Dr. Peter E. Lewis

In English, the word ‘love’ is a much-abused term. For example, someone might say, “I love apple pies,” or “They made love in the bedroom last night.” Therefore, it is important to have some idea of what Jesus meant when he used the term. From what we know of Jesus from the gospels, when he said to love your neighbour, the noun ‘love’ means a self-giving concern for others.

In John 11:3, Lazarus is referred to as the one Jesus loves. In Greek, the word used here for ‘loves’ is phileis, but the word for ‘loved’ in verse 5, ‘Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus,’ is egapa. Therefore, Jesus has a different kind of love for Lazarus on his own.

Have you ever felt that your faith could use a fresh perspective? Dr. Peter Lewis, a prominent figure in progressive Christianity, provides an engaging approach that challenges traditional beliefs and deepens your connection with Jesus.

I call on every Christian, wherever they are in the world, to say a simple prayer when they hear the siren. It might help people in some way that we do not understand. It might influence the thinking of the first responders in a positive way.

The crucifixion is the central point in the Christian story, but it makes no sense unless it is explained by his followers that Jesus believed that his suffering had a purpose, that he would save many people.

People enter the Kingdom in an existential and emotional way. Christians are with Christ existentially because each human being is an independent conscious entity.

This is a plea for Christians to realize the significance of Isaiah 53 for their understanding of who Jesus was and what he did. I believe that he was motivated by love to take on the role of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53.

The Second Coming of Christ is an erroneous idea that developed among Christians in the last third of the first century AD. It weakened the assurance that the first Christians had that the kingdom of God had come.

I do not know. Nobody knows. There is no certainty in religion: faith and doubt must go hand-in-hand.

In his important book, "Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes", John Shelby Spong pointed out that the followers of Jesus who wrote about his life were all Jews

The religious culture in which Jesus lived was the sacrificial culture centred on the temple in Jerusalem. It provided the background to his thinking and that of most other Jews including Paul, and the idea of sacrifice continued to influence the thinking of the first Christians.

I have come to realize how different Jesus was and that his life before his baptism was the foundation for what became Christianity. Although his mission began suddenly when he was about 30, his previous experience must have provided the motivation for what he said and did.

Mark wrote his gospel in Rome in about 52 AD. Such an early date is very much a minority view these days, but the more I investigated the matter the more convinced I became. The date is important because if Mark wrote only about twenty years after Jesus’ crucifixion it supports the essential truthfulness of his account.

I have been thinking about the ending of Luke’s gospel. Luke’s ending (24:1-53) is based on Mark’s ending (16:1-20) and is a modified and magnified version of it. When this is realized one can work out how Luke’s ending developed into its final form. Also one needs to understand that during this period of development a pro-Peter group had become powerful in Rome.

Scholarship and determined exploration of ancient sources for the canonical gospel of Mark has brought great rewards for the writer and readers of The Ending of Mark's Gospel.