Month: February 2017

Articles 

Drink this!

Phil Whittall, , 0 comment

Last summer, on a warm and sunny evening (even at 9pm), I ran a 10k race around one of Stockholm’s 14 islands. On crossing the finish line I was given a medal, energy bar and bottle of water. It was only after drinking the water that I paid attention to the label on it. Take a closer look. It says THE.VATTEN which means THE WATER. Which is, well, stating the obvious. But underneath it says ‘Drink this and be saved’. Which is much more interesting. The advert was paid for by a…

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Christian Living 

The Bible guide to surfing the web (part 2)

Phil Whittall, , 0 comment

The first part (written sometime ago now) of this short series covered the ‘do nots’ of using the internet. It was all about creating a good set of filters, both on your computer but more importantly in your heart. There are plenty of things that are easily accessible that every Christian should guard against. Some of them are obvious and some, maybe not so much. But being against things is only half the job. God intended that we do good not merely avoid doing evil. So what practices should we adopt in our use of the internet?…

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Christian Living 

Devotional: Everlasting Arms

Emma Whittall, , 0 comment

There is no one like the God of Jeshrurun Who rides the heavens to your help, And through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; Deut 33:26-27 Whatever happens in the year ahead, God is there. Whether it’s a year full of excitement, new beginnings and anticipation, or whether it’s a year already tainted by disappointment and pain, God is there. However raw the emotions we may face, whatever situation may shake us to the core, God goes deeper.…

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Articles 

The books I read in 2016

Phil Whittall, 0 comment

I never quite got around to posting about my reading from 2016 but the fact that it is March shouldn’t be a hindrance to reflecting on the past right? Turns out there was an encouraging uptick in books read. In part because I’ve counted books I’m reading out loud to my kids and we powered our way through Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. Tolkien may slow us up in 2017. I hit my challenge of 35 books in a year, a heady 21 more than in 2015. I’ve…

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Articles 

Is atoning sacrifice absent in Paul’s scheme of salvation?

Phil Whittall, , , , 0 comment

I’ve recently been working on digitizing most of my papers and files from university days and stumbled across a few interesting finds. One of those was this feisty article by Bradley H McLean. McLean opens with the acknowledgement that ‘Christ’s death constitutes the theological centre of gravity for Paul’s entire soteriology’ and that most scholars have just presumed that this idea of Christ’s expiatory death is based on the Jewish idea of sacrifice and atonement. Not so argues McLean. His case is made on five key points: Sacrifice does not atone for…

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Links 

The Curiosity Index (23.02.2017)

Phil Whittall0 comment

After today there’ll be a pause on the Curiosity Index for a week, as we’re travelling to the UK. Killed for Christ in the Amazon I’m going to start with this. The BBC ran a profile on Jim Elliot. Very cool. War on truth If this article is to be believed then it would seem that Trump is doubling down on his assault on facts and the media. You have reasons to be concerned. Facts on crime in Sweden It is totally fine to argue about the interpretation of facts…

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Christian Living 

Learning from 2 Thessalonians 1

Phil Whittall, , 0 comment

We’ve begun to study 2 Thessalonians in church before we move on to a series that deepens our commitment to our core convictions on church & discipleship. So what can we learn from this first chapter? Faith is supposed to grow (v.3) So is love for your brothers & sisters in Christ (v.3) Perseverance & faith keeps you going through persecution & trial (v.4) God rewards those who endure for His sake (v.5) We don’t need to concern ourselves with revenge but can trust God to do justice (v.6) When…

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Links 

The Curiosity Index (22.02.2017)

Phil Whittall0 comment

Next week I’m travelling in the UK and although I hope there will be some scheduled posts there won’t be any Curiosity Index for a week. I know, I know…. Blessed are the peacemakers In a world that seems ever more divided people doing things like this are symbols of hope. For the last 2.5 years we opened our doors on a Monday evening for friends, neighbours and strangers to come eat with us. No grand, mechanistic plan, we just wanted to know people. Sweden, Sweden, Sweden So Trump calls out…

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