Acts 6:8-15
The arrest of Stephen is one of those stories which the church does well to mark. He was arrested, so they claimed, because he was speaking against tradition. His challenge was to the old narrative of God’s intention for His people in light of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Hence he is accused of blasphemy.
In Scotland, in the late 19th. century, there was a great many challenges to teaching in the theological colleges which had arisen in light of insights and developments in archaeology, literary criticism and Near Eastern Studies. Many brilliant theologians were tried at the General Assembly for heresy and on the odd occasion blasphemy. It is, as a consequence of this rush to punish those who departed from the “tradition”, that the Free Kirk introduced the “Conscience Clause” which all elders of the Kirk now adhere to.
New insights on faith need not frighten us but rather challenge us to a greater understanding of what God intends for His people.
The arrest of Stephen is one of those stories which the church does well to mark. He was arrested, so they claimed, because he was speaking against tradition. His challenge was to the old narrative of God’s intention for His people in light of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Hence he is accused of blasphemy.
In Scotland, in the late 19th. century, there was a great many challenges to teaching in the theological colleges which had arisen in light of insights and developments in archaeology, literary criticism and Near Eastern Studies. Many brilliant theologians were tried at the General Assembly for heresy and on the odd occasion blasphemy. It is, as a consequence of this rush to punish those who departed from the “tradition”, that the Free Kirk introduced the “Conscience Clause” which all elders of the Kirk now adhere to.
New insights on faith need not frighten us but rather challenge us to a greater understanding of what God intends for His people.