Monthly Archives: March 2026

Jesus was not a failed prophet

Today is Palm Sunday, when the promised Messiah son of Joseph was acclaimed by his people as he came to Zion, but subsequently, in fulfilment of Scripture, was slain in saving them, and was even rejected by the nation (though ascending to God), leading to a new exile for Israel until the coming of the Messiah son of David as a conquering king, inaugurating the eternal kingdom of God.

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Before knowing your enemy recognise his enmity

In a comment on my last post, Ben links to an X post that compares Islam to Tolkein’s ring of power, arguing that whoever tries to control it will be controlled, and then destroyed, by it.

Posted in History, Politics and sociology, Theology | 3 Comments

Christendom has its advantages

I was recently in touch with a friend from my old church in Essex, which has now grown to over 1,000 weekly attenders. There were only about 80 when I joined in 1987, and it has grown steadily since. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s doing something right – Hillsong and Bethel were bigger, after all, and look what’s happened to them. But in this case it is, and it’s a cause for personal rejoicing.

Posted in History, Politics and sociology, Theology | 10 Comments

The many-faceted Israel (2)

I understand that some modern Jews do not even know that Jesus “the Nazarene” is a Jew, explaining his ministry from the Hebrew Scriptures and (uniquely) obedient to torah throughout his life. Christianity seems to be regarded by them as a Gentile heresy to which Jesus, or Paul, or both, “converted.”

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The many-faceted Israel (1)

If we consider Christians’ attitudes towards Israel, I suggested in my last post that there is a need to identify what they actually mean by the term “Israel.” The Bible gives a surprising number of options. Here I’m mainly going to list as many of the meanings as I can, and even then I may miss some. Today I’ll focus on the Hebrew Bible, with a follow-up post on the New Testament, and my conclusions, next time.

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Christian Replacement Zionism (or something)

The prominence of Israel’s conflicts against genocidal Islamism and an unexpected surge of Western antisemitism, together with my recent studies in the Jewish roots of Christianity through Seth Postell, David C Mitchell and others, have brought into focus the wide range of views about “Israel” amongst those calling themselves Christians.

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