Thrive: Perspectives

Just some of the listener questions we endeavour to discuss in this episode: What do you mean when you say God grasps us, rather than us trying to hold on to God? Especially when I feel like I'm only just holding on. I've been discouraged watching others who I thought had a strong faith in God de-church or deconstruct. Did God get it wrong and not show up? Where does it leave them - they seem happ...

Relationship with God: Prayer should be seen as a means of developing and deepening our personal relationship with God. It allows us to communicate with God, express our thoughts, emotions, and desires, and seek intimacy with the divine. Submission and Alignment: Prayer can be an act of surrender and submission to God's will. It is an acknowledgment that God's plan is perfect and that we are seeki...

In a Christian worldview, prosperity should be seen as a multifaceted concept that extends beyond mere financial wealth. True prosperity, in the Christian view, includes a deep and abiding relationship with God. It involves a sense of spiritual fulfillment, peace, and a strong faith in God. It's about seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Prosperity in a Christian worldview involves hea...

What is God's purpose for my life? What informs my values and beliefs? Consult Scripture. What passions and talents has God given you? Allow time to reflect and discern. Be open to change. Learn from your experiences. Accept that you might not always have clarity. If you continue to seek God and live in relationship with Him, then nothing - no wrong decision you make - can thwart the purpose of Go...

Is faith a 2nd rate kind of knowledge? Or even just blind belief? How do we find God in the ordinary? What do we do in the dry periods where it seems that God is distant? There's an opportunity for us to 'reach' for God, when we perhaps feel that He's not 'reaching' into our lives. In fact He’s never distant. He’s constant, and we can learn to recognise God at work, in our 'every-day'.

Feeling like God is distant or not present in your life at times is a common experience for many people, including those who have a strong faith. But God isn’t ‘out-there-somewhere’. God is all around us, much like the air that we breathe, which we don’t notice, because it’s always there! Faith is not solely based on feelings. It's about trust and commitment, about making a decision about what you...

How do we KNOW? For many outside a faith context, things can only be known and are only considered real, if we can identify empirical evidence of their existence. This perspective asserts that only those things that can be observed, measured, and tested through the senses or empirical methods are worthy of consideration as real. Our need to 'be in control' - the god complex - make this and attract...

Engaging with people from different religious backgrounds requires understanding, respect, and effective communication. Using common "bridges" can help facilitate meaningful conversations and build connections. Although we know that Jesus is the only way to true reconciliation with God and freedom in Him, it’s important that we find areas of shared ‘truth’ to build bridges where we can share our e...

Within a Christian worldview, there is an ongoing tension between the need for doctrines to provide a solid theological foundation and the recognition that many aspects of God and divine truth are mysterious and unknowable. To strike a balance: 1. Humility: Christians should approach their doctrinal beliefs with humility, acknowledging the limitations of human understanding and being open to the m...

Jesus IS the answer: Salvation and Forgiveness Love and Compassion Hope and Purpose Healing and Restoration Justice and Redemption

According to the Bible, all human beings are considered to have a sinful nature due to the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. This means that everyone is capable of both good and bad actions. Romans 3:23 states, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." From this perspective, no one is inherently a "good guy" in an absolute sense. And moreover, we are equally capable of being...

The concept of collective responsibility is clearly demonstrated through the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the forbidden tree, they were held responsible for their actions. However, their disobedience also brought consequences upon the entire human race, as sin and its effects entered the world. The biblical concept of collective respon...

Human identity is inextricably linked to the importance of a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. This relationship shapes one's identity and influences their values, purpose, and moral framework. Additionally, Christians are called to love and serve others, seeing them as fellow bearers of the divine image.

While as Christians we appreciate the potential benefits of progress, we must also hold a realistic perspective on its limitations. We know that human efforts alone cannot bring about complete restoration or utopia on earth. Instead, we look forward to the final consummation of history when Christ returns, establishing a new heaven and a new earth, where true and everlasting progress will be reali...

The question of why a loving God would allow suffering and pain is a complex and deeply theological one. God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving, and he created the world to be perfect and free from suffering and death. However, when Adam and Eve sinned, they brought a curse upon the world, which resulted in disease, and other forms of suffering. Suffering and pain need not be meaningless...

The human spiritual predicament, as understood from a biblical perspective, is the state of being separated from God due to sin. The Bible teaches that God created humans to have a personal relationship with Him, but sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, causing a rift between God and humanity (Genesis 3). As a result, all humans are born with a sinful nature, and our tho...

Despite various perspectives, the problem of evil and suffering in the world remains a challenging and complex issue for believers. Many individuals struggle to reconcile the existence of a loving God with the reality of evil and suffering. However, some theologians argue that this tension is ultimately a reflection of the limitations of human understanding.

The god-of-the-gaps argument asserts that it is invalid to introduce God as an explanation for a scientific phenomenon that we cannot currently explain by naturalistic causes. Believers in naturalism take this a step further, and offer the god-of-the-gaps argument against any involvement of God in nature. However, the god-of-the-gaps argument is only good against a particular deistic approach to G...

The reality and nature of God is a philosophical and theological topic that seeks to understand the existence and characteristics of a divine being - God. In this episode we explores and discuss the various beliefs about the nature of God, including his attributes, relationship with humanity, and role in the universe.

The question of what informs right and wrong is a complex one. There are several schools of thought on this matter, each with its own unique perspective. One common view is that right and wrong are determined by a divine being or beings, such as God. In this view, morality is based on religious beliefs and teachings, and ethical principles are seen as commands given by a higher power. Another view...

We continue our series to explore the meaning of our worldview. Your worldview can also be referred to as your philosophy, philosophy of life, mindset, outlook on life, formula for life, ideology and faith. There are a number of elements that make up each of our worldviews - our beliefs about certain aspects of reality: • epistemology : beliefs about the nature and sources of knowledge; • metaphys...

We continue our series to explore the meaning of our worldview. Your worldview can also be referred to as your philosophy, philosophy of life, mindset, outlook on life, formula for life, ideology and faith. There are a number of elements that make up each of our worldviews - our beliefs about certain aspects of reality: • epistemology : beliefs about the nature and sources of knowledge; • metaphys...

Over the coming series of episodes of Perspectives we're going to continue to explore the meaning of our worldview. A worldview is the set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence all our perceptions, thinking, knowing, and doing. Your worldview can also be referred to as your philosophy, philosophy of life, mindset, outlook on life, formula for life, ideology and...

Over the coming series of episodes of Perspectives we're going to continue to explore the meaning of our worldview. A worldview is the set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence all our perceptions, thinking, knowing, and doing. Your worldview can also be referred to as your philosophy, philosophy of life, mindset, outlook on life, formula for life, ideology and...

Over the next series of episodes of Perspectives we’re going to explore the meaning of our worldview and the aspects of a Christian worldview. A worldview is the set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence all our perceptions, thinking, knowing, and doing. Your worldview can also be referred to as your philosophy, philosophy of life, mindset, outlook on life, form...