Press On Journal

The book of Job throws up many theological, moral, and linguistic questions. For the purposes of this article, the author is assuming that the book of Job is a poetic and dramatic portrayal of the story of a faithful man in adversity. This assumption does not diminish its truth; rather, it clarifies the kind of truth the book is about. Using scholarly works and personal study, the author discusses...

This article is a call to action for us to take being stewards of God’s creation seriously by looking afresh at what it means to ‘rule’ and ‘care’ for the earth. Instead of simply waiting for the future Kingdom, we are urged to consider making lifestyle changes today that will lessen the negative impact humans are having on the earth we have been blessed to live upon. Practical suggestions are mad...

Let’s meet the real Rabbi Jesus. This first century figure was unexceptional in his appearance and way of life until he began his ministry, and it was then he showed himself as fundamentally radical, revolutionary and extraordinary. He stirred people up, and he still has the ability to disturb and change us if we’re willing to spend the time looking and listening to him; to see beyond our own imag...

Are we more in love with the Bible as the word of God than we are with the Lord Jesus Christ himself? This article draws a distinction between the living "word of God"—God's contemporary revelation that challenges and changes us—and "scripture," the archived record that we are too easily tempted to venerate and manipulate in its place. Jesus is presented as the Word made flesh, God's final and unm...

Come and meet the real Jesus, as depicted within his time and cultural setting. We will meet a man of his time, looking and sounding and behaving as a man of his time would be expected to. He becomes ever more real to us as our preconceptions of that shampoo-advert-Jesus fall away. And our relationship with him may become more personal because we now see him as a rounded relatable figure with emot...

How do we deal with the cognitive dissonance between the violent, retributive warmongering God of the OT and the NT non-violent Son of God who is full of mercy and grace? Learning to let go of the inaccurate theological doctrine that we have been inadvertently raised with, and reading the Bible through the historic and cultural lenses in which it was written, is faith renewing and freeing.

Jesus is the True Vine and not Israel. Choosing Jesus over natural Israel is not an academic exercise: it has real world consequences. We can only be fruitful through him. We must be fruitful; not in the desire to become ‘management’ in the Kingdom; or in seeking to understand all prophecy, all mysteries and all knowledge; but through simplicity, in bearing the fruit of the Spirit. This is the lif...

This article explores the teaching of Jesus through his use of parables. Jesus taught in both synagogues and the Temple, as well as out in the countryside. He answered questions, corrected misunderstandings, made full use of the the Old Testament, enacted parables, told short stories and also fully fledged parables. Many people understood his teachings and became disciples: while some understood a...

“Would you still be a Christian if you found out that there was no future Kingdom after your death?” This life is not all about “getting to the Kingdom” it’s a lot about trying to be more like Jesus in everything we do, which makes life so dynamic and worthwhile. This life is not a “Waiting Room”, it’s a “Living Room”. The grace God has given me elicits a response from me: activities which show my...

This historical perspective will help us to think about how we fit into the broader history of Christianity, leading us both to consider what is valuable in the historical influences that have shaped us, and to reflect on how we see ourselves in relation to other Christians today. We are part of the rich tapestry of Christian thought and discussion, inheriting ideas, practices and debates that hav...

This articles seeks to show how the Bible continues to speak with depth and coherence to the people of God in every generation. For us, the NT’s use of the OT provides a model of reading and understanding that is both relevant and dynamic. The authors encourage us to read the Bible as a unified theological witness - to look for patterns and precedents, as well as prophesies - and to see Christ at...

What is the Christadelphian’s stand on evolution and how did it become tantamount to a first principle? Where do our beliefs around this topic originate? What do we mean by old-earth creation, or young-earth creation, or theistic evolution? In this in-depth overview about the Christadelphian understanding of this controversial topic we will discover that we do not all share the same views, and tha...

This article explores the practicality of trusting in God even though we cannot see the end from the beginning. There is freedom in realizing that God is more interested in who we are rather than what we do. Jesus trusted in his Father implicitly, and he is inviting us to share our journey with him as our compassionate and capable leader and to realize that the process of becoming more like Him is...

The authors of the Gospels and epistles routinely appeal to Israel’s Scriptures, not merely as historical background or for moral instruction, but as the theological and narrative framework within which the significance of Christ must be understood. This is not a matter of isolated proof-texting, but of reading the OT as a divinely orchestrated narrative that finds its culmination in Jesus. This a...

Using a historical perspective, this article considers how Christadelphians ‘fit’ in the broad sweep of Christian history by addressing the background to Christadelphian beliefs, with reflections on different understandings of what a ‘church’ is, examples of movements seeking to reform or break away from the established church, and accounts of communities which shared aspects of Christadelphian be...

Using personal experience as a starting point, this article explores the process of faith deconstruction and reconstruction within the Christadelphian community. It examines how foundational beliefs about biblical inerrancy can become entangled with personal identity and the need for certainty, and what happens when those foundations no longer hold. Drawing on Heschel's philosophy of sacred time a...

This article looks at the genealogies of Jesus recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and provides insights into why these two lists of ancestors differs. Matthew and Luke had very different purposes in collating the genealogical history of Jesus. Matthew shows that Jesus has far greater honour and acclaim as Son of God than as son of David. Luke elaborates Jesus’ distinguished lineage: divi...

When you and I sit down to read the Bible we are, in a sense, eavesdropping. We are learning by listening in to what are ancient conversations: that is, God speaking to ancient people living in very different times and cultures. While God was speaking to them, He was also speaking for our benefit. We should still agree with Paul’s words to Timothy about the inspiration and profitability of Scriptu...

Psalm 23 is probably the best known of all the Psalms. It is simple, yet profound and beautiful. People know it. People quote it. But why did David write it? What were the circumstances that led him to these particular words? We can’t know the answer for certain, but it turns out that every stanza of the Psalm corresponds very closely with what happened as David had to flee from Jerusalem in the f...

The conflict in Gaza is a tragedy. The war crimes perpetrated by both Hamas and the Israeli government are entirely alien to the character and values of the Lord God. There is no defence to be made of such crimes on the grounds of genealogy or biological descent. The children of God, the children of the promise, are determined by faith, not blood, and those who would live up to that calling have m...

This article looks at some instances of women in Biblical genealogies, particularly noticing the difference between the egalitarian status of women in God’s plan and purpose in Genesis, and how women were actually regarded as subordinate to men in ANE culture. The place of a woman in patrilineal genealogies is usually in a supporting role that informs the status of the men with whom she is associa...

Time periods in prophecy are a bit of a nightmare for many Bible readers. But for some, understanding prophecy, including the time periods, is an important way of learning more about events leading up to the coming of Christ. So, as we witness the on-going events in the Middle East today, our understanding of the prophets’ message enables us to appreciate the fact that events leading to Israel’s r...

This article looks at the curious or strange parable in Luke 16 variously called the parable of the shrewd manager (NIV), or the dishonest manager (ESV), or the unjust steward (NKJV), or the prudent steward, giving us a clue to the fact that there are divergent views about the focus and meaning of the parable. When we put the two curious parables of Luke 16, and the intervening verses, together wi...

God requested Abraham to leave his country, his father’s house, and his family. This was not one request that was met overnight by Abraham in a state of total obedience. We see that in the course of a 50 year period that it was not actually Abraham himself who instigated the circumstances leading to the obedience of each request made in Mesopotamia, but rather the situations he found himself that...

Despite the paucity of references in the New Testament to the role of Israel in God’s purposes, we have argued that the trumpets in Revelation highlight the sequence of events which will lead up to the point at which those in Israel who are prepared to accept Christ as their Messiah will be saved.