A brother, who reads my blog from Tanzania wrote to me asking about the uniqueness of Jesus when contrasted with every other religious figure, and why He is worthy to be followed. In response I have thought right to write a series of articles addressing this question. I hope this proves helpful for many. These articles will not be exhaustive, but in them I hope to will stir up serious thought, that culminates in a personal relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior.
In one of my previous articles that can be found here, I addressed the question of whether there exists an etymological difference between the words ‘Holy Ghost’ and ‘Holy Spirit’. I had promised to do a write-up about why some Bible versions ‘miss’ some verses or words, and my friend Tayebwa Allan did well to remind me. In this article therefore, I will address the question of bible translations, and whether we can surely trust the Bibles we have.
Ancient architecture and buildings have a way of communicating beauty to me, transporting me from the material world, to somewhere beyond the X-Y-Z planes. These sorts of structures are rare today, and more so in such a country like Uganda.
Ben Sasse, Senator from the state of Nebraska emphatically stated this week at the Commencement week for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton MA that ‘we are generally a people of the Book’. He remarked that indeed, the graduates of the Seminary were trained to take the text seriously. As I listen to him, I am reminded of Dr. Albert Mohler’s diagnosis of the postmodern worldview, as one of the symptoms he mentions is the demise of the text.
Most atheists I talk to accuse adherents of religion for the indoctrinating their Children. They suspect and believe that without parents teaching and training their children in godliness, these children would grow up without the knowledge of God. They are both right and wrong. And this is why:
Living in a broken world? Of course, we are. The evidence is not far from you. Remember the person you have always wished you were? Well, not yet. That campaign ad that seeks to ‘make the world a better place’ surely suggests the world as it is, is broken. And that Judge was recently appointed to ‘mend’ the broken judicial system, which itself exists for no other reason than to dose your broken morality. Even hospitals exist to fix us just as well as mechanics do your bike. Your other friend? Well, she no longer picks your calls because she is ‘heart-broken’. And you should have known better.
At my local church, we have been doing a study of the book of Daniel, since the beginning of the year. Daniel, a young Jew taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar the great Babylonian King, together with his three friends; Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, find themselves in a foreign land and separated from the land of their ancestry, a land of promise. And they shall dwell in captivity probably for the rest of their lives.
The sweet assurance of God’s superintendence and sovereignty over all affairs of the world is peace to those who trust in Him. The world with all its brokenness can be a source of despair for those whose heart is not rested in the knowledge that God is good, even in my suffering.
There is something so repugnant to the world about a believer holding fast to God in face of calamity and evil. Some see it as utter foolishness and mock, some cannot help but muse within them about the certainty of things unseen, and the ground for a believer’s hope, while others openly express amazement at the endurance and steadfastness of such a man.
If we would but catch a glimpse into the minds of many believers in Kampala and its surrounding areas, we would meet with confusion, stirred up by the apparent burning of bibles by Pastor Aloysius Bugingo of House of Prayer Ministries, Bwaise, Kampala. … Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost?
