The Whitehouse Church Podcast

Before we get to the question of, “Who is my neighbour?” it is worth considering a modern retelling of this story. In our context it is hard to appreciate the disdain that the Jewish people felt towards the Samaritan people. Perhaps imagine this scene taking place in modern day Israel, with a devout Hasidic Jew questioning a rabbi, and in response the rabbi tells a story of a Jewish Priest and a Christian Zionist who cross the stre...

Peter denies knowing Jesus before the crucifixion. And then after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to Mary, and then to the disciples in the upper room, and then he appeared a second time and spoke with Thomas. But Peter is not mentioned. John even records Peter narrowly missing Jesus in the garden before he appeared to Mary, but Peter never gets closure. Thankfully, the gospel of John has an epilogue that wraps up this loose end.

When the son is still a long way off, the father is waiting and watching for him. This is the only time in scripture that I can see an image of God in a hurry, he runs to embrace his lost son. But all the son can think about is his sin. He is terrified that his sin will stop him from being welcomed. He is desperate to talk about his sin and the father simply doesn’t care! His lost son has been found and he is overwhelmed with joy.

I do not see God the same way that Calvinists see God. If you believe God’s righteousness is manifest in a wrath that demands violent retribution in order to be satisfied, then the Calvinist interpretation of this passage can make sense, even if it is abhorrent.

Just as the proverbial hammer sees everything as a nail, the Calvinist certainty regarding the wrathful nature of God forces them to sacrifice the loving-kindness of God at ...

Our picture of God must be shaped by our understanding of Jesus. He is the only true perfect representation of the father, and he is the lens through which we must interpret all Scripture and revelation (Heb 1:1-3).

His teaching and example are superior to all others, and when we are faced with complex theological and moral conundrums the sensitivity, graciousness, and kindness of Jesus must be our model for both contemplation and p...

In a world that generally says you can do whatever you want so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, Jesus goes further by teaching his disciples to actively initiate actions that will benefit others. In this way Jesus’ teaching is unique.

The love of God is an active love. This is a key distinction between simply being a good person and being like Christ. It is relatively simple to lead a life that does not hurt others but leading a lif...

The gospels make no secret of Jesus’ concern for the least and the little. His compassion for the outcasts, pariahs and unpopular; his disposition towards the socially unimportant, those deemed sinners, the poor, sick and excluded. The Scriptures labour over Jesus’ love for these people, recording at length the stories where he interacts with the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the woman who had a bleeding disease,...

The Anabaptists refused violence, promoted local faith communities, rejected the excesses of wealth and cared for the poor, maintained the distinctiveness of the kingdom of God from the kingdoms of the world, and recognised the centrality of Jesus’ ethical teaching and practices for the faithful.

I am not an Anabaptist in a strict sense as I have not historic or genealogical connection to the movement. But I am deeply inspired by ...

Jesus proclaimed the prophetic message of Isaiah at his own inauguration, just as the prophets of our day bravely rebuke those in power, calling for grace and love rather than judgment and wrath.

The kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed was so scandalously gracious the Jews responded with violence. Jesus’ good news was for all the people they hated, all the wrong people. They wanted him to die for offending them. Their understand...