This is based on a Sunday talk given by Jon the freelance theologian at Glenwood Church, Cardiff, on 14 August 2011

The talk began by reading out 1 John chpater 2 in the New International Version of the Bible.

There’s always a danger when we read Scripture that we only see the bits that we want to see. I’m sure like me you’ve heard plenty of sermons when it seems the point the preacher is making bears little relation to the text.

So, what is John trying to tell us in the second chapter of this letter to his friends? It’s not always clear to see, so out of a sense of curiosity I ran the text through a website called Wordle to see what the key themes were – creating this image.

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The previous post on freelance theology caused a response in the comments about the identity of the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’, a cryptic reference that appears fairly regularly in the Gospel of John.

There have been many attempts to identify this ‘beloved disciple’ over the years, although their true identity will probably never be known. Here, though, is a short run-down of the main possible contenders for the title that have been suggested. (more…)

Question 160, from Huw, United Kingdom

Is there only one ‘true’ religion?

The points of view about whether Christianity is ‘true’ in comparison to ‘truth’ found in other religions can be thought of as a spectrum. This ranges from those who would insist that Christianity is exclusively true and all other religions are in error, through to those who would quite happily view other religions as having an equal and valid view of God, and to be a means to salvation for some. (This is often referred to as pluralism.)
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Question 130, from Bob, USA

I have heard the saying a “fold in the bible” or something similar. What does that mean?

This seems to be an obscure phrase, and without knowing what context it was used in, it’s hard to know what the person who said it meant.

Three possible meanings come to mind. Firstly, the actual word ‘fold’, which is a name for a rudimentary shelter for smaller livestock (often referred to as a sheep-fold). The ‘fold’, or sheep-pen, is also used by Jesus as a metaphor for the believing community in John chapter 10, where the sheep/believers shelter in the fold, while the ‘good shepherd’ fights to protect them and sacrifices his own life in the process (chapter 10, verse 11).

Jesus also claims to have sheep ‘that are not of this fold’ (chapter 10, verse16), which has been used to justify an inclusivist, or pluralist, attitude towards adherents of other religions. However, (more…)

Question 129 from Annmarie, Ireland
Would you please give me your understanding of what it means to ‘worship the Father in spirit and in truth’ as mentioned in John chapter 4 verses 21-24?

The context of this statement attributed to Jesus is a conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman who raises the question of whom is correct in their worship – the Jews who worship God at the Temple in Jerusalem, or the Samaritans who worship God on Mount Gerizim. Jesus replies by saying a time is coming when “true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth.”

There are a number of different reasons why the author of John’s gospel records this saying. The author is very fond of words like ‘light’, ‘truth’ and so on and this is why some people see ‘gnostic’ tendencies in John’s gospel. This saying of Jesus is one of many which lets a person, including the reader, in on a ‘secret truth’, or to put it another way, offers them a revelation that not many other people know.

It is generally agreed that John’s gospel was probably the last of the four gospels to be written, at a time when the early Christian church was (more…)