on the relationship between Paul and Jesus. After studying theology in Cambridge and Manchester University, he taught New Testament in India and then at Wycliffe Hall and the University of Oxford for 24 years.
What is the Didiche and does it contradict the Bible?
The word ‘Didiche’ means ‘teaching’ and contains early Christian teaching. The date of the document is uncertain but is probably around AD100. There is certainly some overlap between its teachings and the New Testament – for example, it refers to the ‘two ways’ of living and the ‘Lord’s supper’. But its silence on some issues does not add up to a contradiction as Bexford suggests; as with the letters of Paul, it is not trying to give us a complete account.
Is there any evidence that the apostles accepted Paul’s teaching?
Paul tells us that he went to Jerusalem; he presented and explained what he was preaching and the leaders of the church gave him the ‘right hand of fellowship’ (Gal 2:9)- they approved of it. That is Paul’s account. But the apostle Peter talks of Paul’s writing in his second letter and says that some of his writing is ‘hard to understand’ (be encouraged those of you who find some his letters difficult!) but some people twist his words ‘as they do the other scriptures’ (2 Pt 3:16). So here the apostle Peter accepts that Paul’s writings are the same as the scriptures. There is also the historical fact that church accepted Paul’s teaching very early on (not after Constantine as some claim), despite the fact the he used to be a persecutor of Christians.
How do we know that Christianity was not based on the ‘mystery religions’?
The Greek mystery religions do have some ideas parallel to Christian ideas, e.g. myths of gods dying and rising, sacred meals, etc. But the Christians did not get their ideas from these pagan religions, but from first century events in Jewish Palestine. So, where did the idea of Jesus dying come from? The disciples saw him die on a Roman cross outside Jerusalem! The last thing that one would invent is the idea that your messiah would be crucified. Crucifixion was a shameful, degrading punishment used by the Romans. Crucifixion was not in the mystery religions. Again, the idea of Jesus resurrection came not from a mystery religion but from the disciples’ experience of seeing the risen Jesus. And the Lord’s supper was originally a Jewish Passover meal.
