Ten tips for a successful research project

Writing a long essay or research project can be daunting. Follow these ten steps to complete a successful project. Get well organised from the start (time, technology, information storage, study desk and chair, limited interruptions, surroundings conducive to study). The better organised you are, the easier it will be to efficiently complete your research project. …

Mountains of Scripture (5): Mount Gerizim

The modern Israeli town of Shechem, framed by Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Thereโ€™s a famous story recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter four, where Jesus encounters a woman from Samaria drawing water from a well at lunchtime. He has a significant conversation with him resulting in her sudden awareness that he is Israelโ€™s …

Are there creeds in the New Testament?

One of more than 50,000 baptisms performed at Saddleback Valley Community Church, California, since its founding in 1980. The baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19 is seen by many as an early credal statement. As a child, I encountered Christianity in the context of various independent churches in Australia and Papua New Guinea. None of those …

Mountains of Scripture (3): Mount Moriah

I have had the privilege of visiting Israel three times. On the first occasion, in 2007, I spent several hours at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, including a tour of the Dome of the Rock, where the Jewish Temple stood during Jesusโ€™ life, until its destruction by Rome in AD 70. Beneath the great gilt …

The first Christian creeds

One of the earliest statements of trust in Jesus is beautifully captured by the author of the Fourth Gospel. In John 9, Jesus encounters a man blind from birth, and heals him. Later, the man shares his personal testimony with the Jewish religious leaders: โ€œI was blind, and now I can see!โ€ (v. 25).  Later …