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Some people occasionally throw stones at the Bible, deploring the fact that it is a book full of contradictions.
Being Human_W2_10.07_v1 from Open Church network on Vimeo.
When they do so, they make two mistakes. The first is to describe the Bible as a book. It is not – it is a series of books.
Original goodness, rather than original sin, should inform a more human approach to Christian faith and life.
In a new series of online study resources developed for the Open Church Network, Steve Chalke argues that the popular doctrine of Original Sin, that has informed much of Western Christian thought for over 15 centuries, misappropriates the biblical view of God’s relationship with humanity and has resulted in untold misery for generations of church goers.
When Steve published his ground-breaking article – A Matter of Integrity – in 2013 and affirmed his support for loving, faithful and monogamous same-sex relationships it was described by one national newspaper as ‘sending shockwaves down the evangelical community.’
As such, it was no surprise that many people had sincere and honest questions about Steve’s position, theological approach and perspective on Biblical interpretation. In this video, Steve answers a number of the core questions that were received.
Gay sex is a sin. The New Testament makes that abundantly clear.
Or does it?
According to one of the UK’s most prominent evangelicals, if Christian scholarship engages with archaeological evidence from the rediscovered ancient city of Pompeii, much of St Paul’s teaching on sexuality must be radically reinterpreted.
When Steve published his ground breaking article – Restoring Confidence in the Bible – a number of people had questions. How can we dialogue with scripture while maintaining a firm view of its authority? How can we reconcile ourselves to some of the more controversial stories without adopting a ‘pick and mix’ approach to the Bible? In this video, Steve explores these questions and more.
Hope imagines what is possible and won’t give up until it happens...
Hope is bold. It says that things don’t have to be the way they are...
Hope stands up for the forgotten and the lonely and the ignored...
We've developed Awe & Wonder reflection resources for each of the 9 Habits. Here's a reflection resource about Hope, which can be used alongside the church resources that you can find here.
In 2014, Steve Chalke published 'Restoring Confidence in the Bible' - a ground breaking piece looking at how we interpet scripture and apply it to the 21st Century. In this video, Steve talks about the article and how we deal with difficult chapters of the Bible that seemingly justify slavery, sexism and homophobia.
"It's us, with our sleeves rolled up, active and engaged and bothered about the transformation of the places where we live and the people we live amongst".
Last year we ran a campaign called Church Is... in which we asked some of our favourite people to talk about what they think church is. Here's Jill Rowe, Oasis' Director of Ethos and Formation and a key part of our church in Waterloo, talking about her sense of church and community.
"Most of the time, most of us find ourselves immersed in the mundane, preoccupied with getting by, anxious about deadlines; there are bills to pay, emails to write, phone calls to make and trains to catch. We're racing through life but falling asleep on the inside.
In 2013, Steve Chalke published a ground breaking article – ‘A Matter of Integrity’ – which questioned traditional understandings of the Bible and same-sex relationships. In this video, Steve explains his article, his theological position and the journey that lead him to write his article.