Recent content by Deborah_

How many witnesses would you require for verification and confirmation? What kind of evidence? Videos, perhaps? - but videos can easily be faked. Way back in the 1960s a journalist called John Sherrill collected testimonies of numerous instances where tongues had turned out to be known...

In its essence, grace is when God gives us something for nothing. We are saved by grace: we can't earn salvation, and we can't deserve it. God gives it freely to all who ask Him for it. We receive spiritual gifts and other blessings by His grace - again, we don't earn them, and they aren't...

You're wrong on both counts. Paul says in I Corinthians 14 that tongues are not normally understandable unless someone is given the gift of interpretation - which may not be the case! (verse28) And there are also occasions, even today, when the tongue is understandable by one or more people...

It's of benefit to me (I've never prayed in tongues in public). I've always found prayer a struggle because I get tongue-tied and can't think of things to say. Praying in tongues bypasses that problem. When my father was dying, I found myself praying in tongues as I drove to the hospital. I...

Yes , I do. I pray in tongues fairly often, when the Spirit gives me one. It isn't always the same one.

For each particular issue: Read all about it. Read all sides of the argument - and read books written by people who really know what they're talking about, not just posts on internet forums. Then decide for yourself which view is right and stick to it. Whatever side you take, there will be...

I find the scientific evidence for evolution overwhelming (mainly in terms of the genetic evidence - the fossil record is still too fragmentary). I'm also aware that none of the fundamental Christian creeds state that we have to believe that the world was created in 6 days, 6000 years ago. So...

So your only quarrel is with the terminology? A 'tenth' (fraction) would be OK, but '10%' (a percentage) isn't? Even though they're exactly the same thing? If you're going to insist that we all use God's words and no others, perhaps we should all be learning Hebrew and Greek, since those are the...

But my church doesn't. I've never attended a church that insists on a compulsory 10%. "Percentage" is merely another way of expressing "proportion". There's no practical difference between the two; the distinction is purely in terminology. All proportions are a percentage. Whatever amount you...

Who said anything about bargaining? Whatever percentage I decide to give, that's my choice. Or do you have a problem with the concept of a percentage? But Paul advises us to give in proportion to our income (I Corinthians 16:2)!

For many Christians, tithing smacks of legalism. Wasn’t it part of the Old Covenant Law, which no longer applies to us? And in all the many passages on money and giving in the New Testament, tithing is never even suggested, let alone commanded. However, tithing pre-dates the Law. It is first...

In Biblical times, bodies were initially placed in tombs, then (after a year) when only the bones were left, they were placed in a box (an ossuary). Somehow I suspect that's not what your friends are thinking of! Personally, I don't think the manner of disposal of bodies makes much difference...

This was an issue much discussed in the early church. It was decided that the value of the sacraments (including baptism) didn't depend on the moral worth of the person performing them. Which is just as well. Who would decide whether a sin was gross enough to invalidate all a minister's...

It's a parable. It's not actually about money, but about serving God (in any capacity). We're all sinners. Holiness comes gradually, and progress is often embarassingly slow. But we are forgiven sinners.

From what I've read, the brother hadn't witnessed the incident and believed what the murderer had told him. Which is understandable - but the police have no excuse.