This is an informal debate between Scott Sharrad and Kevin Rogers on “Is Christianity a force for good?” The original title for this debate was “Has organized Christianity been a force good?”
The Last supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
Scott Sharrad is the president of the Atheists Foundation of Australia. He was also formerly the secretary of the SA Humanists and president of The Council of Australian Humanist Societies (CAHS).
Scott Sharrad,
Kevin Rogers is the director of Reasonable Faith Adelaide. He is also a research fellow and lecturer at the University of South Australia. They are also both on quite friendly terms.
Many have found the book of Revelation, and especially some of its imagery, quite confronting. It has often led some Christians to dire predictions of the end of the world, ultimately leading to their own disappointment, as well as the ridicule of non-Christians.
Matt unpacks one of Revelation’s images, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, to help shed light on a better way to approach not only that passage, but also the book of Revelation entirely. He also touches on a better way forward in terms of Christians viewing the eschaton, when Christ will return.
Your DNA is what makes You, You. Irrespective of your world view, the discovery of the inner workings & complexities of life under the microscope should leave anyone with an inquisitive mind in wonderment. Our bodies use, preserve and copy this molecular script in such a way that life and the reproduction of life is made possible.
The goal for this talk is to cover some of the key findings that science has discovered about the structure and expression of DNA, and how this all ties in to what we are. Josh also presents current theories and models that seek to explain how the complexities surrounding DNA has become a reality.
Have we been misreading the gospels for centuries? New Testament scholar N.T. Wright has considered this issue in his book “How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels”. Have evangelical Christians read Paul’s atonement theology back into the gospels to such an extent that they do not see what the gospel writers are really saying? Jesus is the culmination of the story of Israel, the Jewish messiah promised in the Old Testament as God returning to dwell with his people, thereby transforming his people in a way that includes non-Jews and inaugurating the ‘kingdom of God’. The main emphasis of the gospels is not that individuals can be saved to go to heaven but changed so that they can participate in the kingdom of God on earth.
Dr Denise Gamble presents a summary and assessment of NT Wright’s argument.
Are the early chapters of Genesis credible? Are they meant to be history or are they mythical stories to convey lessons? One of the credibility challenges is the large ages of Noah’s ancestors. For example, Genesis 5 states that Methuselah died at the age of 969. Geoffrey Russell believes that there are some intriguing aspects to these stories that should cause us to think more carefully before jumping to hasty conclusions.
A central claim of the Biblical Old Testament is that God (YHWH) appeared to Moses and empowered him to lead the descendants of Jacob out of their slavery in Egypt back to the land of Canaan promised to them 430 years earlier when their ancestor Abraham dwelt there.
This thin strip of land between the south east coast of the Mediterranean and the Jordan River is now one of the most disputed territories on Earth contested by two peoples descended from Avraham (Jewish pronunciation of Abraham) otherwise known as Ibrahim (to the Arab people).
The Biblical book of Joshua gives an account of how the Israelite people conquered this land with the miraculous help of YHYH some 1200-1440 BC and is the main source of the Jewish claim to the territory that is still in dispute today. So, can the Joshua account be believed?
This presentation looks at the Joshua account, the disputed timing and the archaeological evidence for accepting the plausibility of Joshua’s account.
Matthew James Gray recently completed his doctorate on religious toleration and persecution in seventeenth-century England. In this talk, he shares some of the things he learned during his studies.
Specifically, Matt argues that the dynamics of toleration were always multi-dimensional. It wasn’t just that the government had to decide whether to tolerate religious minorities; toleration and intolerance were occurring in various directions, including between the various religious groups themselves. Matt also explores
The Bible records that God delivered the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt by the hand of Moses and formed them into the new nation of Israel.
At that time, God gave them a Law, about which He said:
“If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26)
In this address, Geoff Russell considers some aspects of this Law which, if obeyed, would result in far better health and well-being for the nation of Israel than that experienced by Egypt and other neighbouring nations. In particular, he looks at toilet hygiene, treatment and isolation of infectious diseases, circumcision, and sexual morality. Were these rules beneficial to the ancient Israelites and are they relevant to us today?
The Acts of the Apostles is vital to the overall credibility of the New Testament. It alone provides a historical account of the development of the early church immediately after Jesus’ ministry. Unsurprisingly, there are diverse views on the reliability of Acts. FF Bruce claimed that “Luke’s reputation as a historian is unsurpassed”, whereas the Acts Seminar claims that it is a 2nd century document that reflects the nature of the church at that time. Who is right?
This presentation discusses:
Manuscript reliability, dating and authorship,
Key developments in Acts scholarship,
Consistency with Paul’s letters, and
Historical reliability.
The presentation and discussion can be viewed on You Tube
